Framingham, MA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

Section 435-14 of the Code of the City of Framingham lays out mandatory design standards for the Central Business (CB) District, the zoning district covering Downtown Framingham. Any project that requires CB District site plan review or a special permit must meet these standards; the ordinance describes them as integral to the district's regulations, not optional guidance. The section works alongside the Planning Board's Chapter 525 CB District design guidelines, which applicants are encouraged to use for additional design direction. On building scale, § 435-14D(1)(b) sets a specific numeric floor for retail-oriented street frontage: ground-level ceiling heights along Concord Street, Union Avenue, Waverly Street, and Hollis Street must be at least 14 feet.

Section 435-14D(3) also sets minimum ground-floor glazing: at least 60% transparent glazing on primary downtown streets and 40% on secondary streets, so pedestrians can see into ground-floor retail uses. The section further regulates facade breaks on wide buildings, blank-wall limits, exterior materials such as brick, stone, and precast concrete, awnings, rooftop equipment screening, and how service areas and utilities are hidden from public view. Signage within the district must comply separately with Chapter 373, Signs. Development review for CB District projects runs through the Planning Board, which enforces § 435-14 as part of site plan approval, and the only way around any individual design standard is a four-fifths vote of the Planning Board finding that a waiver will produce better design or improved protection of historic resources.