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Planning board considers streamlining change-of-use reviews for Route 9 office buildings
Summary
The board discussed allowing more change-of-use actions in existing Route 9 office buildings without repeated special-permit hearings, while retaining site-plan review and parking calculations.
Planning board members reviewed a proposal to streamline permitting for changes of use in existing Route 9 office buildings so that many changes could proceed without repeated zoning board special-permit hearings.
Lara, the ZBA administrator, told the board she has seen frequent special-permit applications when building owners want to add one of several allowed uses to an existing office building; some older special permits listed only "office use" and owners must return to the zoning board for each new use. Lara proposed allowing by-right changes within the approved use list while retaining site-plan review to protect parking calculations and site layout.
Board members supported the idea of reducing repetitive ZBA hearings but emphasized the need to preserve site-plan review and clear parking calculations. Some asked staff to look at other towns' approaches and draft bylaw text that distinguishes building types and districts (Business Village, Business Highway, Industrial Park) and clarifies when a special permit is still required.
Next steps Staff will review neighboring towns' regulations and draft language for the board to consider; the board signaled support for streamlining change-of-use reviews while keeping site-plan oversight.
