October 2024 - Barrett Planning Group LLC

Chapter 40B Technical Assistance

Posted on October 15, 2024October 15, 2024 by djensen

Barrett Planning Group has provided Chapter 40B training and technical assistance services, mainly for Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), since 2005. We help Zoning Boards of Appeal through the permitting process, coordinating peer review services, facilitating work session meetings with applicants and municipal staff, providing procedural advice, and drafting comprehensive permit decisions in conjunction with the city solicitor or town attorney. We have also coached developers on how to make the permitting process amicable and productive.

In 2017, Judi Barrett updated the Chapter 40B Handbook for MHP, and she has adapted that training for other municipal boards, commissions, and staff for the Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC).

Technical Assistance & Training Engagements for Boards of Appeal and Other Local Officials (Representative Sample)

City of Haverhill
City of Medford
City of Newton
City of Waltham
Town of Abington
Town of Acton
Town of Andover
Town of Bellingham
Town of Belmont
Town of Brewster
Town of Brookline
Town of Carver
Town of Chelmsford
Town of Clinton
Town of Cohasset
Town of Dartmouth
Town of Dennis
Town of Dover
Town of Falmouth
Town of Foxborough
Town of Grafton
Town of Holden
Town of Hopkinton

Town of Medfield
Town of Merrimac
Town of Millbury
Town of Milton
Town of Natick
Town of Needham
Town of Norfolk
Town of Northborough
Town of North Reading
Town of Norton
Town of Pelham
Town of Rockland
Town of Salisbury
Town of Sandwich
Town of Shrewsbury
Town of Sturbridge
Town of Walpole
Town of Wellesley
Town of Wellfleet
Town of Wenham
Town of Wilmington
Town of Winchendon
Town of Wrentham

Hopedale Master Plan

Posted on October 15, 2024October 15, 2024 by djensen

In the quaint town of Hopedale, located in southern Worcester County, the community embarked on a significant project to shape its future by updating its Master Plan. To guide this effort, the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) enlisted the expertise of Barrett Planning Group, which collaborated closely with town officials and the Hopedale Master Plan Committee.

At the heart of this plan was the historic Draper Mill site, once a bustling industrial complex and now a key focus as it underwent demolition during the planning process. The conversation surrounding the mill’s transformation fueled much of the community’s vision for Hopedale’s future. After months of planning and collaboration, the Master Plan was successfully adopted by the Hopedale Planning Board, marking a pivotal moment for the town’s development.

Orange Zoning Recodification

Posted on October 15, 2024 by djensen

The Town of Orange received a Community Compact Grant to rewrite their zoning bylaws for clarity and consistency to help facilitate future economic growth and development. Barrett Planning Group teamed up with Bob Mitchell, FAICP, to create a zoning diagnostic document to analyze the bylaw’s weaknesses,
inconsistencies, and missing topics.

Working with Town staff and the Planning Board, our team then made significant edits to the bylaw’s structure, organization, and language, including rearranging sections, redoing the document-wide numbering system, renaming all of the Town’s zoning districts, writing purpose statements for each district, and producing an updated zoning map.

Ahead of the recodification appearing on a Special Town Meeting warrant, our team assisted the Planning Board with stakeholder outreach to inform the public about the proposed changes. The recodified bylaw was subsequently adopted by Town Meeting.

Consolidated Plan and One-Year Action Plan

Posted on October 15, 2024October 15, 2024 by djensen

The City of Taunton hired Barrett Planning Group to develop it’s HUD-mandated 2024-2029 Consolidated Plan and One-Year Action Plan. These documents will guide the allocation of the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, as well as HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds received on behalf of the Greater Attleboro-Taunton HOME Consortium (GATHC). Together these federal block grant programs support community development activities within Taunton and affordable housing projects within the GATHC, which includes Taunton and fourteen neighboring communities.

In collaboration with City staff, the in-depth planning process involved outreach to community stakeholders, consultations with representatives of target groups and human services agencies, and an assessment of the community development activities, housing needs, and market conditions. This comprehensive approach allowed us to create a well-researched plan to prioritize funding over the next five years.

The final document delivers an Executive Summary, a Housing and Homeless Needs Assessment, a Housing and Market Analysis, a Five-Year Strategic Plan to address and identify housing and community development needs, an Anti-Poverty Strategy to reduce affordable housing barriers, an update to the current Analysis to Impediments to Fair Housing, and a One-Year Action Plan for the
CDBG and HOME funds to implement the prepared overall strategic plan.

Month: October 2024

Chapter 40B Technical Assistance

Hopedale Master Plan

Orange Zoning Recodification

Consolidated Plan and One-Year Action Plan

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