Proposal Triggers Need for New Zoning Bylaw

NATICK, MA-A developer’s bid to build a senior housing project and a country club on one of the largest undeveloped parcels in the town has pushed its planning board to propose a new cluster zoning bylaw.

Sarkis Sarkisian, the town’s community development director, tells GlobeSt.com that the new bylaw decreases required lot sizes from one unit per acre to one unit per 10,000-sf, allowing for denser development. But, he points out, 50% of the parcel would remain as open space and there needs to be a minimum of 25% “age-qualified housing” in the development in order to qualify for the cluster zoning designation, with a maximum of 55%. At least 10% of both age qualified–which is age 55 and over–and standard housing has to be affordable housing.

“We don’t want a whole project to be age qualified but at least a quarter of it should be,” notes Sarkisian. He points out that the impetus for the bylaw is due to a proposal of Five Seasons, a developer of country clubs. The company has been pushing for a while to get approval for a senior housing and country club project proposed to be built on an approximately 55-acre parcel near South Main Street.

The bylaw has to be approved by a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting.