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Millis planning board reviews zoning bylaw definition updates; short-term rentals identified as follow-up for select board
Summary
Board members reviewed progress on an extensive zoning bylaw definitions update and noted short-term rentals are not currently addressed in the zoning code and likely fall under the select board's licensing authority.
Members of the Town of Millis Planning Board discussed ongoing work to revise zoning bylaw definitions and agreed to present the updates to the select board and eventually to town meeting in pieces rather than as a single large package.
Planning staff said the committee has worked through multiple meetings and has identified about 25–30 definitions that may need changes; some are typographical, while others need substantive clarification. The committee recommended a piecemeal submission to town meeting because combining all changes would create a lengthy article. "With the amount of changes we have in particular to the definitions, this would end up being a 5 hour town meeting just on this one thing," a board member said.
The board also noted that short-term rentals are not addressed clearly in the town code. A member said he could not find language prohibiting short-term rentals in the bylaws; others suggested the select board would be the appropriate body to consider licensing or regulation of short-term rentals. Staff noted attorney-general review and reprinting costs associated with any bylaw amendments and recommended grouping related changes to reduce repeated reprinting expenses.
The board scheduled continued work and said staff will prepare a structured presentation of the proposed definition changes for future meetings and for select board review, with an eye toward splitting proposed amendments into multiple town-meeting warrant articles if appropriate.
