Interpretation of Zoning Districts

The section of the technical documentation pertains to base zoning districts.

For the base zoning districts in the Zoning Atlas, MAPC defined a basic set of “core fields” covering use allowances and dimensional requirements to populate. The core fields are as follows:

• Minimum lot size

• Dwelling units allowed per acre

• Maximum height

• Maximum floor-area-ratio (FAR)

• Whether multifamily housing was a permitted use, and if a special permit was required

The values in the Zoning Atlas for these fields generally reflect the by-right regulations of a zone as they appeared in the bylaw or ordinance on the date it was accessed by MAPC. The exception to this rule is the four multifamily fields (MULFAM2, MULFAM3_4, MULFAM5_19, and MULFAM20_), which capture uses allowed by special permit, in addition to those allowed by-right.

The pages below describe two our approach to two common interpretation challenges:

Not Referenced or Unspecified Core FieldsMultiple By-Right Dimensional Regulations