Lower Village Zoning Bylaw Updates

Information regarding the proposed Lower Village Business District zoning amendments, to be considered at Annual Town Meeting on May 13, 2023, are provided below:

Upcoming Forums and Information Sessions: 

In consideration of a new Lower Village Business District, the Planning Board has focused on the following:

  1. Zoning amendments that focus on design - zoning should incentivize creative site planning that continues to meet basic standards to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of everyone in and around Lower Village. Design guidelines can help projects toward pleasing, traditional New England Village aesthetics, while still providing enough flexibility to business to flourish.
  2. Updated Zoning should be respectful of Stow's Rural Character - Zoning updates should not expect any expansion of the current size of the district. Updates should also anticipate the possibility that further water development in the district is not possible or feasible. (Exploring options for shared water systems was another recommendation of the final report, and the Planning Department is currently working with consultants at Stantec for groundwater exploration of two Town-owned parcels near Lower Village)
  3. Include core design principles of Traditional New England Village forms - specific recommendations include: allowing mixed use to allow limited housing development alongside businesses, allow for shared parking arrangements to reduce the overall amount of parking, incentivize inter-lot connections to further district walkability, require useable open/green spaces, sign design guidelines that integrate with overall zoning changes, and clear landscaping and streetscape standards. 

Callout box from LVRC Final Report - Traditional Village DesignIn their 2019 Final Report, the Lower Village Revitalization Subcommittee found that current zoning restrictions are unaligned with community preferences for Lower Village. Several Zoning action items were recommended as part of that report, such as recommending the Planning Board hire a zoning consultant to review proposed changes and assess how they align with the community vision for Lower Village outlined in the Lower Village Revitalization Subcommittee's report. The Board ultimately hired Dodson & Flinker, a highly respected planning and landscape architecture firm based in Northampton, to review draft bylaw changes and make final recommendations to the Planning Board. 

The proposed zoning changes are also shaped by recommendations made in the 2018 Lower Village Business District Assessment and Market Analysis, a project completed through a Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Grant with consultants at FinePoint Associates, Inc.