The Center Town District Steering Committee discusses housing models during a Jan. 29 meeting.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
EAST LONGMEADOW — The first steps toward crafting a center town district bylaw were taken at the Jan. 29 Center Town District Steering Committee meeting.
Town Manager Tom Christensen began the meeting by explaining the town’s reasons for pursuing a center town district. The primary reason, he said, is to increase the town’s revenue. He explained that the town’s revenue is not keeping pace with its expenses, in part because new growth has been stagnant. Because of this, in the near future, the town will have difficulties meeting its needs. The center town district will encourage new growth with multiple uses of the same parcel.
Another reason for the center town district is to meet the state’s affordable housing threshold of 10% of housing stock. Affordable housing is defined by the state as affordable for and occupied by households making 80% or less of the areawide median income. In East Longmeadow, that translates to individuals making up to $61,350 annually.
The last reason for the center town district is to intentionally rezone the industrial properties in the downtown area, which Christensen said are no longer an appropriate use of the land. Instead, he said mixed-use zoning will incentivize developers and increase the tax base.
The town contracted with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission to help create the district. At its last meeting, the steering committee set the boundaries of the district, focusing it on the rotary, west along Maple Street and south along Shaker Road. The district is 96.5 acres and consists of 122 parcels, nearly half of which are zoned industrial.
The committee is considering various structures for the district, one of which is 40R, a law that regulates smart growth zoning districts. Among the requirements for building in smart growth zoning districts is that the development permit a mix of housing for families, individuals, persons with special needs and the elderly; achieve certain levels of housing density and contain 20% affordable housing units.
Choices
Aodhan Hemeon, a land use and environment planner with PVPC presented several sets of choices for the committee to decide. The first was what type of development should go into the district, whether it be single family attached homes, such as town houses, duplexes or triplexes, multifamily housing or mixed use. He explained that the single-family attached homes, while appearing to be one building, would sit on separate lots.
“Density is what we need,” said Carolyn Ferros, committee chair. Hemeon said that, under 40R, the density of units depends on the type of housing. He said single family attached homes must have a minimum density of eight units per acre, whereas there must be at least 12 duplexes and triplexes per acre. A minimum of 20 multifamily units are required on an acre parcel in a 40R district.
While housing would be a possibility in the district, the committee agreed that mixed-use developments were preferred as they would be most advantageous for increasing the tax base. While committee member ex-offico Ralph Page did not “see any problems” with duplexes and triplexes, committee member Steven Graham opined that developers were less likely to build them because other options would have a higher return on investment.
When it came to nonresidential uses, Ferros said, “The more mixed use, the better.” Graham said “vibrant” mixed used areas have little restriction on when is allowed. Committee member Jason Gumpert agreed.
Committee member Nicole Polite said she would like to see “mom-and-pop shops” rather than chains.
Page flipped though inches of a book with potential land uses and suggested the committee go through it systematically. The PVPC agreed to weed out uses, such as industrial, for the committee to work from.
Ferros suggested subdistricts and said what may work on Baldwin Street might not be best at the rotary. Graham agreed, “[We] definitely don’t want to do one-size-fits-all.”
The committee discussed whether to create a base zoning district or an overlay district. An overlay district allows for both the base zoning or the uses permitted in by the overlay bylaw. Ferros said both had advantages, but Page said the point was to change the use of the parcels.
Graham agreed, “Long-term, the industrial just doesn’t make sense in the center of town.” However, he said he was concerned that businesses in the district would have their zone changed. Ferros assured that the zoning would not change for existing properties until their use changed.
Requirements
Hemeon told the committee that it can create specific dimensional regulations for developments. Specified details make the process smoother for developers and the town, he said.
Page said the look the committee chooses for the center of town will inform the dimension regulations. For example, he said that he has always loved coastal towns with shops directly abutting the sidewalk, but questioned whether no setbacks would work in East Longmeadow. Ferros briefly confused the business zone’s 100-foot frontage with its setback, but it was explained that the setback is only 25 feet.
