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Category: Projects

Chelsea, MA

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We work with clients to gain a deep understanding of their challenges, needs, and opportunities and help them be strong, just, and sustainable communities. When a client engages us for additional projects, it signifies a successful partnership and indicates mutual respect. We are proud of our work with the City of Chelsea on three recent projects, all of which exemplify our commitment to them and our ability to deliver tailored solutions.

MBTA Community Zoning
Chelsea is one of 177 communities that must comply with the MBTA Communities Law, which was enacted in 2021 and implemented gradually under guidelines issued by a state agency. The law requires these communities to adopt permissive zoning for multi-family housing near train stations, city centers, or other appropriate locations. The point is to create more housing close to public transit and in walkable neighborhoods.

Working with Chelsea city staff, our team wrote the zoning ordinance to comply with MBTA Communities guidelines. We used Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping work and parcel-by-parcel analysis to ensure the new zoning would meet density and feasibility requirements. Chelsea’s city council adopted the zoning in December 2023, thereby meeting the deadline for “rapid transit” communities. The state has approved the zoning and determined that Chelsea complies with the new law. 

Urban Renewal Plan

Working under an agreement with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP)’s Complete Neighborhoods Program, our firm is working with Chelsea to amend its decades-old Urban Renewal Plan (URP) for West Chelsea. The original plan, written in 1998, no longer reflects the City’s needs, particularly since the arrival of transit service from the Silver and Commuter Lines. We have worked closely with City leaders to craft an amended URP to support residential and mixed-use revitalization near transit while also aligning with the MBTA Communities Law. 

Strategic Housing Plan

Located just across the Mystic River from Boston, Chelsea is easily accessible to Boston. It became even more accessible once Silver Line and Commuter Rail service opened in West Chelsea in the past few years. That accessibility has catapulted Chelsea’s appeal and opened the City to new market-rate housing development. Recognizing the risk of economic displacement for Chelsea’s low-income residents, City leaders asked us to update their strategic housing plan (which Judi Barrett led in 2016-2017 while employed at another firm). Among other priorities, the Housing & Community Development Department hopes to focus on ways to preserve “naturally occurring affordable housing” (NOAH) and opportunities to create new affordable housing as well.

We are proud of our ongoing partnership with the City of Chelsea to address their community planning needs and create a more resilient housing strategy for future decades. 

Brewster, Massachusetts

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Spring Rock Village, Millstone Road

The Town of Brewster hired Barrett Planning Group to lead a visioning process for developing affordable housing on Town-owned land on Millstone Road. Through interviews with stakeholders, three interactive community meetings, and online surveys, we created multiple ways for the public to learn about the site and share ideas about creating affordable housing. Ultimately, the Town used our work and a feasibility study by Bohler Engineering to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) to find a qualified developer. 

The first two community meetings provided residents with background on the property’s history and existing conditions. We offered a variety of interactive tools, including question boards, a group mapping charette, and a visual preference survey. From these engagement efforts, Bohler Engineering prepared three site concepts and presented them at our third and final community meeting. Participants voted on a preferred design. The community’s input and our engagement report formed the basis for the Town’s 2021 RFP. 

The winning proposal from Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) incorporated many of the community’s priorities, such as clustering buildings on the site to reduce land disturbance. After the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a comprehensive permit for the 45-unit Spring Rock Village rental development in June 2023, the developers secured the funding required to build the new homes.  

Brewster has consistently taken a proactive approach to engaging residents in a variety of planning and public policy issues. As a result, the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) has recognized Brewster for numerous achievements in communications, community services, and public engagement. After the Millstone Road project, we continued to work with Brewster to update the Town’s Housing Production Plan in 2022 and a multifamily and mixed-use zoning study.

Martha’s Vineyard Commission

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Martha’s Vineyard is home to six towns, each with locally created and adopted land development policies. However, each town’s decisions affect housing all over the island. The towns on Martha’s Vineyard also contend with housing problems unique to seasonal communities, such as demand for short-term rentals, timeshares, and seasonal homes, all of which help to drive housing costs out of reach for year-round residents. There is also not enough housing for seasonal workers. Simply put, there is not enough supply to accommodate the demands of all the markets vying for a place to live on Martha’s Vineyard. 

Against this backdrop, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) hired Barrett Planning Group to analyze island-wide zoning barriers to affordable housing, prepare town-by-town recommendations, and offer advice for a series of model bylaws. The purpose of this project was to highlight ways that all six towns can work together to increase the supply of affordable and attainable housing on Martha’s Vineyard. Our charge consisted of the following key tasks:

  • Analyze existing zoning for regulations that affect housing development;
  • Identify island-wide trends in affordable housing policies and regulations;
  • Recommend zoning amendments; and 
  • Advise the MVC about the content for model bylaws to increase the types and overall supply of housing on the island. 

