Fitchburg's zoning code rewrite will be entering its final stages when a week long charrette begins Feb. 8.
The charrette, a collaborative planning effort involving the entire Fitchburg community, will involve a series of meetings - among "stakeholders" such as developers, businesses and farmers - and three large public sessions. At the end, planners from PlaceMakers, who will lead the sessions with help from city staff, will take the information and eventually provide a recommendation on how the city should change and implement new zoning rules.
"Our charrette will build on all the work that has come before and provide an opportunity to sort through ideas together and come up with the core ingredients of how we broaden our current zoning code," explains the latest update on Fitchburgzoning.com, the Web site devoted to the local effort. "We need rules that ensure our future growth is as inspired as the goals we've set out."
The zoning code change follows the recent adoption of the city's comprehensive plan. PlaceMakers project principal Susan Henderson and Mayor Jay Allen have both said the new rules - collectively called a "Smart Code" - will be a tool that helps execute the plan.
The current zoning code will continue to be used once the new code is adopted, Henderson said, explaining that the Smart Code will be implemented gradually for some areas. She said that if the city were to make the new code mandatory for all future developments from the start, the code might end up being different from what the city wants.
"The problem with (taking effect immediately) is in the process of calibrating your code, likely it will have a lot of pressure on it to be watered down," Henderson said.
Another pitfall to avoid, Henderson said, is the potential of being written in such a way that makes it unable to survive a political change at the Common Council level.
"Our No. 1 goal when we work with cities is to give you a good, long-term implemental code," she said. "And implemental means it can su?rvive political will and changes in political will. That it can be something that can be used regardless of who wins the next election."
In addition to several participant-specific meetings, the charrette will include three larger public meetings, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all beginning at 6 p.m. in the Oak Hall Room at the Community Center. Focus group meetings will be held during the day Tuesday and Wednesday, and on Wednesday and Thursday there will be open studio times, when members of the public can stop by to talk with planners.
About 35 people showed up for the first large public gathering in the process, the zoning code rewrite workshop Dec. 2. The two-hour meeting discussed what's important to city residents
"Choice is the word that kept coming up," Henderson explained on the charrette Web site. "So we're making sure solid choices - in terms of both lifestyle options and business opportunities - are built into the approaches we'll be focusing on during the February charrette."
To stay up-to-date on the zoning rewrite and charrette or get more information on its purpose, goals and operations, visit www.fitchburgzoning.com
