Winchester May See More Housing in Town Center

Winchester has one of the most beautiful town centers in the Boston area, with local shops and restaurants nestled in historic 19th century buildings and a river running through town.

Pictured: Winchester town center Courtesy of Winchester Planning Board

February 23, 2015

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Winchester has one of the most beautiful town centers in the Boston area, with local shops and restaurants nestled in historic 19th century buildings and a river running through town.

And soon there may be more opportunities not just to shop and stroll in the downtown, but to live there as well.

Winchester’s planning director wants to revamp the zoning rules that guide development in the town center to make way for new apartments and condos.

No big new developments are planned yet. Rather, the proposal envisions building owners converting the upper floors of some of those graceful old downtown buildings into residences, said Brian Szekely, Winchester Town Planner.

There would also be the possibility of converting commercial buildings to residential use on the northern section of Main Street, which currently entails a more modern strip of gas stations and stores.

“There is certainly a very large demand for housing in the downtown area as it is right next to a commuter rail stop,’’ Szekely said. “Keeping more feet on the street will help keep businesses in town as well as attract new businesses.’’

The downtown rezoning is a work in progress; Szekely plans to have the proposal ready to put before voters at a town meeting on April 27.

The proposal will have to win support from at least two-thirds of the voters who cast ballots at the meeting in order to pass.

The overall goal is to double the number of apartments and condos downtown, he said.

There are currently 190 residential units in the center of Winchester, but adding more has been problematic under the current zoning rules, according to Szekely.

As it stands now, building owners who want to put in apartment units must convince the town to grant them an exception to the current zoning rules — an arduous process.

Some building owners in the past tried to get zoning variances in order to add another floor for residential units, but wound up giving up before they could get approval, Szekely noted.

The proposal would make residential uses “by-right’’ in downtown Winchester. Building owners would only need a special permit if they plan to convert a ground floor, as opposed to upper floors, into residential space.

Local businesses are likely to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the move to open up downtown to more residential housing, Szekely noted.

“Everyone agrees downtown is a gorgeous place and it is somewhat incomplete,’’ he said. “There has been turnover in the businesses downtown. People want to see high-quality businesses stay. There is an inextricable link between people living near businesses and frequenting them.’’