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Select Board asks Planning Board for clearer presentation after downtown zoning referral
Summary
After town meeting referred a downtown zoning article back to committee, the Select Board reviewed exhibits and asked staff to compile a written memo identifying outstanding concerns — notably that some use changes appear to affect non‑downtown zones, definitions are missing and buffer/frontage rules may conflict.
Select Board members on Nov. 4 asked the Planning Board to provide clearer, more complete supporting materials and to address substantive ambiguities after the town meeting referral of a downtown zoning article.
Members said the zoning exhibits circulated with the article introduced new uses and definitions (for example, "parking facility," "off‑site accessory parking," "outdoor cafe seating" and a new townhouse/rowhouse definition) that appear to extend beyond the downtown overlay and that some of those changes could affect other zoning districts. One member noted a conservation‑zone use table that referenced a committee approval footnote that conflicts with state law, and another pointed out apparent contradictions between minimum lot frontage, buffer and build‑to requirements.
The planning director said the exhibits are part of the zoning package and had been included by reference in the warrant; the planning staff and board will determine whether to change language before bringing the article back. The Select Board asked staff to prepare a written summary of the reasons the Select Board referred the article and to list outstanding concerns so the Planning Board understands the Select Board’s expectations for revisions.
Staff will assemble a memo that details requested clarifications and submit it to the Planning Board as it continues work on the article.
