Report from the Summit Group on Housing and Economic Development
Participants in the Housing and Economic Development Group found general consensus around three major action items:
Establish a process to study and encourage housing for people of all income levels. Most agreed that not only “affordable” or moderate priced housing in the narrowest sense was important but, more importantly, creating housing for all income levels was essential. Specifically, participants urged the City to proactively zone for affordability, encourage cultural, socioeconomic, and lifecycle diversity, and to preserve existing affordable housing.
Encourage and explore vibrant mixed-use village development, possibly via master plans. Most agreed that additional development should be guided to enhance and strengthen the unique character of the City’s many villages as well as designated development corridors like Needham Street and Washington Street. In particular, participants urged the City to create master plans to specify the scale and scope of village development, encourage transit-based development that is “smart” and “sustainable” so as to minimize traffic and environmental impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and to have a firmer hand in guiding development, adopting the best practices of other communities and countries.
Speed or streamline the development approval process. Most agreed that zoning reform of the special permit process was necessary. Specifically, participants urged the City to “fix” the process that was widely seen as lengthy, unwieldy, unpredictable, and fragmented with parochial self-interests sometimes interfering with or delaying outcomes that might be in the best interest of the broader community. Yet many participants also warned that impacts of new development must weighed against its benefits and warned the City to “do no harm” and to preserve its unique character. Some suggested that proactive planning of critical areas that identified the desired shape and scale of development and guided developers before considering particular projects would be particularly effective.
Click here to read comments posted by residents before the Summit on Economic Development and Housing
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Participants in the Housing and Economic Development Group found general consensus around three major action items:
Establish a process to study and encourage housing for people of all income levels. Most agreed that not only “affordable” or moderate priced housing in the narrowest sense was important but, more importantly, creating housing for all income levels was essential. Specifically, participants urged the City to proactively zone for affordability, encourage cultural, socioeconomic, and lifecycle diversity, and to preserve existing affordable housing.
Encourage and explore vibrant mixed-use village development, possibly via master plans. Most agreed that additional development should be guided to enhance and strengthen the unique character of the City’s many villages as well as designated development corridors like Needham Street and Washington Street. In particular, participants urged the City to create master plans to specify the scale and scope of village development, encourage transit-based development that is “smart” and “sustainable” so as to minimize traffic and environmental impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and to have a firmer hand in guiding development, adopting the best practices of other communities and countries.
Speed or streamline the development approval process. Most agreed that zoning reform of the special permit process was necessary. Specifically, participants urged the City to “fix” the process that was widely seen as lengthy, unwieldy, unpredictable, and fragmented with parochial self-interests sometimes interfering with or delaying outcomes that might be in the best interest of the broader community. Yet many participants also warned that impacts of new development must weighed against its benefits and warned the City to “do no harm” and to preserve its unique character. Some suggested that proactive planning of critical areas that identified the desired shape and scale of development and guided developers before considering particular projects would be particularly effective.
Click here to read comments posted by residents before the Summit on Economic Development and Housing
blog comments powered by Disqus
Establish a process to study and encourage housing for people of all income levels. Most agreed that not only “affordable” or moderate priced housing in the narrowest sense was important but, more importantly, creating housing for all income levels was essential. Specifically, participants urged the City to proactively zone for affordability, encourage cultural, socioeconomic, and lifecycle diversity, and to preserve existing affordable housing.
Encourage and explore vibrant mixed-use village development, possibly via master plans. Most agreed that additional development should be guided to enhance and strengthen the unique character of the City’s many villages as well as designated development corridors like Needham Street and Washington Street. In particular, participants urged the City to create master plans to specify the scale and scope of village development, encourage transit-based development that is “smart” and “sustainable” so as to minimize traffic and environmental impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and to have a firmer hand in guiding development, adopting the best practices of other communities and countries.
Speed or streamline the development approval process. Most agreed that zoning reform of the special permit process was necessary. Specifically, participants urged the City to “fix” the process that was widely seen as lengthy, unwieldy, unpredictable, and fragmented with parochial self-interests sometimes interfering with or delaying outcomes that might be in the best interest of the broader community. Yet many participants also warned that impacts of new development must weighed against its benefits and warned the City to “do no harm” and to preserve its unique character. Some suggested that proactive planning of critical areas that identified the desired shape and scale of development and guided developers before considering particular projects would be particularly effective.
Click here to read comments posted by residents before the Summit on Economic Development and Housing
blog comments powered by Disqus
