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Planning staff rolls out draft Downtown Business District; public hearing set for Sept. 2
Summary
Planning staff presented draft language to convert the Downtown Planning Overlay District into a Downtown Business District with clarified purpose, dimensional controls, design-review references and a bicycle-parking requirement; the board scheduled a public hearing for Sept. 2.
Director of Planning Jenny Dingrish presented a draft ordinance to the Planning Board that would convert the existing Downtown Planning Overlay District into a new Downtown Business District. Dingrish said the draft preserves the DPOD’s purpose and scope but moves the text into a standalone downtown district, assigns the Planning Board as site-plan-review authority, references design-review criteria and adds bicycle-parking requirements. The draft also includes dimensional controls and special-permit criteria consistent with recent updates elsewhere in town.
Dingrish said the drafting working group sought to limit changes to the downtown to avoid triggering broader bylaw revisions elsewhere. Board members discussed specific use-table questions — for example, whether micro/nano-breweries and distilleries should be allowed in adjacent industrial subdistricts — and asked staff to research historical reasons for prior distinctions and to check map implications.
The board directed staff to publish a legal notice and opened a public hearing on the draft on Sept. 2, 2025. Staff said they will circulate the legal notice to property owners within the proposed district and meet statutory notice requirements.
