Taunton, MA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

Article X of the Zoning Ordinance, § 440-1001, governs multifamily and mixed-use developments containing four or more dwelling units on one lot. Subsection A makes clear that any such project needs a special permit, processed under §§ 440-304 through 440-306, and Subsection E sets the density bonus: the ordinance pegs the base density ceiling to the standards in § 440-603, the Intensity of Use Table, then allows a bonus of up to 100% above that ceiling for developments on a brownfield site and/or the renovation and reuse of a building more than 50 years old, if the petitioner asks for it as part of the special permit application.

The Municipal Council, the article's special permit granting authority, does not have to grant the bonus. Subsection B requires the Council to weigh the development's effect on the neighborhood, including environmental and socioeconomic impacts, municipal facilities, utilities, drainage, traffic and landscaping, and it can deny the permit outright if it decides the project is not in the City's best interest. Because the bonus rides on the same special permit that already covers open space, parking and building-separation standards for multifamily projects, an applicant seeking it must satisfy every other Article X requirement, not just the brownfield or building-age test, before the extra density becomes available.