Judi Barrett Archives - Barrett Planning Group LLC

Plymouth Housing and Zoning

Posted on September 30, 2024October 7, 2024 by djensen

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.

Moving Beyond the Pandemic in the Pioneer Valley

Posted on December 16, 2022October 7, 2024 by fuelmedia

Economic Development Assessment of Small Towns & Rural Communities

In 2022, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) hired Barrett Planning Group to assess local economic conditions and the state of economic recovery in the 35 small towns and rural communities in Hampshire County and Hampden County. We consulted with local officials, town planners, and regional economic development and community development organizations, and gathered, analyzed, and mapped available market, economic, land use, housing, and labor force data.

From these many sources and others, we created 35 town profiles with maps and economic metrics, and developed recommendations for PVPC and the communities to move forward with economic development activities scaled to the size and character of these small communities:

Improving regional communications and coordination
Activating strategies for promoting local businesses
Addressing the region’s housing affordability and housing supply constraints
Holding regional and inter-local economic development roundtables
Building recreational, agricultural, and heritage tourism development
Zoning reform: aligning local control with twenty-first century zoning
Working on local economic development assessments

On December 9, 2022, American Planning Association Massachusetts awarded the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission the 2022 Planning Project Award to this project.

Learn more about other award recipients here:
https://www.apa-ma.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-APA-MA-Awards-1.pptx.pdf

Brewster Housing Production Plan

Posted on September 15, 2022August 28, 2024 by fuelmedia

Town of Brewster Massachusetts 2022-2027 Housing Production Plan

The Town of Brewster hired Barrett Planning Group LLC to update their 2017 Housing Production Plan (HPP) in January 2022. Over a six-month period, our team collaborated closely with Town staff and the Brewster Housing Partnership to develop a plan that outlined realistic strategies for addressing Brewster’s unique housing challenges as a coastal community with an increasing demand for seasonal and short-term rentals, sensitive environmental concerns, and a seemingly growing household income gap.

We grounded the plan’s development by centering our community engagement around:

The state’s required framework for HPPs under Chapter 40B
Progress the Town made in implementing the 2017 HPP
Changes in demographic and market trends — and resulting housing needs — at the local and regional level
Feedback from the community, including those experiencing housing instability themselves and those who work directly with households requiring assistance
The HPP’s relationship to other local and regional planning efforts, most notably the Town’s Local Comprehensive Plan and the Cape Cod Commission’s Regional Policy Plan

After drafting the plan’s strategies, we engaged various community partners instrumental to the HPP’s implementation — including Town staff, members from various Town bodies, realtors, developers, housing and service providers, and others — to ensure the solutions we proposed were feasible and actionable. The Town’s Planning Board and Select Board were presented with the draft HPP in June 2022 and given opportunity to provide feedback before they unanimously approved the plan in July 2022. The MA Department of Housing and Community Development approved the plan in August 2022.

Berkshire Housing Development Corp

Posted on June 30, 2022October 7, 2024 by fuelmedia

Berkshire Housing Development Corporation (BHDC) asked Barrett Planning Group LLC to assist with program design for a Housing Resource Center focused on homelessness in downtown Pittsfield. Well known for its many years of work as an affordable housing developer and provider of regional housing services, BHDC decided to take on a project specifically focused on homelessness by filling a gap in the existing network of services in Berkshire County.

Our work followed an agreement between BHDC and the City to develop a housing resource center alongside affordable housing, thereby co-locating services to better serve people experiencing homelessness and housing instability in Pittsfield.

We led an extensive consultation process with other Berkshire County groups working to address homelessness, including emergency shelter, mental health, substance abuse, family services, domestic violence, health care professionals, faith communities, and others, along with City staff. In addition, we met with people experiencing homelessness in order to learn from them how the Housing Resource Center could be most beneficial to them.

These conversations influenced our program design recommendations and the Request for Proposals (RFP) we prepared for BHDC to find an organization to manage the Housing Resource Center.

BHDC is using our work to obtain funding from the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA) and other agencies.

From the client: “Berkshire Housing needed a consultant to undertake a non-traditional project that would engage community partners and people with lived experience as well as research national best practices. Barrett Planning Group enthusiastically stepped up to the challenge.

With their strong technical skills, adaptability and committed team, we not only had a lot of fun working together, but we also got just what we needed! The technical report was well researched and well written, and will serve to effectively guide our community in future decisions.”

Town of Bridgewater Comprehensive Master Plan

Posted on June 10, 2022August 28, 2024 by fuelmedia

Town of Bridgewater MA Comprehensive Master Plan

Barrett Planning Group began working with the Town of Bridgewater in 2018 to develop Phase I of a master plan. Our initial scope of work included developing a plan vision, overarching goals, and existing conditions reports for the master plan elements described in G.L. c. 41, § 81D, with our partners at McMahon Associates crafting the transportation element. Home to several state institutions including Bridgewater State University, an MBTA Commuter Rail station, and the Old Colony Correctional Center, the Town has unique opportunities and challenges that shape conversations about land use and comprehensive planning that we considered from the outset of our work.

We began the process working with an appointed Comprehensive Master Plan Committee (CMPC) and conducting focus groups with staff, Town officials, business owners, and other stakeholders. We launched the public face of the project with a community visioning session for citizens to share their aspirations for Bridgewater’s future. This event was closely followed by a workshop for residents to discuss the continued relevance of the Town’s 2002 master plan goals. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we shifted to virtual engagement opportunities, including an online survey of draft goals and strategies developed with the CMPC to ensure our understanding of the community’s priorities was on target.

At this time, the Town approached us about continuing the project beyond Phase I to develop an implementation program. After addressing CMPC and staff comments on draft existing conditions reports, we finalized our work with the CMPC and began developing implementation program with Town staff. We held a public implementation workshop to allow the community to provide additional input on draft recommendations.

Final recommendations and an accompanying implementation program were paired with our Phase I work to create a complete master plan. In the early months of 2022, we worked with the Planning Board to refine the final plan, which the Board unanimously approved in May 2022.

Team Member: Judi Barrett

Plymouth Housing and Zoning

Moving Beyond the Pandemic in the Pioneer Valley

Brewster Housing Production Plan

Town of Bridgewater Comprehensive Master Plan

Let’s Connect

Subscribe

Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates.