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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse to Board Quest Downtown Hyannis Zoning Amendments1 Town of Barnstable Planning and Development Department Staff Report Proposed Zoning Amendments Staff Response to Board Questions Date: October 23, 2025 To: Planning Board Members From: Jim Kupfer, AICP, Director of Planning and Development Kyle Pedicini, Assistant Director of Planning and Development At the September 22, 2025 Planning Board meeting, the Board opened discussion on the four proposed downtown Hyannis zoning amendments. During this meeting the Board heard initial public comment on these four proposed amendments and directed town staff to compile information in response to questions raised by board members. The following are staff responses to questions raised. • What is the current zoning for the area north of Stevens Street and west of Barnstable Road in Hyannis? o The current zoning map for this area can be found below, but the zoning is primarily RB (residential), which only permits single-family dwellings as the principal use with a max building height of 30’, minimum 20’ front setback and 10’ side setbacks. 2 • Please provide an update on the town’s multi -family housing report. o An update on this report can be found HERE and via video presentation HERE. • Please clarify the building height definitions, specifically in regard to what qualifies as a half story. o A story is defined in the town’s zoning ordinance as, “The portion of a building located between the surface of a habitable floor and the surface of the habitable floor or roof next above.” o A ground story is defined as, “The lowest story of a building with a finished floor at or above the finished ground level next to a building at the façade .” o Section 240-24.1.5 states the following: ▪ Buildings may not exceed the maximum number of stories as specified for each district. • (a) Each individual story of a building must comply with the minimum and maximum story height specified for each district. • (b) Story height is measured vertically from the surface of the finished floor to the surface of the finished floor above. When there is no floor above, story height is measured from the surface of the finished floor to the top of the structural beam or joists above or the top of the wall plate, whichever is more. • (c) The ground story is always counted as one story, except that a single ground story over 18 feet in height is counted as two stories. • (d) Each upper story is counted as one additional story, except that any upper story over 16 feet is counted as two stories. • (e) Basements are not counted as one story unless the finished floor of the ground story is five feet or more above the average ground level of the lot. • (f) Habitable space located directly under a pitched roof is counted as a 0.5 story. o (i) The roof rafters of a half story must intersect the wall plate or top of wall frame of the exterior walls at a height no more than two feet above the finished floor of the half story. • (g) Nonhabitable attic space located under a pitched roof is not counted a half story. • (h) Pitched roofs with a slope greater than 12:12 require a special permit. • What stall sizes have recent applications/developments in the downtown Hyannis districts typically used? o The typical size for parking spaces in new developments in downtown Hyannis varies. Some developments exclusively utilize spaces that would meet the new definition of a full-sized space (9’ x 18’), while others utilize a portion of spaces that are smaller in size and designed for compact cars. 3 Parking space sizes are currently regulated in the Barnstable Zoning Ordinance, however these regulations do not apply to the downtown Hyannis zoning district. The proposed new parking dimensions would create consistency in these standards across the town. • What aisle widths have they been designing with typically? o The typical drive aisle width for new developments is a minimum of 20’. • Have any new projects (newly built parking areas, not existing) included one -way drive aisles, or have they all been two-way? o There are no new projects that exclusively use one-way drive aisles. • Have any utilized compact car spaces as part of their design? If so, approximately how many/what percentage (e.g., 5 of 40 spaces, ~10%)? o Parking space design varies by project but some have utilized compact spaces in their design. In one particular instance, a project with 122 required parking spaces had almost 50% of the required spaces being compact size, which would be the most extreme example of compact space proliferation. In another recent instance, a development with 132 parking spaces utilized full-sized (9’ x 20’) spaces for all spots. • Has legal reviewed this section with respect to 521 CMR / ADA? Specifically, is it possible to require accessible spaces in addition to the base parking requirements, or would that create a legal conflict? o Yes, all proposed zoning amendments have been reviewed by the town’s legal department. • Does the 50% lot area requirement include parking lots/paving & total impervious surface? o Yes, it includes any impervious surfaces. Lot coverage is defined in the ordinance as: “The ratio or percentage of a lot that is covered by principal buildings, outbuildings, accessory structures, and impervious paved surfaces including driveways, parking lots and sidewalks.”