Taintor & Associates - Land Use Regulation

	Portsmouth, New Hampshire Downtown Zoning Overlay (2004) Concurrent with the firm's work on preparing the City's Master Plan, Taintor & Associates helped the Portsmouth Planning Department design a downtown overlay district to promote first-floor commercial uses in the downtown. When the Master Plan process revealed a concern that an influx of residential projects could negatively impact the vibrant streetscape, the City asked TA to draft regulations that would work to preserve activity at the street level. The firm surveyed uses in the target area, proposed map changes, and drafted district regulations. The ordinance was approved in October 2004.
	Wareham, Massachusetts Zoning Bylaw Recodification and Revisions (2004) Taintor & Associates assisted the Town of Wareham with a comprehensive revision and update of the zoning bylaws. The project including recodifying the existing regulations, addressing inconsistencies both within the bylaws and with state statute, and creating new tables of use and dimensional regulations and an expanded definitions section in order to enhance usability and reduce uncertainty. In addition, Taintor & Associates helped the Zoning Rewrite Committee to draft regulations for new village and institutional zoning districts designed to reinforce the Town's traditional land use patterns, accommodate needed expansion of community institutions, and discourage sprawl development.
	Lexington, Massachusetts Zoning Changes (2004) Taintor & Associates assisted the Town of Lexington with analysis and recommendations regarding several specific zoning issues identified in the Town's Comprehensive Plan. In order to eliminate inconsistencies and strengthen environmental protections, the consultants prepared technical memoranda and recommended zoning amendments relating to impervious surfaces, common open space, and usable open space in residential developments. Revisions to the Town's regulations on home occupations were drafted to accommodate new types of businesses while protecting neighborhood character. Finally, the consultants prepared a review of land use and zoning issues in Lexington Center, with recommendations for actions to support continued vitality of the Center.
	South County, Rhode Island South County Watersheds Technical Planning Assistance Project (1999-2000) Taintor & Associates was a member of a consulting team recommending Best Land Use Management Practices for the Pawcatuck River Watershed in southern Rhode Island. The "South County Watersheds Technical Planning Assistance ProjectÓ" was sponsored by the Rhode Island Rural Lands Coalition and was funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (under a Sustainable Development grant) and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. One element of the Technical Planning Assistance Project was a study of the feasibility of implementing Transfer of Development Rights in South County. Rick Taintor prepared a report describing the TDR concept, providing an overview of successful TDR examples in the United States, and discussing issues affecting the feasibility of implementing TDR. The report outlines a possible local TDR program, using the town of South Kingstown as an example, and includes a draft TDR ordinance for the town. The full TDR report is available online here or here. A separate study of farm and forest land strategies included a recommended Rural Village District zoning ordinance incorporating a mini-TDR mechanism. This report is also available online here or here.
	Berlin, Massachusetts Zoning Recodification and Amendments (1996-97) Taintor & Associates has assisted the Berlin Planning Board in a series of projects, beginning with the drafting of zoning amendments to permit development of a regional shopping center and continuing with the preparation of a Master Plan for the Town. As part of the Master Plan process, TA prepared a complete recodification of the Town's zoning bylaws, incorporating technical amendments to address identified deficiencies and internal conflicts. In addition, he drafted zoning amendments relating to home businesses, open space (cluster) development, wireless communications towers, adult-oriented uses, and open space preservation. The recodified zoning bylaw and a majority of the amendments were adopted at a Special Town Meeting in June 1997.
	Carver, Massachusetts Zoning and Land Use Controls Study (1997) Taintor & Associates assisted the Town of Carver in the creation of new standards for business and industrial districts and an upgraded sign by-law. In addition, TA prepared a guidebook for developers presenting required and recommended standards for site and building design in keeping with Carver's rural character.
	Marion, Massachusetts Business Land Use Study and Residential Zoning Amendments (1996-97) Taintor & Associates reviewed existing zoning in the Town's several small business districts and proposed changes designed to encourage the kind and pattern of development that residents supported in an earlier visioning process. This included strengthening the mixed-use village center, changing zoning district boundaries and regulations along Route 6 to discourage the emergence of a commercial strip, and creating a new district for limited industrial park development.
	Mendon, Massachusetts Growth Management Study (1995-96) Taintor & Associates assisted the Mendon Land Use Committee in a review of the Town's key development and growth issues. Recommendations of the project included the creation of a new village district to encourage the type of compact mixed-use development that is historically characteristic of Mendon Center, and a new Open Space Development District along Route 16 to provide an attractive alternative to the strip commercial development for which the corridor was zoned.
