Lynn City Council Approves Inclusionary Zoning

On Tuesday, December 13th, The Lynn City Council voted 9-2 to approve the Inclusive Economic Development & Housing Zoning Package.

All development projects (except for single-family development) in the Central Business District, Waterfront District, and the Greater Lynn District (all areas of Lynn not in the Central Business District and the Waterfront District) must now comply with the following affordability requirements:

• No less than 10% of the dwelling units shall be affordable to a household with income at or below 60% of the area median income as set by HUD
• In the instance a fraction of a lot or a dwelling unit resulting from the affordability requirement, the fractional unit should be rounded up to the nearest whole number (or fraction can be paid using an in-lieu of cash payment)

Developers can apply for a special permit from the Lynn City Council to contribute a cash payment to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in lieu of providing on-site affordable units.

Another part of the Inclusive Economic Development & Housing Zoning Package approved by the Lynn City Council is zoning changes in the Industrial & Commercial Districts, and the Waterfront Districts. Please see a summary of the changes below.

Industrial & Commercial Districts:

• Allow R&D (research and development) in Light Industrial “by-right”
• Allow R&D in Heavy Industrial by Special Permit
• Rezone Federal Street to Light Industrial
• Remove Residential Uses from Industrial Zones

Waterfront District

• Allow R&D in WF1A, WF3 & WF4 “by-right”
• Allow R&D in WF1 Special Permit
• Allow Light Mfg. in WF1A, WF3 & WF4 by Special Permit

There were also several zoning amendments made that were aimed to grow research & development opportunities, manufacturing opportunities, small scale manufacturing and incubate innovation. Click HERE to see the slides presented by Lynn Planning Director Aaron Clausen for a complete summary of all the zoning changes approved by the City Council.