Littleton Planning Board Reviews MBTA Zoning Analysis, Eyes King Street and Station Districts

LITTLETON -- February 9, 2023, Littleton Planning Board hears MBTA zoning compliance analysis pointing toward a multi-district strategy. At a public Zoom workshop on February 9, consultants Emily Innes of Innes Associates and Eric Halverson of RKG Associates presented preliminary compliance modeling showing that none of Littleton's five tested district configurations individually meets all five state thresholds under the MBTA Communities Act, a minimum of 750 multifamily units, 50 total acres, 10 acres within a half-mile of the Foster Street commuter rail station, 150 units within that half-mile zone, and 15 dwelling units per acre. The consultants said pairing the King Street Common area, which clears the density and unit-capacity thresholds, with one or more station-area districts is the most viable path to compliance before the December 2024 deadline. Planning and Zoning Administrator Maren Toohill estimated noncompliance could cost Littleton roughly $20 million in state infrastructure grants, low-interest sewer loans, and housing choice grants over the next decade. A SurveyMonkey poll of roughly 21 participants showed strong preference for traditional-form, lower-rise clustered buildings over contemporary mid-rise options. A second in-person public meeting is set for March 8, 2023, in Room 103 of Littleton Town Offices.