At Ipswich’s October 25th Special Town Meeting, residents voted on the following zoning proposals:
Article 9.1: Increase the minimum 70% of lot area upland requirement for residential development
Article 9.2: Use a “floor area ratio” to establish the maximum floor area for buildings on individual lots
Article 9.3: Eliminate the Planning Board’s ability to grant a 45-foot maximum height by special permit in the IR district and have the maximum height in the GB and HB district to be 37 feet (45 feet still allowed by special permit)
Article 9.4: Limit the special permitting granting authority for tandem parking to 50% for residential uses
Article 9.5: Allows for freestanding single unit buildings to comprise up to 50% of the units in a multifamily development (previously 25%)
The only proposed zoning change approved at the Town Meeting was Article 9.5, which allows greater flexibility in multifamily development. The Planning Board recommended that the Town Meeting take no action on zoning proposals 9.2, 9.3, and 9.4. Article 9.1 was rejected by town meeting voters.
