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Planning board votes to remove 1,200‑square‑foot cap on elevated decks; adds illustrative drawings for clarity
Summary
The board voted to remove a 1,200 square‑foot limit on elevated decks above the first floor and asked staff to add architectural drawings and clarifying language about decks, balconies and porches before sending the amendment to the town council.
The New Shoreham Planning Board voted Feb. 12 to remove a 1,200‑square‑foot cap from proposed language governing elevated decks above the first floor, and asked planning staff to include illustrative drawings that show acceptable deck, balcony and porch configurations before the ordinance goes to the town council.
Board planners presented a memo and images intended to clarify how the ordinance’s written definitions apply in elevation and plan view. The drawings depict four conditions: decks bordered by at least two exterior walls; decks located above and supported by enclosed, heated living space; decks built into a sloping roof line; and decks located above a finished porch footprint. The drawings also show the five‑foot threshold (deck‑floor height above grade) at which the regulation applies.
At the prior meeting some board members had argued the 1,200‑square‑foot cap was too rigid and risked creating perverse design outcomes; others had worried that removing a size limit could permit disproportionately large decks. After discussion the board voted to strike the sentence limiting total elevated deck area to 1,200 square feet and to rely instead on design review guidance that elevated decks be well integrated with building scale, placement and detailing. The motion was made by the chair and seconded by Bill; the motion carried.
Board members asked staff to refine the wording (use terms like “deck floor height” and “finished grade”) and to add the finalized drawings to the draft ordinance so the town council sees both the revised text and the illustrations. Staff agreed to circulate the final draft to the board by email before sending it to the council.
The board also discussed where the ordinance text should sit (zoning code vs. general town code) and agreed to send the revised language, with drawings, to the council for review. The board asked that staff confirm the final text and drawings and then transmit them to the town council along with an explanatory memo.
