Bellingham City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XV
Special Residential Uses
§ 240-100 Types of special residential uses.
Special residential uses are townhouses, assisted elderly housing, public housing, and other multifamily housing.
§ 240-101 Townhouse dwellings.
As provided in § 240-31, Use Regulations Schedule, townhouse dwellings may be allowed on special permit in all except the Industrial District. Such special permits shall be acted on by the Planning Board, subject to the following:
§ 240-102 Assisted elderly housing.
As provided in § 240-31, Use Regulations Schedule, assisted elderly housing may be allowed on special permit in all except the Industrial District. Such special permits shall be acted on by the Planning Board, subject to the following:
§ 240-103 Public housing.
§ 240-104 Other multifamily dwellings.
A.
As provided in § 240-31, Use Regulations Schedule, multifamily dwellings other than townhouse dwellings, assisted multifamily housing, or public housing are allowed only:
B.
New Multifamily Districts (M) shall each be created only by vote of the Town Meeting amending the Zoning Map. Each such district shall not be less than 20 acres in extent, shall front for at least 500 feet on an arterial street, and shall contain not less than 70% vacant or agricultural land.
C.
Minimum lot area for other multifamily dwellings shall be 40,000 square feet for up to four dwelling units, and 3,000 square feet additional lot area for each additional family accommodated.
§ 240-105 Special residential use requirements.
The following shall apply to all special residential uses (townhouse dwellings, assisted elderly housing, and other multifamily dwellings) except not to Public Housing.
A.
Bedroom limitation. Not more than 10% of the cumulative number of dwelling units on the premises having been granted occupancy permits at any point in time may have three bedrooms (except assisted elderly, which may have none) and none may have more than three bedrooms, unless (except in the case of assisted multifamily) the special permit originally allowing the development explicitly authorizes occupancy permits for more or larger units. Said authorization shall be granted only where lot area will equal at least 10,000 square feet per bedroom.
§ 240-106 Submittals.
A.
The application for a special permit shall be accompanied by six copies of:
(1)
A site plan including the items required under § 240-17B(1) (but they may be at a concept rather than final level of detail);
(2)
A proposed staging plan, if building permits are not to be immediately sought for all units; and
(3)
A ground floor plan and architectural elevations of all proposed buildings, prepared by a registered architect.
B.
Those materials shall be circulated for review as provided at § 240-16B(2). No special permit shall be decided upon within 35 days of such referral without receipt of advisory reports, from each of those agencies regarding compliance of the proposal to local rules, regulations, and bylaws as well as good practice within their area of concern.
§ 240-107 Special permit lapse.
The special permit shall lapse upon transfer of ownership or within 12 months of special permit approval (plus such time required to pursue or await the determination of an appeal referred to in M.G.L. ch. 40A, § 17, from the grant thereof) if a substantial use thereof or construction has not begun, except for good cause.
§ 240-108 Decision.
In deciding on a special permit for townhouse, assisted elderly housing, or other multifamily dwellings, the following more detailed criteria shall be used rather than those of § 240-25. Such special permit shall be granted only if the Planning Board determines that the proposal would serve Town interests better than would single-family development of the same area, considering the following:
A.
Municipal costs and revenues.
B.
Effect on the range of available housing choice.
C.
Service to identified housing needs.
D.
Service to current Bellingham residents.
E.
Support for local business activity and jobs.
F.
Impact on the natural environment, especially on ground and surface water quality and level.
G.
Impacts on traffic safety and congestion, adequacy of water service, and need for school facilities.
H.
Impacts on the visual environment through preservation or displacement of visual assets, and consistency with existing development in area.
§ 240-109 Development rate.
In authorizing townhouse dwellings and other multifamily dwellings, the Planning Board shall establish an annual limit for the number of such dwelling units to be authorized, taking into consideration the Town-wide building rate experienced over the previous two years and anticipated over the next half-dozen years, the needs which the housing will serve, the ability of the Town to provide services in a timely manner, and the housing cost and feasibility consequences of the limitation.