Published September 23, 2020

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — As part of an effort to protect open space, the Planning Board recently submitted the proposed Open Space Residential Design (OSRD) Bylaw to be included on the October Town Meeting warrant.

The Planning Board had been hoping to submit the proposed OSRD Bylaw for the spring session of Town Meeting, but the COVID-19 virus pandemic delayed those plans. The fall session of Town Meeting will take place on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The proposed bylaw seeks to address goals identified in the 2017 Master Plan survey, the 2010 Open Space and Recreation Plan and the 2002 Master Plan.

“Planning Board members are developing a bylaw to preserve much of the remaining open spaces that significantly contribute to the character and landscape of the Lynnfield community,” Planning and Conservation Director Emilie Cademartori wrote on the town’s website.

Cademartori stated that the proposed OSRD Bylaw would require a developer to “protect at least 50 percent of the total land parcel as permanent open space.”

“The developer would also be required to identify and protect the parcel’s natural resources in pinpointing where to build,” Cademartori stated. “The height of the homes in an OSRD development could not be any higher, nor would there be any more homes than in a conventional development. The difference is the houses in an OSRD development would be arranged on smaller individual lots, allowing for the rest of the land to be left as undivided open space.”

Cademartori noted that the town’s current Zoning Bylaw allows developers to build conventional by-right subdivisions that don’t preserve open space without a Special Permit.

“The OSRD Bylaw would flip that,” stated Cademartori. “OSRD subdivisions would be permitted by-right, and conventional subdivisions would require a Special Permit.”

Developers will still be required to obtain building permits regardless of whether they are looking to build conventional or OSRD subdivisions.

Cademartori stated the proposed OSRD Bylaw “provides benefits for residents, the town of Lynnfield, developers and the environment.” She said residents will benefit from the proposed bylaw because it provides open space access, flexible lot sizes and arrangements, will increase social connections and seeks to reduce isolation. She also said it reduces sprawl, lowers property maintenance costs and increases the resale value of homes. She also said it would allow for the development of “more kid-friendly recreational spaces, can provide interconnectivity of trails and corridors and can provide neighborhood gathering spaces.”

The proposed OSRD Bylaw will benefit the town as well, Cademartori stated. She said it will seek to preserve water resources and recreational open space, and will require less pavement and maintenance. She also said it will lower the DPW’s maintenance costs without costing the town property tax revenue. She also said it will preserve the town’s semi-rural character that residents have professed to love about Lynnfield.

Cademartori said the proposed OSRD Bylaw will streamline the site plan review process for developers. She also said it will lower infrastructure costs for developers and will increase cooperation among town boards in the preliminary planning process.

The proposed OSRD Bylaw will benefit the environment as well, Cademartori stated. She noted it seeks to protect water quality by reducing stormwater runoff. She also said it will reduce “water quantity that would otherwise be drawn from private wells, septic systems and sprinklers.” She also said it will protect the town’s natural habitat and will enhance wildlife corridors.

Planning Board member Ed Champy said during a recent meeting that the OSRD Bylaw “is a way of preserving undeveloped space.”

“I think the bylaw works very well,” said Champy.

Planning Board Chairman Brian Charville noted the proposed bylaw includes a revision “that will permit open space to be privately owned, but encumbered by a conservation restriction.”

After the discussion, the Planning Board unanimously voted to submit the proposed OSRD Bylaw for the October Town Meeting warrant. A public hearing on the proposed zoning change will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 14