In accordance with Article 84 of the Annual Town Meeting of 1963, the Planning Board submits the following brief report regarding its zoning amendment articles in the 1997 Annual Town Meeting Warrant. In accordance with its usual custom, the Board will also make a more complete report available to all Members who attend Town Meeting in May.

RE: Article 5: Zoning Amendment - Maximum Building Coverage for Residential Lots in the Single Residence A, Single Residence B, and General Residence Districts

At the present time, there are no maximum building coverage requirements for residential lots in Single Residence A, Single Residence B, and General Residence Districts. This article would provide for a maximum coverage of 15 percent for single family dwellings in the Single Residence A District, for a maximum coverage of 25 percent in the Single Residence B District, and for a maximum coverage of 30 percent in the General Residence District. All accessory buildings and structures would be excluded from these coverage requirements.

RE: Article 6: Zoning Amendment - Floor Area Ratio (F.A.R.) for Residential Lots in the Rural Residence-Conservation, Single Residence A, Single Residence B, and General Residence Districts

This article would amend the Zoning By Law to further regulate construction of single-family and two-family dwellings on both new and existing lots in the Rural Residence-Conservation, Single Residence A, Single Residence B, and General Residence Districts. The article provides for a maximum floor area ratio of 0.15 in the Rural Residence-Conservation and Single Residence A Districts and for a maximum floor area ratio of 0.40 in the Single Residence B and General Residence Districts.

Floor area ratio is an established concept in zoning and an established requirement in the Needham Zoning By-Law relative to commercial construction. It is the ratio of floor area to lot area. It is generally recognized as the most precise zoning tool to control the intensity of development. As applied to residential construction, it would insure that the construction of buildings on residential lots would be in proportion to the lot size. Within a residential zoning district, less floor area would be allowed on the smaller lots, more would be allowed for larger lots.

One of the most frequently made comments to the Planning Board by residents concerns oversized houses on small lots. The much more massive "big box colonial" is the new standard which all to often is being shoe-horned onto every possible site regardless of how small the lot. It is the Planning Board's belief that the framers of the original zoning in Needham did not anticipate the current trend. In fact, when the area districts were first created in Needham (1925), the houses that were built on smaller lots were smaller and more varied than those built on larger lots. The Planning Board recognizes that we cannot return to those days and is not attempting to; but under today s economic realities, there is still the ability, through zoning, to re-establish a sense of proportion of the home to the lot to maintain a more reasonable relationship with the neighborhood context.