Newton, MA; Washington St Corridor; Development & Code Analysis

Washington St Corridor, (images by Principle Group)

Following on the City’s Comprehensive Plan, a Neighborhood Vision Plan and sample Form Based Code were needed to implement the policy directives. The Washington Street Corridor follows both a major arterial and a T line to Boston, drawing attention to the existing transit stations to accommodate regional development pressures.

With the Principle Group consulting team, Kellogg (as Urban Advisors) worked through a public engagement Charrette to project housing demand and evaluate affordability. Where commercial uses were a major concern for the area Urban Advisors projected support for retail at each node along with demand for employment space. Kellogg conducted proforma analysis of development proposals to guide designs towards feasible projects. Though GIS analysis Kellogg determined the capacity of the study area to support development under the proposed new regulations. This included feasibility testing based on development costs and new building values and the projected value of development by square feet. Rather than a “build out” analysis, this identified parcels that would  provide a return on development to quantify the impact of feasible new construction. This analysis provided the basis for Fiscal Impact Analysis scenarios.