Hamilton Planning Board debates density caps in flexible zoning bylaw overhaul

HAMILTON — September 15, 2020 — Hamilton Planning Board tangles over density bonus math in proposed flexible zoning bylaw. The board met September 15 to review a revised density bonus matrix compiled by member Rick Mitchell, which sets a base density of two units per acre and assigns one bonus unit per qualifying criterion, including a $100,000 affordable housing contribution championed by member Bill Wheaton. Wheaton warned that as structured, a developer on a 20-acre parcel donating 60 percent as open space could theoretically build 60 units on the remaining eight acres — "looking pretty tight" by any standard — and argued the $100,000 criterion must be assessed per additional unit, not per project, or "it's a bargain of a lifetime." Member Brian Stein noted the town's senior housing bylaw caps individual projects at 50 units and limits town-wide senior housing to 150 units, with a required one-third-mile separation, and several members said similar guardrails will be needed here. Resident Tosh Blake, participating by phone, argued the board is "far ahead of what the town itself wants," citing the prior defeat of a cottage housing proposal at town meeting. The board set no vote on the bylaw but unanimously approved amended minutes from its September 8 session; members were tasked with returning revised density figures, proposed per-project caps, and a reformulated contribution criterion before the next meeting.