2009-03-09 Community Planning and Development Commission Minutes

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CPDC Minutes of 3/9/2009 Design Guidelines established by the town, give the town some control over the design of structures built in the district. Also, the CPDC would still review all construction proposed for the district. An additional benefit of establishing a 40R district is the money it would bring from the State in the form of financial incentives. A member of the audience asked if the incentive funding was guaranteed by the State. Ms. Eleanor White answered the 40R is not funded through a typical appropriation but instead was established as a trust fund. The monies for the trust fund come from the sale of State-owned lands. Ms. White added there is enough money in the trust fund to make incentive payment to all 40R applications approved to date. Next, GK presented a brief slideshow of how various properties might develop within the proposed 40R district. The Town Planner noted there are two projects ready to start if the zoning passes: the redevelopment of both the Atlantic Supermarket site and the M.F. Charles Building. GK said there is still much to be determined regarding design standards and he solicited feedback from the public. He outlined the issues of developing the downtown: • No one is using the Mixed-Use zoning Many parcels in the downtown are non-conforming (residential) • Some parcels are beyond the control of the town (e.g. Post Office) • Land is not being optimally utilized. • Need to maintain Reading's character and identity. He noted the concerns of using the existing Mixed-Use and proposed 40R zoning: • Building height • Increased traffic and parking • Maintaining historic buildings Next, the Town Planner introduced Ms. Eleanor White and Mr. Chuck Eisenberg of Housing Partners, Inc. the consulting firm hired by the town to help develop the bylaw language for the downtown 40R. Mr. Eisenberg noted the key difference between the recently established Gateway 40R district (Addison-Wesley site) and the proposed Downtown 40R is that the former was driven by a developer and the latter is being driven by the town. He then described the process and timeline for approval of the Downtown 40R: • Language of 40R Bylaw is drafted • Public Hearing is scheduled to review draft language • Submit draft and application to Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The DHCD reviews the bylaw language to see if it conforms to the law. • If the DHCD does not approve the bylaw's language, it comes back to the town for changes. • If the DHCD approves the bylaw's language, then Town Meeting votes on it. • If Town Meeting approves the bylaw, it goes back to the DHCD for final approval. Next, Mr. Jason Schrieber of Nelson\Nygaard, the consulting firm hired by the town to review traffic and parking, discussed parking issues. Mr. Scheieber said many parking spaces are underutilized and overall the town does not have a parking problem. At peak, only 60% of parking spaces are being used. Most of the time most people find parking easily. He said there is an issue with employee and noted some employees are using two-hour zones to park for eight hours. Page 2 of 5