Back in April, the Zoning Advisory Committee (ZAC) held a public workshop on the future of Southborough’s village districts — Downtown, Fayville, Cordaville, and Southville. There was a scheduling conflict that night, and some residents were unable to attend, so the ZAC will hold another discussion on Wednesday night. The discussion is part of an Read the full article → from Follow-up discussion about Southborough’s villages
zoning review
When it comes to character, a picture is worth a thousand words
I went to the public meeting on Southborough’s community character last week expecting to hear a lot of adjectives that describe what the town of Southborough is all about. Instead I got a whole lot of photos. And turns out photos can be much more revealing than adjectives. About two dozen residents showed up for Read the full article → from When it comes to character, a picture is worth a thousand words
A discussion about Southborough’s character
There’s no arguing the fact that Southborough has changed since I was a kid growing up here, and there’s probably no arguing it will continue to change. Through all the change, I’ve always heard people say that it’s important to preserve the “character of Southborough.” But what exactly do we mean by that? Just what Read the full article → from A discussion about Southborough’s character
Public workshop on Route 9
The latest in a series of public workshops related to the zoning by-law review project will be held this week. And this time the topic is Route 9. There’s no question about it — Route 9 is our bread and butter. The businesses along the corridor contribute a significant amount to the town’s tax base, Read the full article → from Public workshop on Route 9
Public workshop on Southborough’s villages
What would you like downtown to look like in 20 years? What about Cordaville? Or Fayville or Southville? The Zoning Advisory Committee (ZAC) wants to know what you think. In the current bylaws, zoning for each of Southborough’s four business villages is exactly the same. But as part of their project to revamp the town’s Read the full article → from Public workshop on Southborough’s villages
What your neighbors are saying about multi-family housing
(This is the last in a series of posts about last week’s open meeting on zoning review. A group of residents and committee members who assembled at the Town House were asked five questions related to zoning. I’ll cover one question each day this week. Up today is multi-family housing.) Of all the questions posed Read the full article → from What your neighbors are saying about multi-family housing
What your neighbors have to say about permitting
(This is the fourth in a series of posts about last week’s open meeting on zoning review. A group of residents and committee members who assembled at the Town House were asked five questions related to zoning. I’ll cover one question each day this week. Next up is the permitting process.) If you wanted to Read the full article → from What your neighbors have to say about permitting
What your neighbors had to say about subdivisions
(This is the third in a series of posts about last week’s open meeting on zoning review. A group of residents and committee members who assembled at the Town House were asked five questions related to zoning. I’ll cover one question each day this week. Up today is subdivisions.) The town calls them major residential Read the full article → from What your neighbors had to say about subdivisions
What your neighbors had to say about mixed-use development
(This is the second in a series of posts about last week’s open meeting on zoning review. A group of residents and committee members who assembled at the Town House were asked five questions related to zoning. I’ll cover one question each day this week. Up today is mixed-use development.) Picture this: You step off Read the full article → from What your neighbors had to say about mixed-use development
What your neighbors had to say about development along Route 9
(This is the first in a series of posts about last week’s open meeting on zoning review. A group of residents and committee members who assembled at the Town House were asked five questions related to zoning. I’ll cover one question each day this week. First up is development along Route 9.) “I don’t want Read the full article → from What your neighbors had to say about development along Route 9
Residents weigh in on zoning questions
“We’re digging in our heels, rolling up our sleeves, and getting ready for 18 months of zoning fun.” That’s what Town Planner Vera Kolias told a group of about two dozen residents and committee members who assembled last night at the Town House to discuss zoning bylaw review. Fueled by free Starbuck’s coffee and chocolate Read the full article → from Residents weigh in on zoning questions
A picture is worth 40,000 words
Southborough’s main zoning bylaws — Chapter 174 of the town code — contain 6 articles, 47 sections, and almost 40,000 words. In all that text, there are a total of two pictures. Two. That’s not a particularly good image-to-text ratio. One of the goals of the zoning bylaw review project is to make the bylaws Read the full article → from A picture is worth 40,000 words
Why you should care about zoning review
Frontage, setbacks, minimum lot sizes, floor area ratio, subdivisions, use regulation. It all sounds rather dull, doesn’t it? And it’s exactly what you might expect from something called the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw Review and Update Project. But look below the surface and you’ll find something a bit more interesting. Something that will play a major Read the full article → from Why you should care about zoning review