Burlington Chooses Marshfield Firm For Mall Road Rezoning Initiative

BURLINGTON, MA — The Town of Burlington announced this week that it has selected Marshfield-based Brovitz Community Planning & Design to work on the next phase of the Burlington Mall Road rezoning initiative.

The Town said the rezoning initiative is designed to create a new regulatory framework and unlock the potential of the area's largest commercial district.

According to Burlington officials, the Town is launching a 10-month process in which Brovitz will engage community stakeholders and craft new zoning, which will be considered during a Town Meeting in the fall of 2023.

Burlington spent a year working with MassDevelopment on a concept plan for the project. That plan was completed in August 2022.

Now, according to the Town, Brovitz will refine the previous effort and develop a new zoning framework that will guide development along the Mall Road Corridor for the next 10 to 20 years.

According to Burlington officials, Ted Brovitz, the principal owner of the firm, has a successful history of working with several other New England communities such as Danvers, Scituate and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in developing and implementing innovative zoning and sustainable development initiatives.

Melisa Tintocalis, Burlington's economic development director, said the Town felt that the Brovitz team had a strong track record of community engagement and familiarity with the Town Meeting process.

Additionally, Brovitz is familiar with form-based code, which is a type of zoning that emphasizes the form and public realm components of urban design, according to Tintocalis.

"Burlington is proactively looking to shape the next generation of our suburban commercial districts into more holistic villages that allow for a mix of uses with strategic amounts of density and proximity and beautiful spaces in between," Tintocalis told Patch. "Given our review, the Brovitz team has the expertise and experience to achieve our community's vision of a sustainable and dynamic future."

Residents who want more information about the project or are interested in getting involved in the rezoning effort can contact Burlington's Economic Development Office at ed@burlington.org or 781-505-1186.