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Gardner City planning board sets joint hearings with council for floodplain overlay and historic zoning changes
Summary
The Planning Board recommended joint public hearings with the city council on a floodplain overlay ordinance and two historic-zoning items; staff said DEP approved edits and the board scheduled hearings on June 2 (tentative) and June 23.
The Gardner City Planning Board on May 13 recommended holding joint public hearings with the City Council on proposed changes to the floodplain overlay district and on historic-zoning amendments, setting a tentative joint hearing for June 2 and scheduling two joint hearings for June 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Planning staff said draft edits to the floodplain overlay have been circulated and that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has reviewed and "given their blessing" to the changes. Eric, planning staff, said the next step is a joint public hearing with the City Council; staff recommended June 2 as the earliest feasible joint hearing date so the board could meet the timeline for first printing and a July 8 target date.
Why this matters: the changes include updates to the floodplain overlay district and separate historic-zoning amendments that affect multiple properties. The board discussed publication timelines, the council's summer meeting schedule and the need for at least three planning-board members (with at least one present in person) to hold a joint hearing.
Board members voted to recommend a tentative June 2 joint hearing for the floodplain overlay (to align with council publication timelines) and later moved, seconded and approved two joint public hearings on June 23 at 6:30 p.m. for: 1) proposed amendments to Gardner City code (item 11533) to change/add a commercial overlay classification on certain Center Street parcels; and 2) an historical-zoning ordinance amendment (item 154). The board chair instructed staff to work with the city clerk to confirm publication and to coordinate with the City Council on exact hearing dates if adjustments are necessary.
Staff and board members discussed the council's limited summer meeting dates and advertising requirements; staff said the clerk's office and city solicitor had been consulted and the planning office would send notices promptly if publication confirmation could be secured. The board noted that one member could be absent for the June 23 hearings if necessary, but that at least three members must participate either in person or virtually, and at least one person must be present in person to hold the meeting.
The motions to recommend the June 2 tentative joint hearing and to set the June 23 joint public hearings passed with the board's recorded "aye" votes; no roll-call vote totals were stated in the transcript.
