Wayne Select Board sets Dec. 3 public hearing on campground moratorium extension

The Town of Wayne Select Board voted Oct. 29 to set a public hearing for Dec. 3 on whether to extend an existing moratorium affecting campground approvals. Staff recommended the Dec. 3 date because the current extension expires Jan. 3; the board approved the hearing date by voice vote.

The hearing will provide the forum for the findings that are required to justify a moratorium extension; board members noted that any decision to extend will be made after the hearing and that prior extensions required articulated findings. "We have to prove why we're extending it," one member said, noting the procedural steps the board must follow.

Related work: Members of the advisory committee reported they will provide a third round of revised work product to the Planning Board in early November. The advisory committee's representative, Ted Tucci, said the committee recommends inserting substantive performance standards into the zoning ordinance while creating a separate, streamlined police-power licensing ordinance to handle campground licensing and ongoing oversight. That two-track approach, he said, could reduce legal costs by limiting the scope of zoning amendments while providing a clear licensing pathway for regulation.

Next steps: Town staff will post the required hearing notices and present advisory-committee materials and any proposed ordinance language at the Dec. 3 hearing. After public testimony and deliberation, the board will vote on whether to extend the moratorium and adopt any ordinance changes.