We reviewed and analyzed all six zoning bylaws and other development regulations and consulted with local and regional stakeholders. Through our own independent zoning reviews and insights gathered from interviews, we focused on thirteen topics, including removing barriers, creating specific incentives, and preserving existing housing. We also wanted to understand the housing-friendly policies that already work in these communities, policies that could be improved, technical problems in zoning (such as lack of clarity, inconsistency, or obsolete provisions), and conflicts with fair housing. We found that overall, the towns on Martha’s Vineyard lacked effective policies for creating and preserving affordable housing. In addition, we found significant differences from town to town in housing terms and definitions. These individual distinctions make it difficult to have larger, regional conversations about housing affordability and combat what has become a significant island-wide economic problem. To help MVC and the towns address these challenges, we made specific recommendations to institute common terminology and provide for a wider range of housing types with fewer permitting obstacles. MVC will continue to work toward coordinating island-wide regulatory updates.

Chapter 40B Technical Assistance

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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

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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

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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.

Taunton Consolidated Plan and One-Year Action Plan

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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.

Town of Carlisle Master Plan

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In April 2021, the Town of Carlisle hired Barrett Planning Group to help the Master Plan Steering Committee (MPSC) finish the Carlisle Master Plan. The planning process had launched in 2019 with another consultant, but COVID-19 put the entire project on hold. Eventually the MPSC charted a course for reviving the Master Plan and brought us on to help them reach the finish line. For a year, we worked closely with the MPSC to:

  • Update the existing conditions reports that had been prepared pre- COVID-19
  • Work closely with a subcommittee to develop and refine a GIS database with existing land uses and a buildout analysis
  • Finish a vision statement and overarching goals based on five community- identified values
  • Conduct two community forums and a community survey
  • Develop implementation strategies to achieve the plan’s goals
  • Conduct focus groups with key community partners to verify the feasibility and appropriateness of the draft strategies
  • Develop case studies of master plan implementation in similar towns
  • Draft the plan around Carlisle’s five community values, linking them to the master plan elements required by state law (G.L. c. 41, § 81D)
  • Develop an implementation framework for the Town

After publishing the draft Master Plan, the MPSC sponsored a one-month public comment period. We worked with the MPSC to address comments and revise the draft. The Carlisle Planning Board unanimously adopted the final Master Plan in May 2022.

Citizen Planner Training Collaborative Comprehensive Curriculum Revision & Update

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Barrett Planning Group was delighted when the Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC) hired us to lead a comprehensive update of their curriculum and training materials. With assistance from Horsley Witten Group and Freeman Law Group, we updated, revised, and reformatted the technical assistance bulletins, PowerPoint presentations, and instructor notes for eleven CPTC courses.

  • Roles & Responsibilities of Planning Boards and Zoning Boards of Appeal
  • Introduction to the Zoning Act
  • Special Permits & Variances
  • Introduction to Subdivision Control and ANR
  • Reading a Subdivision Plan
  • Site Plan Review
  • Vested Rights & Nonconforming Uses and Structures
  • Zoning Exemptions
  • Fair, Defensible Land Use Decisions
  • Creating a Master Plan (a course Judi Barrett piloted in 2007) Planning with Community Support

Plymouth Housing and Zoning

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In 2023, the Town of Plymouth, NH, hired Barrett to analyze its housing needs and assist with zoning reform to encourage housing development. Funding for the project came from New Hampshire’s Housing Opportunity Grant (HOP) Program, which provides grants to communities interested in updating their land use regulations to increase opportunities for housing production.

The Barrett team was engaged to focus on three core initiatives for Plymouth:

  • Housing needs assessment to review Plymouth’s housing stock, community demographics, economic trends, and other relevant data  
  • Regulatory audit of land use regulations related to housing (zoning, site planning review, subdivision regulations)
  • Zoning amendments consistent with identified community values, housing needs, and regulatory barriers 

Barrett’s research and audit revealed a complex set of issues, particularly in relation to zoning. Land use ordinances that had been modified over time were now inconsistent and unclear. In addition, the long-standing conservative approach to development led to stricter dimensional regulations, substantially limiting opportunities for housing diversity and choice. These gradual changes rendered many properties nonconforming, making even simple building projects (a deck addition, for example) a challenge for many residents.

Led by Judi Barrett, our team proposed significant tactical changes to the Town’s land use regulations – all within the context of a participatory community planning effort co-led by the Town’s Housing Committee. Through interactive public forums, smaller focus groups, surveys, and educational materials, we gained public input and educated the community about the purpose and intent of proposed regulatory amendments.  

The town demonstrated a remarkable show of support for zoning reform. In March 2024, the Planning Board presented a substantial slate of regulatory amendments to the community, and Town Meeting voted to adopt all articles with broad support.

Among the accomplishments achieved, this package of zoning amendments:

  • Reduced the minimum lot size for single family homes, bringing many properties back into conformity with zoning and enabling greater density in future development
  • Created additional categories of housing within the zoning ordinance and reduced barriers to developing smaller multi-unit dwellings in select districts
  • Overhauled the open space residential development ordinance 
  • Provided for the ability to place multiple dwellings on a single lot
  • Reduced permitting barriers for accessory dwelling units
  • Majorly reformed off-street parking requirements

This outstanding feat was made possible by the efforts of the Town’s Housing Committee and Planning Board, Planning Department staff, community, and all involved.