Framingham Planning Board Meeting, March 19, 2026: Housing Data, Extensions & Zoning Recommendations
Framingham Planning Board Meeting - March 19, 2026
The Framingham Planning Board met on March 19, 2026, at 7 p.m. under Chair Ted Cosgrove. The meeting included a housing plan data presentation from Framingham State University, approval of an extension for the Carlson Crossing project, and development of zoning recommendations for two major redevelopment proposals: Eagle Rock (33 Dinsmore/31 Valentine) and Clark's Hill. All four board members were present. The board approved its March 5 meeting minutes and the Carlson Crossing extension unanimously, then deliberated at length on the zoning matters, ultimately voting unanimously to forward recommendations to the City Council.
Consent Calendar
- March 5, 2026 Meeting Minutes: Approved unanimously on a motion by a seconded motion. All members voted aye.
- Carlson Crossing Extension: The board granted a two-year extension for the project, which is under construction and drawing down housing funds. The request was for one year, but the board moved to approve two years to avoid annual check-ins. Motion passed unanimously (all aye).
Discussion Items
- Housing Plan Data Presentation: Sarki Sarkesian (Director of Planning) introduced professors Lori Levine and Luis Rosero from Framingham State’s MetroWest Economic Research Center. They presented the data portion of the required housing plan, covering demographics, housing supply, and affordability. Key findings included: a diverse age distribution with a significant aging population; one‑ and two‑person households dominate; median household income ~$100,000 (45% increase over 10 years); median single‑family home prices rose 93% in 10 years (to ~$627,000); condos more than doubled; sales volumes declining; about1/3 of households cost‑burdened (>30% income on housing), with renters and low‑income households hit hardest. The board discussed trends in age distribution, household size, and the need to match housing supply to changing demographics. Sarkesian noted the plan must be finalized with a production strategy and submitted to the state to protect against 40B developments.
- Eagle Rock (33 Dinsmore/31 Valentine) Zoning Recommendation: The board reviewed a draft recommendation to the City Council consolidating prior redlines and discussions. Debate centered on transfer of development rights (TDR) language and how to capture more affordable units. The board agreed to move the TDR mention to the end as a reminder of tools, not a central recommendation. They also adjusted language on the MOU to ensure a 25% affordability threshold is met (allowing 100% unit capture under 40B). The final recommendation urges the Council to take the opportunity to increase the number of affordable units captured. Motion to forward the recommendation as amended passed unanimously (all aye).
- Clark's Hill Zoning Recommendation: The board discussed a complex PRD proposal involving conversion of an existing office building and new townhouse‑style construction. Key points: overall density of 16 units/acre (neighbors had agreed to that number); height limits of 2 stories on the upper parking lot adjacent to Arthur Street, 3 stories elsewhere; the frontage along Clark’s Hill should have lower density (10 units/acre) to match the neighborhood, while the rear parcel could go to 20 units/acre, averaging to ~16. The board stressed the importance of pursuing state grants to subsidize the office conversion, which could reduce needed density or increase affordability. They also recommended: no occupancy permits for new construction until the conversion of the existing building is substantially complete (or at least50% of new units held back); construction phased in no more than two phases to minimize disruption; and inclusion of a prohibition on Dover Amendment use. Motion to forward the recommendation with those amendments passed unanimously (all aye).
Key Outcomes
- Votes: All four votes (minutes, Carlson Crossing extension, Eagle Rock recommendation, Clark's Hill recommendation) passed unanimously with all members voting aye.
- Directives: The board’s recommendations for Eagle Rock and Clark's Hill will be forwarded to the City Council for its April 7 meeting (Eagle Rock) and further consideration. The board also directed staff to incorporate the amendments discussed into the final Clark's Hill letter.
- Next Steps: The housing plan data presentation is phase one; staff will complete the production plan and bring it back to the board for a future meeting. The board also noted the April 21 City Council meeting will include the Eagle Rock matter.
Meeting Transcript
The Framingham Planning Board is comprised of five members. The board reviews a wide range of applications for commercial and residential projects. The mission of the planning board is to ensure the projects increase quality of life, contribute to economic development, and are consistent with Framingham's character. The Framingham Planning Board is also responsible for enforcing and revising the zoning bylaws and developing and implementing the city's master plan. The following planning board meeting coverage is brought to you by the government channel, a service of the city of Framingham. Good evening, everyone. This is the uh City of Framingham Planning Board. My name is Ted Cosgrove. I'm the chair. It's being 7 p.m. or later. We are ready to begin. Please note that this meeting is both uh in person and online. So if you're online and you'd like to speak, raise your hand. Uh and please remember to use the mute button uh just in case uh we are recording and we would be capturing things you may not want captured on a in a public setting. Uh we have uh four items on the agenda tonight, five really, and we're gonna essentially roll right down the agenda. Um starting with planning board minutes. Has everybody had an opportunity to review the minutes from the last any any changes? Everybody's good. Do I have a motion? In a second. Second. Excellent. All those in favor of approving the minutes to March 5th, please say aye. Aye. Unopposed. Okay, that's approved. Uh the next item is um we're gonna go to Carlson Crossing. There is a request for an extension of time. And I'm wondering if Mr. Landers is online yet. Or anyone else from the housing authority. I don't see anyone online. Okay. All right, we'll come back to that then. And um, I would like to then uh I'm gonna turn the floor over to Sarkey to introduce our next guests, and uh we're looking forward to this, and it's actually gonna be a nice segue into our discussion later in the evening when we complete our uh decision making uh on those two rezoning uh matters that are in front of us. Sarki. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um Sarka Sarkesian, Director of Planning Community Development. Um tonight we have the Framingham State um professors and doctors Luis Rosero and Lori Lavin. I'm here tonight to present a um the housing plan, and I just want to clarify it's the housing plan, it's the data portion of the housing plan that's required by the state to give demographics where we stand. We still have to complete what's called plan production. When you submit a housing plan to the state, they want to know okay, what are you gonna do in the next five years to create more affordable housing in your community? Framingham has done that. In fact, we've done yeoman's work when it comes to affordable housing, multifamily housing. Um, and the the issue we have is we've never actually got a plan over the goal line or got it submitted to the state for approval. Why is that important? Because in order to, I say fend off, but in order to prevent like a 40B development from going in, you need to have an approved housing plan that shows plan production where you're gonna be, as well as maintaining the 10 percent. Right now we're just hovering over 10 and a half percent.
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