Northbridge City Zoning Code

Occupancy of dwelling units shall be limited to persons 55 years of age or older.

The minimum tract size shall be 10 acres.

The property under consideration must be located within 5,000 feet of a village center. Village centers are defined as follows: in Rockdale, the intersection of Providence Road and Sutton Street; in Whitinsville, the intersection of Main Street and Hill Street, or the intersection of Church Street and Providence Road; and, in Linwood, the intersection of School Park and Providence Road.

All dwelling units must be served with public water service and be connected to the public sewerage system. An on-site waste treatment facility (package treatment plant), approved by the Department of Environmental Protection, may be substituted for public sewer if the Department of Public Works deems the connection to public sewer to be infeasible.

A minimum of 30% of the parcel shown on the development plan shall be contiguous open space, excluding required yards and buffer areas. Not more than 25% of the open space shall be wetlands, as defined pursuant to MGL c. 131, § 40. The open space shall be subject to the conditions set forth in § 173-86, Open Space Requirements (for flexible developments) provided that the term "senior living development" shall be substituted for the term "flexible development" in said conditions.

A minimum of 10% of the total units shall be affordable in perpetuity. Affordable units are defined as (a) dwelling units that are available for sale and sold at a selling price that will result in an Annual Shelter Cost (rent or mortgage, heat, cooking fuel and electricity)of not more than 30% of the Annual Household Income of a Qualified Affordable Housing Unit Purchaser or (b) available parental and rented at an annual rent that will result in an Annual Shelter Cost of not more than 30% of the Annual Household Income of a Qualified Affordable Housing Unit Tenant. Affordable units shall be dispersed throughout the development and shall be indistinguishable from market rate units. The Northbridge Housing Authority shall be responsible for choosing purchasers or tenants, and monitoring and insuring the long-term affordability of the units.

The maximum number of permitted housing units within all permitted Senior Living developments in the Town of Northbridge shall be limited to a number equivalent to 10% of all existing residential units (excluding Senior Living development units) located in the Town of Northbridge. The Board of Assessors shall establish the number of residential housing units as of January 1 of each calendar year.

No single structure shall contain more than 4 dwelling units.

The total number of dwelling units in a Senior Living development shall not exceed 4 units per acre of buildable land unless a density bonus is granted under the following section. Buildable acreage shall be calculated by a registered land surveyor or civil engineer and shall not include any of the following:

The Planning Board may grant density bonuses under the following provisions, provided however, that at no time shall there be more than 6 units per buildable acre of land:

The Planning Board may allow additional structures to provide visiting and welcoming areas, recreational facilities, community office space or for other accessory uses that are compatible with senior living development.

Public bikeways, pedestrian walkways or walking trails may be required by the Planning Board to provide circulation or access to schools, playgrounds, parks, shopping, transportation, open space and/or community facilities for such other purposes as the Board may determine to be appropriate to serve the needs of the development.

Lot Area - Individual residential lots shall have a minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet.

Lot Frontage - Individual lots within a Senior Living development shall have a minimum of one hundred feet (100') of frontage on a public way.

Setback Requirements - All structures shall be located no less than twenty-five feet (25') from the front lot line and fifteen feet (15') from the side and rear lot lines.

Building Separation - Distance between structures shall not be less than thirty-five feet (35').

Buffer Areas - All dwellings and structures shall be located a minimum of fifty feet (50') from adjacent properties. Buffer Areas shall be retained in their natural vegetative state to the maximum extent feasible, except where adjacent to property used for agricultural purposes.

Building Height - No building shall exceed two and one-half (2 1/2) stories in height exclusive of basements, or thirty-five feet (35') in height.

Parking - The development shall comply with the driveway and parking provisions of Article VIII, Off-Street Parking and Loading.

Pre-Application. Applicants are required to present a conceptual development plan prepared by a registered landscape architect at a regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting. The plan shall include a detailed analysis of site topography, wetlands, unique land features, and soil types. The purpose of this requirement is to help applicants and officials develop a better understanding of the property and to help establish an overall design approach that respects the intent of this bylaw, which is to provide alternative housing choices, protect open space, and promote efficient use of the land and infrastructure.

Application. Applicants are required to submit a special permit application and development plan, conforming to the requirements of this bylaw, to the Planning Board for approval under the provisions of § 173-47. The development plan shall include a site plan under § 173-49.1.

The Planning Board may grant a Special Permit for a Senior Living development if the Board determines that all the requirements under the bylaw have been met and that the benefits of the proposal outweighs the detriments to the neighborhood or town.

The Planning Board may impose such additional conditions as it finds reasonably appropriate to safeguard existing neighborhoods or otherwise serve the purposes of this bylaw.