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A New Option for Fitchburg:
First Draft of Code Released

Mar 23, 2010

Building on the work completed during our planning charrette, the PlaceMakers consulting team and staff have since been working together to fine-tune the proposed new zoning option. Get a look at the first draft — dated March 22, 2010 — by downloading this 4.7mb .pdf.

“When people peruse the draft,” says PlaceMakers principal Susan Henderson, “they’ll get a feel for how all the things we talked about during the February charrette play out in an actual code.”

The draft of Fitchburg's SmartCode zoning option is now available for review.

The draft of Fitchburg's SmartCode zoning option is now available for review.

What Fitchburg’s new SmartCode provides is ways to implement key goals for guiding future growth in keeping with community goals. You can get an overview of those goals in the column to the immediately right. And you can see how we got from goals to this draft by reading the posts that precede this one.

What’s in the new code? First of all, the proposed SmartCode District won’t replace all of Fitchburg’s zoning. Rather, it provides a “floating zone” instead replacing the Planned Development District (PDD) option. The advantage over the PDD approach is predictability. With the new SmartCode, everyone, from developers to neighbors to City staffers, will know what project standards will look like and how they’ll fit with their surroundings.

Among the other topics we discussed during the charrette that have found their way into the proposed code:

  • A new Business Park Special District designation;
  • Separate standards for two types of neighborhoods – one that can be characterized as a mixed-use Traditional Neighborhood Development and a more intense one that is especially oriented towards access to transit;
  • A series of Civic Space designations customized to fit Fitchburg park types;
  • An administrative review approach edited to conform to state law; and
  • A provision to rezone smaller parcels under the SmartCode provided they are part of a Neighborhood Plan designed to implement Smart Growth

What happens next? The draft code will get a thorough going over by various City departments, citizen committees, and elected officials. There will be plenty of chances for refinement and revisions as it makes its way towards adoption. But everyone who participated in the process that has taken us this far should congratulate themselves. We’ve taken the next big step towards shaping Fitchburg’s future.

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Second Code Draft Ready for Review: On Track for Public Comment in July →

  • Our Task: To Code for Growth
    In Line with our Values

    We need rules that ensure our future growth is as inspired as the goals we've set out.

    That’s the simplest way to explain our ambitions to augment Fitchburg’s current zoning code to bring it in line with the City’s new Comprehensive Plan. That 2009 Plan is based on core principles of Smart Growth and on long-term sustainability on three levels – economic, environmental, and social. And the fact is, says Fitchburg Mayor Jay Allen, “our current zoning code does not adequately accommodate the values we want to shape our future.”

    Old-style zoning, created in an era when the object was to protect neighborhoods from dangerous industrial practices, focused on segregating building uses – offices, retail and residences – to keep people safe from noxious industry. But with the rise of the automobile, this seemingly practical approach began to super-size, devouring land out of proportion to our rate of population growth and creating ever-greater separation between the things we do and need.

    That’s taken its toll on our environment, our budget, our free time and our ability to be a real community. But now we have the chance to do something about it.

    Icon of Streetscape      

    Over the coming months, we’ll be exploring a new approach to zoning – one that focuses more on how buildings are arranged and less on how they’re used – to broaden our existing code to better foster the kind of growth envisioned in our Comprehensive Plan. We’ll look at setbacks and building frontages, the widths of streets and sidewalks, the interplay between private space and public space and the appropriate mixes of use in selected spots – all with an eye towards neighborhoods where residents can, if they choose, accomplish many daily tasks on foot.

    Through all of it, we’ll be customizing the code addition to the things we value. So the process will involve a lot of discussion about achieving the right look and feel in the right place.

    That means the process is committed to the same sort of public involvement as the process that created the Comprehensive Plan. At the heart of this effort is a public “charrette,” a multi-day collaborative workshop in which everyone is invited to join with a team of expert consultants to establish key components of any new zoning designation.

    That workshop will take place February 8-12. “All issues,” says the mayor, “are on the table, and anyone who wishes to participate in the process will have that opportunity. Together, we’ll look at ideas, ask questions, develop answers, come up with options, and choose the best direction. By the final night we will have a consensus on the first draft of this new addition to our code.”

    It’s a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says the mayor, “to create the tools we need to handle new growth without over-extending City services.”

    Check this site often to keep up with the process. Not only will you find an ongoing overview of where we are, you’ll also have opportunity to weigh in on the different issues being discussed.