Hamilton Boards Explore Form-Based Zoning for Gordon Conwell Seminary Property

HAMILTON — June 7, 2022 — Hamilton Planning Board and Master Plan Steering Committee hear case for form-based zoning at Gordon Conwell site. Planning Board member Emile Dahlquist delivered a detailed educational presentation at the June 7 joint session, drawing on charrette-driven zoning projects in Simsbury, Connecticut, where a similar process ran from design selection to code adoption in one year at a cost of roughly $100,000 to $120,000. Dahlquist identified two Hamilton locations as prime candidates for form-based overlay districts: the downtown economic corridor from Winthrop School to Walnut Street, and the approximately 100-acre Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary campus. Master Plan Steering Committee member Jack Lawrence summarized the seminary's understood position — that operations are expected to shift toward Boston, the Hamilton property would be sold to fund the move, and the institution is prepared to work with the town on zoning changes to maximize value. Two seminary representatives confirmed their willingness to engage but said no final decisions on disposition have been made. Steering Committee member Kristen Kassner reported the master plan survey had drawn at least a few hundred responses, with results expected shortly from consultant Weston and Sampson.