Reject Framingham Apartment Moratorium, EDIC Board Urges

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The Framingham board that oversees economic development wants city officials to reject a proposed ban on apartment developments, saying that such a move would make give a bad impression to businesses looking to relocate here.

The so-called apartment moratorium has been talked about for a long time in Framingham, but was brought to City Council for a public hearing early in 2020 by Councilor Christine Long after a citizen petition effort. Those who support the idea say that the city needs to pause multifamily developments to study how apartments are contributing to traffic, and if families living in apartments are overwhelming the school district.

In a post published on Medium, Framingham Economic Development Industrial Corporation Board Chair Doug Lawrence said the board is afraid the moratorium could make it appear Framingham is "no longer open for business." Of note was a recent article in Banker and Tradesman, a Boston real estate newspaper, about the moratorium.

"[The moratorium] will call into question the City’s commitment to the vision of a downtown revitalization built around attracting new residents and businesses through support for Transit Oriented Development and discourage creative mixed-use development proposals," Lawrence wrote. "While we can excuse the referendum as limited to housing, there is no escaping the impression that will be created as outsiders form their own opinions."

Lawrence also said that the moratorium is probably unnecessary at this point — developers are not taking risks on new buildings due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Long, nine multifamily projects have been permitted since 2016, with all but two in the downtown area. In total, those projects would add about 1,400 units in Framingham. Some developments, like the Bancroft Lofts, have not opened yet.

The Framingham City Council has sent the moratorium to the Planning Board, which will hold a public hearing on the issue Thursday. The EDIC Board voted unanimously on July 7 to ask the Planning Board and Mayor Yvonne Spicer to reject the moratorium.