Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rezoning Bayshill topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Board votes 4–3 not to recommend Bayshill Road rezoning petition; petition will still go to voters
Summary
A citizen petition to rezone parts of Bayshill Road from commercial/industrial to residential drew neighbors and business owners to a Jan. 9 public hearing. The Planning Board voted 4–3 not to recommend the petition; under petition rules the measure will appear on the 2025 warrant for voters to decide.
The Swansea Planning Board held a public hearing Jan. 9 on a citizen petition to amend the zoning map for portions of Bayshill (Bayshill) Road, moving several parcels into the Residence District while leaving certain existing commercial lots unchanged.
Why this matters: proponents said the existing mix of single-family homes and a few commercial properties had created an imbalance and that reclassifying sections of the road to residential would protect neighborhood character and reduce traffic pressure. Opponents, including some business owners and people who invested in commercial parcels, said the change could reduce property values or place businesses in a more constrained, residential setting.
Several residents described traffic and safety concerns on the narrow, rural class-5 road; others said longstanding businesses on the street have operated in place for decades. Business owner Matt Robinson told the board that commercial uses on the road date to the 1960s and that such businesses need access that the existing zoning currently allows.
The Planning Board took a formal recommendation vote. By a 4–3 roll-call margin the board recorded a vote not to recommend the petition to the warrant; meeting minutes and the chair’s reading indicated the petition will nevertheless appear on the town warrant because it was submitted with the required signatures.
Public-comments themes: traffic and safety on a narrow road, the preservation of residential character, the rights of long-standing commercial property owners and the grandfathering/nonconformity implications for existing businesses.
What happens next: Because this was a petition article submitted with sufficient signatures, the petitioned rezoning will appear on the 2025 warrant for town voters to approve or reject. The planning-board majority urged careful future review for spot-zoning implications and recommended additional study of buffering and access if voters approve any rezoning.
Ending: The petition will be decided by voters at the scheduled warrant vote. The Planning Board’s not-recommended status will be included in its report to voters.
