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Planning Board Holds Zoning Bylaw and Map Amendments Hearings

By Kelsey Simonson, Staff Producer
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On Monday, February 23rd, the planning board me to discuss zoning bylaws and map amendments ahead of town meeting.

First, they discussed rezoning 5 parcels in the B street area, moving all five into the residential district.
Then, they moved to discussing parking via permit in the BD district between a building and the street (Mr. Weismantel cited the new police station, where parking is in front of the building, as an example). Other board members were concerned that supplying these permits would ruin the aesthetic of downtown; downtown New Bedford was cited as a city with a historic waterfront that was "destroyed" by in-front parking lots. Other members pointed out that the measure could always be voted down at town meeting, but they felt that the issue pertained to existing buildings and did not look so much to future measures.

The planning board then looked to amendments to signs and sign lighting. The board discussed the type and use of signs , noting the difference between a sign advertising an entire building for rent versus a roofer advertising his services. In that discussion, the board looked at setting minimums for light intensity, and establishing exceptions for special areas, like around nursing homes.

Moving on to the use of trails in buffer zones, Mr. Weismantel stated that the planning board has usually allowed for passage on trails in buffer zones; the amendment would simply codify what they were typically allowing. They then looked at a modification to zoning bylaw when looking at a property that straddles two different zoning districts. In the past, said Ms. Lazarus, the property would have to meet frontage and zoning requirements in the larger of the two zones. However, no one notices the code where it is, so she suggested moving the provision to a different section of the zoning bylaw. She then explained the change to "special permit language", simply moving the section to a different part of zoning bylaws to remove many redundancies.

The rest of the night was spent discussing crossroads redevelopment and OSMUD overlay district. The crossroads issue drew a large crowd, concerned about the size of the property and its use. Mr. Coutinho of the selectmen said that there were concerns raised byt ownspeople from the beginning of this proposal, with regards to size, traffic, and use of the project. Mr. Kisler stated that he thought the project was moving "way too fast", and considering all the development that was scheduled for that area of Hopkinton, was too big. He suggested that the matter go to town meeting for the town to decide. The developer countered that the proposed space has not been used efficiently for thirteen years, and said that his plans would revitalize the area. He stated that the proposed plans were sophisticated and appropriate for the area, but many other townspeople expressed their displeasure at the proposition of the project. Stress on the school system and traffic were cited as key concerns.

Finally, the planning board discussed the expansion of Legacy Farms, increasing units from 940 to 1120. As part of this increase, 180 of these units would be age restricted. The developers also stated that they would remove four and five bedroom houses from the proposed increase. They would also have, written into the host community and other agreements, consequences for violating the age restriction and enrolling school aged children into the school system. The developer then cited an increase in revenue to the town generated by these new residents. Concerns were raised about density and future growth, as well as looking to the balance of business and residential growth.

After the public hearings, the planning board voted to decide which measures would make it to the town meeting warrant. The Crossroads development and OSMUD were added to the warrant and will be brought up at town meeting.

Planning board meets next on Monday, March 9th.