More public meetings on the housing proposals will be scheduled in January and February.
LUDLOW - The town's Planning Board and Master Plan Committee are beginning to consider a proposal being developed with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission for denser housing development zoning districts in four areas of town.
The areas proposed for the higher density housing are the Ludlow Mills, an adjacent Riverside area just over the Ludlow-Indian Orchard bridge, an area off East Street referred to as downtown and the intersection of Holyoke and West streets.
Jayne Armington, a planner with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said incentive grants are being given by the state for higher density housing districts.
She said the areas are seen as desirable because they provide housing for young adults not yet able to buy a home and for the elderly in need of more affordable housing.
Many young people now leave the Greater Springfield area to live in the Boston area, Armington said. She said the proposal for denser housing districts could help to keep more of Ludlow’s young people in Ludlow.
Public hearings on the “smart growth” zoning proposals will be scheduled in Ludlow in January and February with the goal of bringing a proposed zoning bylaw before voters at the spring annual Town Meeting for approval.
Westmass Area Development Corp., which wants redevelop the Ludlow Mills, will seek approval of a mixed-use commercial, industrial and residential zoning district at the Town Meeting that would contain 100 units of housing for the elderly.
At a meeting last week, Armington said that apartments in the downtown, riverside and Holyoke and West Street districts might be attractive to young people.
Jason Barosso, a town selectman, said he was concerned that high density housing in the downtown area of Ludlow could put more demands on the school system and the tax rate.
James P. Harrington, a School Committee member, said he was concerned about more traffic and congestion in the downtown.
Barosso said he felt it more likely that town residents would approve one higher density zoning district for the Ludlow Mills than all four proposed districts.
Concerns such as traffic, congestion and the impact to the school system are the usual concerns raised in towns to the higher density housing proposals, Armington said.