	Revere, Massachusetts Strategic Planning Project (1995-96) Taintor & Associates worked with the Revere City Planner and Land Use Task Force on a strategic planning study of land use and zoning in the City. The project included a comprehensive review of the City's Zoning Ordinance, with recommendations to eliminate conflicts and inconsistencies and to bring several technical aspects of the Ordinance up to date. The project also recommended the establishment of several new zoning districts, and detailed map changes in several areas of the City. The project concluded with presentation of the recommendations at two briefing sessions for Planning Board and City Council members; and a public hearing on the proposed zoning amendments held on March 26, 1996. Following our completion of the project, the majority of the proposed amendments were adopted by the City Council in the summer of 1996.
	Westford, Massachusetts Master Plan and Zoning Bylaw Projects (1994-97) In 1994 and 1995 Taintor & Associates assisted Westford's Master Plan Committee to prepare a Master Plan. The Master Plan was adopted in the spring of 1995, and the Master Plan Committee was reorganized to work on implementation actions. TA then assisted the Master Plan Implementation Committee to prepare a Growth Management Bylaw, which incorporates both a building permit cap and development scheduling, and uses an innovative approach to adjust the permit cap to reflect the large number of grandfathered subdivision lots in the Town. After the bylaw was adopted by Town Meeting, TA developed a system for monitoring and administering the bylaw, including a set of computer spreadsheets for recording permit activity and making the necessary computations.
	Mansfield, Massachusetts Great Woods Land Use Study (1993-94) Taintor & Associates reviewed existing land uses and development pressures in the area immediately adjacent to the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts. After conducting this analysis, the team prepared reports detailing alternative development scenarios. Finally, the team proposed zoning amendments to the Mansfield by-laws. These by-laws were adopted, in part, in 1994.
	Ashland, Massachusetts Route 126 Corridor Study (1992-93) Route 126 is a major corridor crossing through the easterly part of Ashland, an area which has recently experienced a large amount of commercial and multifamily residential development. The Route 126 Corridor Study recommended that the town act to discourage the emergence of a commercial strip in the central portion of the corridor, and that to accomplish this the town rezone the segment to encourage compact mixed-use development. Specific zoning amendments were drafted to implement this recommendation. Ashland adopted its village zoning at its 1993 Annual Town Meeting.
	Acton, Massachusetts Transfer of Development Rights and Village Zoning (1990) Acton's 1990 Master Plan recommended that the town revise its zoning regulations to encourage compact development in existing and new village centers, and to discourage the continued expansion of strip commercial development along Route 2A. In order to implement this recommendation, a Transfer of Development Rights bylaw was drafted that restricted development intensity in business and residential districts along Route 2A, and created a mechanism for transferring development rights to two receiving areas -- the North Acton Village and East Acton Village districts. The TDR bylaw included provisions for converting residential development rights in the sending district to commercial rights in the receiving district. At the time of the adoption of the 1990 Master Plan, Acton had two village districts in South Acton and West Acton. Two additional districts were defined by regulations adopted to implement the Master Plan -- North and East Acton. North Acton is a new village district created to draw development away from Route 2A; while East Acton is a former commercial cluster that has been subsumed in the Route 2A commercial strip. The village regulations adopted for North and East Acton are similar to those in the other two districts. In addition, the new provisions complement the TDR bylaw by providing additional incentives for mixed-use development in the village receiving districts. Acton adopted its TDR and village zoning provisions at its 1990 Annual Town Meeting.
	Framingham-Natick, Massachusetts Golden Triangle Planning Project (1990) The Golden Triangle is a concentrated area of commercial, office and light industrial activities defined by Routes 9 and 30 in Natick and Framingham, Massachusetts. In the late 1980s, concern about the impact of increasing development had led to friction between the business community, who wanted improvements to the road system, and local officials, who were under pressure to restrict growth. Rick Taintor assisted a committee of public and private sector officials from both communities to produce a new plan for development in the Golden Triangle. Following completion of the plan in 1990, Rick worked with a second committee to refine the zoning recommendations, which were adopted by Town Meetings in both Natick and Framingham with the support of the regional Chamber of Commerce. The Golden Triangle Plan is an innovative approach incorporating both regulatory guidelines and appropriate incentives to encourage private development that serves identified public needs and purposes. The zoning measures that were developed for the Golden Triangle included revisions to development intensity limits and open space requirements; improved landscaping and screening standards; and a density bonus system under which increases in floor area are tied to the provision of public benefit amenities. The recommended standards were implemented through the establishment of two new overlay districts: a Regional Center district encompassing the Golden Triangle itself, and a Highway Corridor district comprised of the remainder of the Route 9 corridor. The Golden Triangle Plan received the 1991 award for Outstanding Comprehensive Planning Project from the New England Chapter of the American Planning Association.

TAINTOR & ASSOCIATES, INC.
22 Unicorn St. - PO Box 898
Newburyport, MA 01950-5598

Phone: 978-462-0404
Fax: 978-462-0107

Email: info@taintorassociates.com

Land Use Regulation

Representative Projects