Framingham officials are contemplating potential changes to the downtown Central Business district’s borders as a way to reach full compliance with the statewide MBTA Communities Act.
FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham City Council continued their public hearing regarding potential changes to the downtown Central Business (CB) district during their meeting on Tuesday, May 6.
At the end of 2024, Mayor Charlie Sisitsky proposed that the CB district—which was initially approved back in 2015 by town meeting participants—would be a suitable area to meet the requirements of the MBTA Communities Act, which mandates that every city and town with MBTA Service has to provide at least one multi-family, by-right housing district within its zoning. State officials eventually granted Framingham conditional compliance through the CB district in January.
Since then, local officials have advertised potential changes to the CB district’s boundaries so that the area would be able to provide zoning for 4,375 units, which is just above the 4,355 units necessary for Framingham to be in compliance with the MBTA zoning law. The proposed reductions to the area’s map mainly come from its south and northwest sections. Through the proposal currently being considered by city leaders, the borders would be moved from Beech Street and Lincoln Street down to Proctor Street, while boundaries further to the south of downtown Framingham would be brought up closer to Waverly Street from paths like Avon Street, Gordon Street, and East Street.
Buildings currently located within the CB district’s parameters that would fall out of the area due to any reductions would revert back to their previous zoning classifications. Before a final decision is made, District 2 City Councilor Brandon Ward noted that he wants to know what a transition zone in and out of the CB district may look like following any border reductions to ensure that residential and industrial buildings don’t clash.
“What is our vision for the downtown and what is our vision for downtown-adjacent,” Ward asked during Tuesday’s meeting.
“That is what we should be creating, instead of just allowing it all to revert back to a hodgepodge of manufacturing and (business)-zone.”
District 1 City Council member Christine Long explained that Framingham only has until early June to make a decision on the CB area in order to ensure full compliance with the MBTA Communities Act, as she contended that a conversation regarding any transition zone on the district’s borders could eat into that limited time. She suggested allowing any buildings in question to go back to their previous zoning categories.
“To just revert them back to what they are, in fitting into those neighborhoods, makes sense—at least at this time for this exercise,” Long continued.
“If we want to consider doing a transition zone after this, once we complete this, that’s a different story.”
The City Council will continue the public hearing regarding the CB district reduction plan on May 20. The Planning Board will also take up the matter during their meeting on May 15.
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Esta semana no The Frame: o Conselho de Planejamento se prepara para tomar a decisão final sobre o projeto One Howard no centro da cidade, autoridades municipais consideram a criação de um departamento de trânsito e os destaques da nossa cobertura da 129ª Maratona de Boston.
This week on The Frame: the Planning Board preps to make a final call on the One Howard project downtown, city officials consider the creation of a traffic department, and the highlights of our coverage from the 129th Boston Marathon.
The Framingham Traffic Commission recommended the creation of the group, which would be a part of the Department of Public Works, during their meeting on Tuesday.
