Opening a law office, insurance agency or medical practice in downtown North Attleboro just got a lot simpler. The Town Council approved a change allowing professional offices and related businesses to locate downtown without first securing a special permit, a shift town officials say had been a long time coming.
The Sun Chronicle reported that the change applies to downtown's commercial district and allows uses the town had previously restricted through a special-permit process. A legal notice published ahead of a public hearing on the matter specified that the proposal would cover the C-7.5 Commercial District, noting plainly that “these uses are currently permitted by special permit,” according to a North Star Reporter legal notice.
The council held a public hearing on the proposal before approving the change. The town council's bylaw committee had already voted unanimously to recommend the zoning change, and the planning board separately voted to support the revision.
What the Zoning Change Actually Covers
The newly allowed uses are described as miscellaneous professional and business offices and services, including medical, legal, insurance and real estate offices, among other professional services. That list matches the town's own zoning language: Use Schedule B in Article V of the town's zoning bylaw lists “miscellaneous professional and business offices and services including but not limited to medical, legal, insurance, real estate offices,” according to the Town of North Attleborough zoning bylaw.
The zoning change aims to encourage commercial development, ease homeowners' tax burden and help revitalize downtown.
Before the change, these office uses required a special permit.
Planning Board and Council Members Weigh In
The Planning Board separately voted to support the revision.
Part of a Broader Downtown Push
The office-use change arrives amid a longer-running effort to reshape downtown's zoning. A consultant working with the town, CommunityScale, has described a separate, broader mixed-use overlay effort as a response to a waning commercial market and an attempt to adapt downtown zoning to future economic trends. That firm says it partnered with North Attleboro to update its downtown zoning and add a mixed-use overlay along the town's primary commercial corridor, using subdistricts tailored to the character, location and long-term plans of different areas, according to CommunityScale. The resulting bylaw work introduced new lot dimensions and zoning rules for economic hubs and mixed-use development, the firm says.
The office-use change comes amid a longer-running effort to reshape downtown zoning.
