fb-pixelMixed-use zoning to go before Rochester Town Meeting - The Boston Globe Skip to main content

Mixed-use zoning to go before Rochester Town Meeting

Aiming to avoid traditional strip-mall development in the town center, Rochester officials intend to propose a plan to allow mixed land use at Town Meeting in the spring, according to Arnold Johnson, chairman of the Planning Board.The proposal would add mixed commercial, residential, and open-space uses to the existing central zoning district, which is called "limited commercial." Three or four large parcels are for sale in the area, and the town hopes to encourage prospective buyers to "be more creative" with development, rather than build strip malls, Johnson said in an interview.The Planning Board is consulting department heads and the Board of Selectmen to iron out any internal problems before hosting a community forum for the town of about 5,000 people, probably on a Saturday in March, he said. All are welcome, and residents of the town center will receive a letter of invitation, he said. Afterward, the board will formally present a draft to the selectmen and hold a public hearing. "We're trying to do a little bit of proactive zoning instead of reactive," he said.