🔨 Sisitsky Admin Unveils MBTA Housing Plan
What is going on with school buses? | Be on the Lookout for the Spotted Lanternfly! | District 2 Forum Tonight | Community Events | The Civic Week Ahead
Next day, you turn around and it's fall, Framingham.
Huge shout out to the Framingham History Center for a wonderful weekend of celebrating our community’s entertainment past. My mother and I attended the Saturday night party featuring the Vaughn Monroe Orchestra at Village Hall. We were transported back to the old Meadows club for a night full of big band music. It was a fabulous event! Thank you FHC for bringing us something unique and fun that celebrates our story.
Now, let’s talk about housing…
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Sisitsky Administration Releases MBTA Housing Map
After five months of Planning Board discussion and meetings, the Sisitsky Administration unveiled its plan to comply with the new state MBTA Communities Act, which aims to tackle the housing crisis in Massachusetts. The Sisitsky Administration focused their plan on equity and not putting all of the density and units into Downtown.
First, what does the MBTA Communities Act mean for Framingham: Framingham received an interim certificate of compliance earlier this year. The city says it has until the end of the year to completely fulfill the requirements of the state law. The state believes - according to their math of 15% of our housing stock - 4,335 more units can be built in Framingham. All the law requires is the zoning.
The plan: First announced at the Coburnville Tripoli Neighborhood Association meeting last Monday and at Thursday’s Planning Board meeting, Sarkis Sarkisian, Director of Planning and Community Development, shared the Administration’s plan for zoning of 4,506 units in 6 districts located throughout Framingham. 52% of the units are located within a 0.5 mile radius of the Framingham train station. 14% of the units are located within a mandatory mixed use district (meaning it includes retail).
The zoning requirements are:
Must be at least 50 acres (can include more than one district)
Must include 25 contiguous acres
No district can be less than 5 contiguous acres
40% of each district must be within ½ mile of Commuter Rail / Bus Station
What happened at the Planning Board Meeting: The goal of Thursday night’s meeting was to send a proposal to the Council to begin the zoning process, which includes public hearings. Kristina Johnson, Chair of the Planning Board, remarked that Framingham has managed to have a collaborative and productive planning process, and “an adult conversation about a topic that is a lightning rod in other communities.”
Breaking down the proposal: Looking at the proposed map the areas are: Downtown, Saxonville (at the old state lumber site), Nobscot, Shoppers World, 9/90, and Speen Street. In an effort to continue rebalancing the map and taking more pressure off the Downtown, Board member Joe Norton proposed slight adjustments to the proposal. 30 units per acre were implemented for every district.
Planning Board Amendments to Administration Proposal:
Downtown Districts: 70 acres
2100 units
District 1: 39 acres
Zoned for 30 units per acre with 3.5 story buildings
District 2: 31 acres
Zoned for 30 units per acre with 2.5 story buildings
Saxonville District: 5.4 acres (the minimum required acreage is 5) on Concord Street
162 units at 30 units per acre with 3.5 story buildings
Nobscot District: 32.4 acres on Edmands and Edgell Roads
972 units at 30 units per acre
Required retail with a 30 foot setback on Edgell Road and municipal pad
150 ft buffer along Livoli Road with a 2.5 story max height
Shoppers World District: 12 acres
360 units (8%) at 30 units per acre with 6 story buildings
9/90 District: 15 acres
452 units at 30 units per acre
Required retail
Speen Street District: 14 acres
420 units with 30 units per acre with required retail and a 30 foot setback on Speen Street and Old Connecticut Path
Potential retail and fire house: This proposal is not simply housing. 9/90 (home of Staples HQ) and Speen Street requiring some amount of retail space. The Nobscot district is being eyed for a “municipal pad” of 10,000 square feet for a new fire house, which was stated to be a priority of Mayor Sisitsky.
“Prime for development”: Sarkisian pointed out that most of the selected districts are prime for redevelopment, and in many cases are “eye sores” in the city.
Owners of 9/90 have been pushing for zoning changes for years. They had plans for a mixed-use development with a restaurant, hotel, housing, office space and retail back in 2015. Town Meeting rejected the zoning change. The parcel in Nobscot has been a topic of debate in that village for the last year. Housing at Shoppers World has been floated for a while as shopping centers change. And Route 135 is already a hotbed of development activity.
Comparing units: To give a sense of size, Union Alta House on Concord Street is 197 units, which is 99 units per acre; Modera on Waverly Street is 270 units at 89 units per acre, and the Buckley is 210 units with 34 units per acre.
What about design? Do we have any say?: The zoning is “by right” meaning a project can be built without requiring waivers, special permits, or any other discretionary approvals. However, Sarkisian stated Framingham’s guidelines for this overlay district will require site plan review and follow style and design guidelines.
Next steps: The Planning Board voted to approve the Sisitsky Administration’s plan with Planning Board amendments to the Council for their review and public hearings. According to Sarkisian, the plan must be finalized by December 31, 2024.
The Council needs only 6 votes to pass voting changes under the MBTA Communities Act.
