Above: Planning is seeking to correct zoning code errors. And the Tricentennial Committee will urge voters to support the zoning change to temporarily allow banners/signs celebrating the Town’s big anniversary & recognizing sponsors. (image cropped from flyer)
The Warrant for tomorrow’s Town Meeting includes five zoning Articles. I’ve recently covered two of them. Today, I’m focusing on the three remaining proposed bylaw revisions.
Two Articles are intended to address mistakes in the zoning code. The other is to allow the Tricentennial Committee to promote the Town’s celebration of its 300th year. It will also allow its non-profit Friends group to raise funds for events by soliciting sponsors who will be acknowledged on signs and banners.
Article 32 Tricentennial Signs
As the Tricentennial Committee made plans for promoting and raising funds for the year of celebrations, they realized that the current Town bylaws stand in the way of one of their key marketing strategies.
To help solicit sponsorships, the committee wants to be able to allow businesses to put up signs in front of their buildings that recognize their support. And member Patty Fiore tells me that they would also like to erect banners on poles, similar to “Hometown Heroes” banners in nearby towns to promote the year of planned events and celebrations.
Unfortunately, there is no provision in the zoning bylaws for signs to allow the kinds of signs and banners they hope to use.
The committee is proposing a bylaw change that would temporarily allow the signs and banners from August 1, 2026 through January 31, 2008. Under the bylaw change, the signs would be limited to “Town-sponsored or Town-approved Tricentennial content”.
The signs would be based on “referral” by the Tricentennial Committee and approval by the Select Board. And they would still need to comply with size and height restrictions “for Standing and Wall signs” under the existing bylaw.
Fiore provided me with an example of a past banner they have used at events that thank sponsors. (More sponsors have come on board since it was designed.)
As for the Hometown Heroes style banners on poles – for readers unfamiliar with what those look like, I’m embedding a Facebook post with examples below:
In a handout that will be on the table for Annual Town Meeting voters to pickup, the Tricentennial Committee pitches why voters should “vote Yes” on Article 32:
The Tricentennial is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring Southborough together to celebrate our shared history and future. Article 32 provides a practical way to promote this important milestone and Tricentennial events throughout town.
These temporary banners will help highlight the celebration, promote official Tricentennial activities, and recognize the local businesses and sponsors who are helping make a full year of events possible — all while following clear safety, design, and placement standards.
In short, Article 32 gives the Tricentennial Committee a simple, well‐regulated way to spread the word, energize the community, and help make the 2027 Tricentennial a truly town‐wide celebration.
The handout also includes the full Article language. And, on the second page, it promotes planned events and ways the public can support or participate in their efforts. Open that handout here.
The zoning change requires over 2/3 approval to pass.
Article 31: MBTA Communities Overlay District
This Article is intended to fix wording in the dimensional table that was included in the bylaw approved by voters in 2024.
The MBTA Communities Zoning bylaw created overlay districts where developers are entitled to build dense multi-family buildings. (They are subject to building permits and Site Plan approval, but they don’t require a special, discretionary zoning permit.)
When the overlay zones were pitched to voters in Fall of 2024, the public was told that the multi-family buildings would still be subject to the same dimensional restrictions that were already in the underlying zoning district. Those zoning restrictions capped buildings at “35 feet, 2 1/2 stories”. Previously, that had been interpreted as needing to meet both limits.
The current wording in the bylaw muddies that.
The bylaw does specify:
The MCOD is an overlay district superimposed over underlying zoning districts. The regulations for use, dimensions, and all other provisions of the Town of Southborough’ s Zoning Bylaw governing the respective underlying zoning district( s) shall remain in full force except for uses allowed as of right in the MCOD.
But further down, a dimensional restriction table is introduced with, “The dimensional requirements applicable in the MCOD are as follows”. (That could be read to mean that it is just recapping them for clarity, or as defining new dimension standards.) The table includes the height restriction “35 feet or 2 1/2 stories”.
The issue was raised this winter when a developer previewed their plans to develop a project with 60 condos on Southville Road. Based on their interpretation of the bylaw, they planned to erect two 35 ft tall, 3 story buildings.
The board is seeking to fix the language discrepancy. The language in the table is replaced, and the terms make clear that buildings must comply with all of the listed restrictions (not either/or).
It’s unclear at this point whether a 2/3 supermajority is required to make this zoning change. (Under the state law that required the Town to create MBTA Zoning districts, only a simply majority was required to pass the original bylaw. And a list in a recent Select Board packet indicates Article 31 will only need a majority. But, the presentation by the Planning Board stresses that a 2/3 majority is required. I’m not sure which board’s info was up-to-date as vetted by Town Counsel.)
You can find the full Article here and the Planning Board’s planned presentation here.
Article 30: Replacing SHOPC references with SAHT
At the Special Town Meeting in September 2024, voters approved eliminating SHOPC (the Southborough Housing Opportunity Partnership Committee) and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee (AHTFC).
A new committee was created in their place to combine the efforts in hopes it would be more effective at generating more affordable housing opportunities in town.
At the time, they missed some of the places in the Town zoning bylaws that referred to SHOPC. In the bylaws, there are sections that require applicants to file applications with the committee, get the committee’s approval, etc.
Those references would now be replaced with language referring to the new committee. In the bylaw changes that is listed as “the Board of Trustees of the Southborough Affordable Housing Trust (SAHT)”.
As a standard zoning change, it requires a 2/3 majority to pass.
You can read the full Article here. And you can view the Planning Board’s planned presentation here.
You can find the full Annual Town Meeting Warrant here. Reminder, the meeting opens this Saturday, April 11th, 10:00 am at Trottier Middle School. You can find more of my coverage here.