When it came to height, Hemeon said he has seen multifamily buildings up to 40 feet tall in 40R districts. Page said the maximum height in industrial zones is 50 feet, while residentially zoned properties can be as tall as 35 feet. Graham said the Mario’s Cafe Ambiance building at 60 Shaker Rd. is one of the tallest buildings in town. Ferros said the tallest buildings should not be in the rotary, but said a two-story building would not be out of place between the Redstone Rail Trail and Shaker Road. Page suggested a 40-foot maximum height with taller buildings allowed under a special permit.
Hemeon said the committee can also specify the inclusion of green spaces, such as pocket parks, tree-lined streets, plazas and green alleys. Ferros shared that green spaces would help make high-density areas more attractive. Graham liked the idea and referred to Mattoon Street in Springfield, which is a green space in the middle of high-density housing. However, he said green spaces were not an economical investment for developers. Gumpert suggested requiring green spaces based on the size of the parcel.
Parking
Parking was discussed at length. Ferros said there were too many mostly empty parking lots in town. Committee member ex-offico Robert Tirrell suggested developers estimate the amount of parking needed for their projects, rather than have the town require a specific number of spaces.
Hemeon said the district could have shared parking, rather than a certain number of spaces required for each business. Page pointed out that Town Hall and library share parking with the businesses in Center Square. It works because the town offices are not open when the businesses are busiest, he said.
Another suggestion was a parking garage, but Graham asked who would pay for its construction and maintenance. Ken Comia, land use and environment department deputy director at the PVPC, said a public-private partnership might allow for the developers to share costs. Graham dismissed the idea of a garage and said every lively downtown has parking issues.
During the public comment period, Ernest Gagnon said the town already had traffic problems and thought the district would exacerbate them.
Roland Bolduc said two-income families require two parking spaces. He was also against the idea of a parking garage, saying it would require security. Another person asked if people would be charged for parking in a garage.
Tim Brown recalled a controversy in 2024 regarding regulating chickens on residential properties. He said people were upset because they like the “rural nature” or the town. “I don’t think anything high density is good for East Longmeadow,” he said.
Gumpert commented that everything in the center of town is already developed. It is the green areas on the outskirts of East Longmeadow that are being paved over for subdivision, he said.
Another resident asked if there were any infrastructure needs attached to the district. Page explained that the town was already working on its infrastructure, including paving on Somers Road and Prospect Street and lighting on North Main Street.
Ferros said developers would design their projects to meet the needs of the town. Page said, “We have to come up with regulations of what we want it to look like and then go forward. We want to create a look and feel for the town that allows some things and not other things.”
He added that the parcels would not be redeveloped overnight, and said the committee is creating the bylaw with an eye toward what the town will look like in 50 years.
Ferros reminded the audience that the bylaw would go to the Planning Board for review and the Town Council for approval. At each step, it could be adjusted. Deputy Town Manager Rebecca Lisi said the goal would be to have a final bylaw by March.
Misinformation
At the Town Council meeting on Jan. 28, Ferros spoke during resident comment. She said she was concerned about “misinformation” from certain members of the Town Council. She emphasized that the town center district and the contract with the PVPC as its consultant was a town initiative, but said, “Before we even had an opportunity to explain the purpose of our committee and explain to the community what 40R is, misinformation was being spread and continued to be spread. Posts on social media by Town Council members are being circulated that are spreading misinformation to deceive constituents and are confusing 40B with 40R.”
Part of the state’s housing laws under Chapter 40B allows developers who want to build affordable housing to ask the state to override local zoning bylaws in municipalities where less than 10% of housing units are considered affordable. This provision of 40B is in effect in all cities and towns that have not reached the threshold of 10% affordable housing.
Ferros later told Reminder Publishing that with chapter 40R, “There’s an affordability piece, but it’s not the main component.” She said that certain councilors were “cherry-picking” information and using terms such as “affordable housing” to sow confusion in the community. “It creates more work for the committee to re-explain 40R” and “undermines the process.”
Ferros clarified that 40R may or may not be chosen as a structure for the center town district. Rather than create a bylaw that adheres to the 40R regulations, Ferros said the committee is working to create a district that works best for East Longmeadow. She said, “If it fits 40R, OK. If not … ”
