Planning & Zoning Commission approves broad zoning-code rewrite across business and industrial districts

The Plain Planning & Zoning Commission on May 20 approved five zoning-code amendments — ZC‑25‑8, ZC‑25‑9, ZC‑25‑10, ZC‑25‑11 and ZC‑25‑12 — that update use classifications in multiple business and industrial districts and remove an unused Office/Laboratory/Research district. Each amendment passed on a 5‑0 vote after public hearings were opened and closed with no speakers.

The amendments replace detailed, legacy SIC‑based lists with broader use categories intended to simplify administration and to reflect modern development. Planning staff said the changes remove a 1987 SIC‑based classification system and consolidate many specific permitted uses under single, general labels (for example, listing ‘‘professional office’’ instead of dozens of narrowly named office types). The rewrite also moves some previously listed uses into conditional‑use status so they can be reviewed by the Board of Zoning Appeals for location‑specific impacts.

Staff noted the changes are not intended to make existing businesses noncompliant. The commission was told the amendments preserve permitted uses where required by law; the only use the town said it could lawfully exclude outright is marijuana cultivation. Commissioners were also told that most future large developments are likely to use planned unit developments (PUDs), which can combine and tailor uses beyond the standard district listings.

One of the recently adopted code changes was described as returning to the commission with minor revisions at council’s request; staff said that revised item will come back to the commission within about a month. The Office/Laboratory/Research (OLR) district will be removed because it has not been used, and the uses formerly listed in OLR will be allowed in the I‑1 and I‑2 industrial districts instead.

Votes at a glance: ZC‑25‑8 (Chapter 11.61(b)(1), Neighborhood Business District) — Approved 5‑0. ZC‑25‑9 (Chapter 11.65, B‑3 Central Business District) — Approved 5‑0. ZC‑25‑10 (Chapter 11.69, I‑1 Restricted Industrial District) — Approved 5‑0. ZC‑25‑11 (Chapter 11.71, I‑2 Limited Industrial District) — Approved 5‑0. ZC‑25‑12 (Removal of Chapter 11.75, OLR Office/Laboratory/Research District) — Approved 5‑0.

Why it matters: The changes streamline the zoning code and give administration more flexibility when classifying businesses. That can speed permitting and reduce the number of conditional‑use referrals for minor or modern business types that the old 1987 SIC lists did not anticipate.

Details: During the staff presentation, planners said many existing district use tables were four pages long and highly specific; the rewrite compresses that language into shorter, general use categories. Uses judged undesirable in certain districts were either removed from those districts or shifted to conditional use so that suitability could be assessed case by case by the BZA. Staff also said the town cannot lawfully prohibit uses that state or federal law requires to be permitted somewhere in the jurisdiction, which informed how some uses were reallocated among districts.

Next steps: Each amendment completed the commission’s hearing and recommendation process and will move on to the council for final ordinance adoption and any additional adjustments the council requires. One recently adopted item will return for a minor revision requested by council in approximately one month.

Provenance: The commission opened and closed public hearings and then discussed the code amendments beginning in the transcript segment introducing ZC‑25‑8 ("...close the public hearing for ZCDash25Dash8. ZCDash25Dash8 zoning code amendment chapter 11 61 b 1 neighborhood business district...") and concluding with the approval of ZC‑25‑12 ("ZCDash25Dash12 is approved. 5 0. We do not have any discussion item.").