The Planning Board will soon hold a public hearing to consider an amendment to Harvard’s bylaws that would create a Design Review Board to guide development of projects in the town’s commercial district.
The review board would be a standing subcommittee of the Planning Board, responsible for evaluating commercial district (C-district) development proposals and encouraging developers to adhere to the commercial design guidelines adopted by the Planning Board last year. The review board would examine any commercial projects that require a building permit for new construction, addition, or exterior alteration as well as projects that are subject to a site plan review or special permit granted by the Planning Board.
Creating the review board requires that Chapter 133 of the bylaws, Planning Board Procedural Rules and Regulations, be amended. If adopted, the amendment to be discussed next week would authorize the Planning Board to select and appoint five town residents to serve on the new subcommittee. The review board’s chairman will be a member of the Planning Board, one member must be an architect, one member will be a representative of the business community, and the two remaining members must “have expertise in design, landscape architecture, civil engineering, natural resources, historic preservation, development, or real estate.” Members will serve three-year terms. Unlike changes to zoning bylaws, which require the approval of Town Meeting, amending the Planning Board’s procedures requires only a public hearing followed by a majority vote of the the five-member Planning Board.
The adoption of the commercial design guidelines and the establishment of the review board culminate an initiative by the Planning Board to change the character of development in the commercial district. According to a report submitted to the Planning Board last October by the board’s seven-member Commercial Design Guidelines Task Force, town residents were dissatisfied with the quality of development in the C-district. The report describes development there as having no “unifying theme” and being “incongruous” with the rest of the town.
The task force determined that this was due, in part, to zoning laws that had been developed to regulate agricultural-residential districts, but had led to undesirable results when applied to commercial districts. For example, before the amendment of Protective Bylaw 125-30E and 125-39C at last year’s Annual Town Meeting, front, side, and rear setbacks and green space requirements were the same for developments in both zoning districts. Requiring large setbacks from roads and adjacent property lines as well as substantial areas of “green space” on individual lots act to keep housing density low and guarantee the plentiful open space that contributes to Harvard’s rural character. In the C-district, however, those same zoning bylaws created the isolated buildings with prominent parking areas and little pedestrian connectivity that so displeased residents. Last year’s changes encourage greater building density in the C-district and allow developers to place buildings closer to the road.
In addition to recommending those changes to the town’s Protective Bylaw, the task force also recommended that Harvard should adopt a set of commercial design guidelines that would convey the town’s preferences for design of commercial projects to developers. Its report said that the purpose of the guidelines would be to encourage developments that are pedestrian friendly, promote a “Harvard character,” incorporate generous landscaping, possess “village” characteristics, are energy efficient, and lessen traffic congestion. Last fall, the Planning Board approved such a document by unanimous vote. Its 33 pages describe the town’s preferences for the appearance of buildings, landscaping, and site standards as well as other regulations of interest to a commercial developer.
A benefit to developers
In a recent interview, task force leader and Planning Board member Erin McBee said that these guidelines are meant to benefit developers as well as the town. Having the guidelines and the assistance of the proposed Design Review Board earlier in the development process will prevent developers from spending time and effort creating expensive site plans that do not conform to local boards’ mandates, she said. The design board will function in an advisory capacity and will have no authority to enforce its recommendations. McBee said that neither the Planning Board nor the building commissioner would be bound to accept the review board’s recommendations. The design board’s purpose is to promote good design that will foster growth that fits in with Harvard’s unique character.
McBee said the Planning Board is still working with Building Commissioner Gabe Vellante to determine the specific procedures for the review board’s involvement in development projects.
In a phone interview this week, McBee said she was unsure when the Planning Board would vote to approve the Design Review Board amendment. That will depend on the sense of the board after the public hearing is closed, she said.
Resources
For more information, see the following documents, which are available at the Planning Board’s website:
Proposed amendment to Chapter 133 of the town’s bylaws to create a Commercial Design Review Board:
Commercial Design Task Force Report:
Commercial Design Guidelines:
