Framingham Planning Board Backs 0.3 FAR and 35-Foot Height Limit for G District

FRAMINGHAM -- June 4, 2026, Framingham Planning Board unanimously backs 0.3 FAR cap and 35-foot height limit for G District. The board closed its continued public hearing Thursday and voted to recommend the City Council approve a floor area ratio of 0.3 per dwelling unit, excluding accessory dwelling units, for the General Residence (G) District, matching language the Council passed in a first reading June 2, while adding a recommendation to cap building height at 35 feet, in line with all other residential districts. The amendment was triggered by 35 Miller Avenue, where a 7,100-square-foot single-family home was built on an approximately 8,000-square-foot lot; under the proposed rule, a single-family dwelling on that lot would be capped at roughly 2,400 square feet of gross floor area. City Councilor John Stefanini, who originated the amendment, told the board that a developer had explicitly identified adjacent lots as "next on their list to acquire," calling the situation "not a one-off." The board's motion also calls on the Council to evaluate long-term whether the G District's sub-neighborhoods, ranging from Lake Washacum cottage lots to more conventional residential parcels, should be mapped as distinct zoning districts. The Council's second and final vote is expected June 16.