Tonight the Council’s Planning & Zoning Subcommittee meets at 6:00pm on Zoom to discuss the proposal. You can find their agenda here.
School Buses Going In House
In hopes to bring an end to school bus headaches, the School Committee voted on Wednesday, September 4 officially bringing school bus operations in house and lease buses from NRT starting July 1, 2025.
The vote was 8-0.
“Been pretty rough”: Lincoln Lynch, FPS Executive Director of Finance and Operations, said more than 800 students are without a bus this school year. There are 53 drivers, short of the 77 drivers FPS is supposed to receive outlined in the contract with NRT.
Alternative ways to school: Lynch said there is a carpool platform connecting families together. Families wishing to participate must file a CORI form, which can take up to 2 weeks to process. Lynch said they are trying to expedite the applications, but they are processed by a third party. Additionally, bikes are available to students who wish to bike to school.
Bringing it in house: The School Committee voted several months ago to bring bus operations in house, making drivers employees of the City of Framingham. This latest vote solidified those plans, along with changing the terms of the contract with NRT.
The 2025-2026 will be year three of FPS’ contract with NRT. They will only lease buses from NRT. Drivers will not be part of the contract.
“Building a new company”: As School Committee member Tiffanie Maskell pointed out, the School Committee is asking FPS to create a new bus company. Underway are the drafting of job descriptions, benefits, and pay scale. Lynch said the district will meet with the Teamsters, who represent the bus drivers, to discuss these plans. Collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the union will start later in the fall.
FPS plans to meet with the current bus drivers to outline what is happening and next steps. HR is developing a plan to attract drivers to Framingham, that includes a marketing campaign and job fairs.
Be on the Lookout for the Spotted Lanternfly
Important bug warning: If you see a spotted lanternfly please report it to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR).
Spotted in Framingham: MDAR recently confirmed an infestation of the invasive insect known as spotted lanternfly (SLF) in the Framingham.
What is the problem?: The spotted lanternfly targets various plants, including tree-of-heaven, grapevines, maple trees, and hops vines, among others. This pest poses a threat to grape and wine producers, as well as other agricultural products, and can also disrupt outdoor recreational activities.
The insects do not bite or sting (Thank God!). They cluster in large groups around populated areas, leaving behind a sticky, sugary residue called honeydew on surfaces they touch.
This bug was accidentally introduced into the United States around 2014, on shipments of crushed stone sent to a business in Pennsylvania. (Oh, joy.)
Be on the lookout: Please check your property for spotted lanternfly and its favorite host plants, tree-of-heaven and grape.
How to report: If you see SLF outside of a known infested area, take a picture and report it at https://massnrc.org/pests/slf
Questions can also be directed to the City of Framingham’s Tree Warden Rebecca Nau at rn@framinghamma.gov
Mayor Hosts D2 Forum Tonight
Mayor Charlie Sisitsky is making his way through Framingham with his district meetings. He’ll be in District 2 at Potter Road School on Monday, September 23 at 7:00pm. He'll be joined by District 2 Councilor Brandon Ward and School Committee member David Gordon, along with representatives from City departments like Police, Public Works, Planning, and Parks & Recreation.
The Mayor’s final two meetings will be for District 3 (what upppp!) in October and District 1 in November.
Community Events
13th Annual Purple Passion 5K Walk/Run: Saturday, September 28. Packet pick-up and same day registration starts at 7am. Event starts at 7:30 AM. The race starts at 8 am sharp, followed by medals and raffle drawing at 9:00. The Purple Passion 5k raises the necessary funds to support survivors of domestic violence in the MetroWest community with free, confidential services. Click here to register.
Plymouth Church Fall Fair: Saturday, September 28 from 10:00am - 2:00pm at 87 Edgell Road. This annual event has everything. A giant gently used Home Goods Sale including Kitchen gadgets, Kids’ toys, Holiday decor, Books, Jewelry, and Costumes. Find great homemade food including Baked Goods, Pie, Chowder, Fudge, a Cookie Walk, Luncheon, and Popcorn.
City of Framingham's Find Your People Fair: Saturday, September 28 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Nevins Hall of the Memorial Building. Learn about the different clubs, organizations, and activities in Framingham. (I’ll be at the Friends of Framingham Trails table - come say hi!)
The Civic Week Ahead
Monday, September 23
Tuesday, September 24
Wednesday, September 25
10:00am: Economic Development Corporation Agenda
2:00pm: Edgell Grove Cemetery Trustees Agenda
4:00pm: School Committee Policy Subcommittee Agenda
5:30pm: Veterans Council Agenda
6:00pm: Composting Task Force Agenda
7:00pm: Sustainability Committee Agenda
7:00pm: Disability Commission Agenda
8:00pm: Sustainability Committee Agenda
Thursday, September 26
In Closing…
A monthly reminder that if you have a meeting, volunteer opportunity, event, in October you wish to share with the Framingham community, please email it to me for the Guide to October issue of the newsletter. Thank you!
Have a great week,
Mary Kate