Zoning Bylaw Technical Assistance

The FRCOG works with towns on a wide variety of zoning topics including affordable housing, floodplain overlay districts, short-term residential rentals, pollinator habitat, large-scale solar facilities and recreational marijuana.  In addition, we assist Planning Boards to prepare comprehensive updates to Subdivision Regulations or Zoning Bylaws.

More extreme rainfall events and droughts due to climate change call for land use regulations that address these issues in a proactive manner. FRCOG planning staff provide technical assistance to municipalities to increase resiliency by updating their land use regulations to add requirements for incorporating Low Impact Development (LID),  reducing fluvial erosion, and conserving forests and farmlands.  When towns within a watershed regulate development in a consistent, scientifically-based manner, the benefits can extend beyond the boundaries of each community and across the shared watershed.