Hamilton Planning Board Advances Zoning Map and Use Table for Seminary Site

HAMILTON -- April 4, 2023, Hamilton Planning Board advances zoning framework for Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary's 102-acre campus, but signals a June 28 special town meeting deadline may be unrealistic. Members Amel Dahlquist and Jonathan Poor presented two versions of a proposed sector zoning map that would divide the central campus into three distinct zones, a northern residential district around dormitories E and F, a central zone, and a Stables zone, each to be coded with different height limits, setbacks, and density standards. The board reached working consensus on a three-tier development framework: reuse of existing buildings as of right with site plan review, new construction following an illustrative plan as of right, and all other new construction by special permit. Chair Marnie Crouch warned the board has only three meetings remaining before June and a draft overlay bylaw is "far from complete," while Gordon Conwell representative Dr. Barnes urged the board to keep the June 28 date as a target and offered a small joint working group to close remaining gaps. The only formal vote taken was a unanimous adjournment after more than three hours of deliberation.