Northbridge City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XIX
Historic Mill Adaptive Reuse Overlay District
[Added 6-15-2004 ATM, Art. 28]
§ 173-124 Purpose.
The intent of this section is to create an overlay district that allows for the adaptive reuse of historic mills in the Town of Northbridge that are underutilized. The primary purposes for Historic Mill Adaptive Reuse Overly District are:
 | To promote the economic health and vitality of the Town by encouraging the preservation, reuse and renovation of underutilized or abandoned historic mill properties; |
| To allow for the conversion of Northbridge's historic mills in a way that preserves the character of nearby residential and commercial neighborhoods; and |
| To encourage mixed-use development that includes, but is not limited to, offices, retail and/or service establishments, community facilities, and multi-family housing. |
§ 173-125 Overlay district.
[Amended 10-23-2012 ATM, Art. 15]
The Historic Mill Adaptive Reuse Overlay District is hereby established as an overlay district. All requirements pertaining to the underlying district(s) shall continue to be in full force and effect, except where these regulations supersede such underlying requirements or provide an alternate to such requirements. The boundaries of the Historic Mill Adaptive Reuse Overlay District are shown on a map entitled Northbridge, Massachusetts Zoning Overlay Districts prepared by CMRPC (Central Mass Regional Planning Commission) dated October 2012.
§ 173-126 Location.
[Amended 10-28-2025 ATM by Art. 12]
A.
The Linwood Mill on Linwood Avenue, consisting of Assessors Map 5, Parcel(s) 39 & 47.
B.
The John Whitin Mill on Douglas Road, consisting of Assessors Map 2, Parcel 7.
C.
The Rockdale Mill on Providence Road, consisting of land shown on Assessors Plat 25, as Parcels 19 and 20.
§ 173-127 Permitted uses.
A.
All uses permitted in the underlying zoning districts are permitted uses in the Historic Mill Adaptive Reuse Overlay District;
B.
All applications for a special permit under this section must provide an area within the mill for education of the history of the property.
C.
Multi-family dwelling units shall only be permitted in conjunction with one or more of the non-residential uses permitted under this section;
(1)
Office for administrative, executive, professional, sales and other similar uses;
(2)
Retail, service, and restaurant;
(3)
Institutional (museum, educational use, charitable or philanthropic institution, municipal use, club or lodge);
(4)
Recreational (indoor commercial recreation); and
(5)
Appropriate accessory uses.
§ 173-128 Special permit required.
The proposed adaptive reuse of a historic mill within the Historic Mill Adaptive Reuse Overlay District may be conducted upon the issuance of a special permit by the Planning Board, in accordance with § 173-47, Special Permits, and upon site plan approval pursuant to § 173-49, Site Plan Review, subject to the requirements set forth herein. No other use or structures shall be permitted in conjunction with the conversion of a historic mill, except as specifically provided herein.
§ 173-129 Special Permit Granting Authority.
The Planning Board shall serve as the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) pursuant to this Article.
§ 173-130 Application.
A.
Pre-application review. The applicant is strongly encouraged to request a pre-application review at a regular business meeting of the Planning Board prior to submitting a formal application. The purpose of a pre-application review is to minimize the applicant's costs of engineering and to commence discussions with the Planning Board at the earliest possible stage in the development. At the pre-application review, the applicant may outline the proposed project for adaptive reuse, seek preliminary feedback from the Planning Board and/or its technical experts, and set a timetable for submittal of a formal application. No formal filings are required for the pre-application review; however, the applicant is encouraged to prepare sufficient preliminary architectural and/or engineering drawings to inform the Planning Board of the scale and overall design of the proposed project.
B.
Special Permit/Site Plan Review. An application for a special permit for the adaptive reuse of a historic mill shall be submitted to the Planning Board on forms furnished by the Planning Board in accordance with § 173-47, Special Permits. Each such special permit application shall be accompanied by a site plan conforming to the requirements of § 173-49.1, as well as the following:
(1)
A floor plan to scale for each building indicating, if applicable:
(a)
Proposed use of floor space;
(b)
Number of units;
(c)
Number of bedrooms;
(d)
Square footage for each unit or space;
(2)
A plan describing the care, custody and control of all dams and water rights;
(3)
A plan for any waste water treatment facility, if applicable;
(4)
Narrative reports describing the following:
(a)
A proposed development schedule (including start date, rate of development, phases, estimated completion date);
(b)
Information pertaining to any organization which the applicant proposes to form where the development is to be a condominium or other ownership organization, including forms and plans to be used to organize and manage the same, for approval as to form by Town Counsel;
(c)
Copies of all proposed covenants, easements, and other restrictions which the Applicant proposes to grant to the Town, the Conservation Commission, utility companies, any condominium or other ownership organization and the owners thereof, including plans of land to which they are intended to apply, for approval as to form by Town Counsel;
(d)
A concise narrative prepared by a preservation consultant including any and all historical information shall be submitted to the Northbridge Planning Board and the Northbridge Historical Commission for comment.
§ 173-131 Development standards.
In order to be eligible for consideration for a special permit pursuant to this Article, the proposed development shall meet all of the following standards:
A.
Density. For the conversion of a historic mill that proposes multi-family dwelling units, the maximum number of dwelling units shall not exceed 10 units per gross acre of the combined parcels of the development. The Planning Board may grant a density bonus under the following provision:
(1)
Affordability: For each affordable dwelling unit provided above the minimum required 10%, two additional dwelling units may be permitted.
B.
Parking. Number of Parking Spaces. The Applicant shall provide adequate parking to serve all anticipated uses on the property, with information detailing the method of computation of parking spaces. The minimum number of parking spaces shall be computed using the requirements of § 173-27. The Planning Board may allow a reduction of the required number of spaces by up to 25% if it can be demonstrated that two or more uses within the development can share parking spaces. In determining the appropriate reduction, if any, the Planning Board may give consideration to the hours of operation and/or usage of the proposed uses within the development, the opinions of merchants, residents and municipal officials as to the adequacy or inadequacy of parking spaces within the surrounding area, as well as other relevant information.
C.
Expansion of Existing Buildings. Existing buildings, through a special permit under this section, may be expanded provided that such expansion is consistent with the existing building's historic character and scale and does not cause substantial detriment after considering the factors set forth herein.
D.
New Buildings. New buildings, through a special permit under this section, may be constructed provided that the number, type, scale, architectural style, and uses within such new buildings shall be subject to Planning Board approval.
E.
Affordable Dwelling Units. As a condition of any special permit for the conversion of a historic mill that proposes multi-family dwelling units, a minimum of 10% of the total number of dwelling units shall be required, in perpetuity, to be restricted to persons qualifying as moderate income in accordance with the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development definitions of low and moderate incomes.
Affordable units shall be dispersed throughout the development and shall be indistinguishable from market rate units. The Town of Northbridge, through its Housing Authority and/or Office of Community Development, shall be responsible for selecting purchasers or tenants, and monitoring and insuring the long-term affordability of the units. |
§ 173-132 Action by the Planning Board.
The Planning Board, after considering reports from consultants and other Boards and/or Commissions, may grant a special permit for the conversion of a historic mill where it makes the following findings:
A.
The proposed adaptive reuse constitutes an appropriate renovation as defined above; and
B.
The proposed conversion does not cause substantial detriment to the neighborhood or Town after considering the traffic, environmental, fiscal, and community impacts.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former Art. XX, Limited Redevelopment Overlay District, added 6-8-2004 ATM, Art. 23, which immediately followed this section and was comprised of §§ 173-133 through 173-140, was repealed 10-25-2005 ATM, Art. 14.
