Smart Growth panel finalizes Route 9 zoning draft

Smart Growth Steering Committee · Meeting of May 20, 2026

Hadley's Smart Growth Steering Committee wrapped up a line-by-line review of its draft 40R zoning bylaw and agreed to send it to the Planning Board on June 2. Pioneer Valley Planning Commission representative Ken Comia walked members through state feedback on green-space rules and flagged a drafting fix lowering a mixed-use residential floor-area requirement from 51 percent to 50 percent. Members argued the draft's parking minimum of four spaces per 1,000 square feet was far below Hadley's existing two-to-one standard, with one member saying "that's not even one to one." The committee also discussed capping open space at 10 to 20 percent of developable land, using district increment financing to fund infrastructure for large developments, and recommended the Select Board designate a monitoring agent for income-eligible affordable units.

A follow-up joint session with the Planning Board was set for June 10 at 4:30 p.m. The committee's grant funding runs through June 30.

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• Hadley's community access TV: Smart Growth Steering Committee meeting, May 20, 2026
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Source: the Smart Growth Steering Committee meeting of May 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.