Compliance model – Excel workbook
The Excel workbook includes two components. First, a zoning checklist, which guides users through a questionnaire to collect the use, dimensional, and other regulatory standards from the zoning that have a bearing on multi-family unit capacity. Restrictions like building heights, Floor Area Ratios, minimum parking, and open space requirements are examples of zoning controls that affect unit capacity and gross density.
The second component of the compliance model is a calculator that uses the parcel information from the geospatial database and the information collected in the zoning checklist to derive an estimate of multi-family unit capacity and residential density on every lot in the district, as well as a total district-wide estimate of multi-family unit capacity and gross density. These model outputs are compared to the community-specific requirements in Appendix I of the Section 3A Compliance Guidelines, as part of the compliance determination process.
Additional Resources
Municipal land maps
Each MBTA community has been provided with geospatial information (a shapefile) about each parcel in the municipality. The land maps include information on which areas are either excluded or sensitive land, as well as helpful identifying information about each parcel, such as the owner’s name, address, and the existing use. Once a district is drawn on the map, the information on the parcels that fall within it can be exported for inclusion in the Excel workbook. Two versions of the land maps can be accessed from the table below:
Basic files
Basic land map records include the exact columns of information needed for inclusion in the Excel component of the compliance model. These basic land map records are likely the best choice for users ready to select records for inclusion into the Excel portion of the compliance model.
Detailed files
Detailed land map records include additional information on the intersection between each parcel in the community and each excluded and sensitive land category (see Section 3A compliance guidelines for definitions of excluded and sensitive land). These detailed land map records are likely the best choice for users exploring how various constraints intersect with neighborhoods and potential zoning district locations in the community.
MBTA Communities Basic & Detailed land records files
Reference and calculation layers
In addition to parcel information for individual communities, there are several reference layers that are either essential to making compliance-related calculations or that are helpful as reference information when interacting with land database records in GIS. The table below includes a description of each available layer’s purpose along with a link for downloading the file.