Hamilton Planning Board Advances Flexible Development Bylaw With Developer Input

HAMILTON -- March 2, 2021, Hamilton Planning Board reviews flexible development bylaw overhaul and mulls 15-acre business district expansion. The board heard detailed technical feedback from Patton Ridge developer Alan Barry, who identified arithmetic errors in the bylaw's density bonus matrix, raised questions about perpetual-easement language covering septic systems on open space, and recommended a minimum parcel size to prevent "squeeze-in" development in established neighborhoods. Town Planner Patrick Reffett presented three conceptual maps for expanding the downtown B district along Route 1A to encompass Winthrop School, the public safety building, and the Council on Aging, roughly 15 acres, with board members expressing a preference for a frontage-only rezoning option with a rear buffer near residential neighborhoods. The board also received a town counsel opinion concluding Hamilton's current mixed-use B-district zoning likely does not satisfy the new MBTA Communities law, which requires as-of-right multi-family zoning at 15 units per acre within half a mile of an MBTA station, though members agreed to await final state guidance before amending any bylaws.