Woburn planning board recommends repeal of ‘cluster development’ zoning provision

The Woburn City Planning Board voted 6–0 to send a recommendation to the City Council to repeal Section 10 of the Woburn Zoning Ordinance, the city’s cluster‑development provision, and mark the section reserved for future use. The vote followed a public hearing at which city councilors and planning staff urged the board to remove an ordinance they said is outdated and potentially exploitable.

"I've seen a trend and heard about a trend in our neighborhoods where big corporations are purchasing single family homes," said Darlene, a city councilor for Ward 5, during the hearing. She and Councilor Lou DeMambro said the cluster rule could be used by parties who stitch together small parcels over time to reach the ordinance's 5‑acre threshold and then build much denser housing than neighbors expect.

Planning Board Director Tina (staff) told the board the cluster ordinance has rarely been used since it was adopted in the 1980s; Quail Run was identified as the principal example of a development approved under the rule. Tina said the city's cluster standard currently requires two approvals — a planning‑board subdivision approval and a city council special‑permit — and observed that other provisions in the zoning code, including townhouse rules, have produced more multifamily development in recent years.

"There's nothing in the ordinance right now that seems to give any way to measure and require quality open space," board member Claudia Volkin said, summarizing concerns that open space set aside under cluster rules can be unusable land such as ledge, wetlands, or transmission‑line corridors.

Staff and multiple board members suggested alternatives to an outright repeal, including rewriting cluster language to limit eligibility (for example, requiring parcels to have met a minimum size by a specified date), consolidating cluster and townhouse provisions so standards are consistent, and adding measurable requirements for usable open space. Tina warned that repealing the ordinance could invite short‑term zoning freeze filings from property owners seeking to lock in current rules, but she also said that any negative effect on potential grant scoring would likely be small.

Board discussion framed the decision as a policy one for the elected councilors: if council policy no longer favors the type of project the cluster rule was intended to support, repeal followed by a comprehensive rewrite could be appropriate. After deliberation, the planning board voted unanimously to recommend repeal and to reserve the section for future use, and staff agreed to work with councilors and the mayor’s office on drafting options.

The measure is now a recommendation to the City Council; the council will consider whether to adopt the repeal, amend the ordinance, or pursue a consolidated rewrite as part of the city’s broader zoning and upcoming master‑plan work.