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Zoning plans capture neighborhood's persona

Date: 3/22/2013

By Carley Dangona

carley@thereminder.com

WEST SPRINGFIELD — While a proposed re-zoning plan may help residents of the Merrick neighborhood in the long run, City Councilors expressed concerns how the delayed plan was hampering rebuilding efforts.

At the March 18 meeting of the Town Council, the Community Development department presented plans for revamped zoning regulations in the Merrick neighborhood.

The goal is to create "context-based zoning" that would reflect the distinct attributes of the section, said Joseph LaPlante, director of Community Development.

LaPlante explained that context-based zoning, traditional zoning and form-based zoning all mean the same. "The goal is to preserve the look and functionality of the neighborhood as residents desire."

Ted Brovitz, manager of Community Planning & Design at Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates Inc., described Merrick as "having great bones" — a neighborhood of traditional and historic qualities that's accessible by pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles.

"The current zoning is not context-based. The developmental controls don't reflect what's actually in Merrick," he said. "What exists now is conventional zoning. We want to reflect the neighborhood's character."

Brovitz explained some of the goals for the rezoning such as creating mixed use parking lots that will enable adequate spaces and lessen the amount of on-street parking; creating mixed use zoning to allow a variety of businesses to occupy one section; and to create more open spaces for people to utilize.

He noted that a group of 30 people worked on the project; including many Merrick residents and business owners and that, the goal is to create zoning regulations that reflect the interests and desires of the people within the neighborhood.

The timeline for the project is to create a full draft of the changes by April, host a public hearing, and have the final amendments before the council in June, according to Brovitz.

Upon hearing the timeframe, Town Council President Kathleen Bourque criticized the group for their tardiness. While she appreciated the hard work, she was unhappy having to keep residents waiting to rebuild. She cited a case of one man who came to the council in February 2013 wanting to reconstruct his property.

"The council agreed to wait on ruling for the zoning because we were told the finished study was supposed to be done last June or July," Bourque said, adding that she would ask the council to revisit the resident's request because he had waited long enough.

At-large Councilor George Kelly raised concerns about the infrastructure and the need for it to be updated and reinforced, stating that the neighborhood had been evacuated twice in the past two months due to a CSX Corp. train derailment and a gas leak.

District 1 Councilor Angus Rushlow said, "I appreciate all that's been done. However, don't touch the citizens homes. They need to be able to rebuild in the footprint of their previous home."