Committee continues review of Lychester zoning ordinance after residents raise parking and maintenance concerns

The Ordinance Committee opened review of a draft zoning ordinance aimed at regulating use of a town-owned strip of land behind properties on Union Street and in the Lychester area, heard public comment on maintenance and parking impacts, and voted to continue the matter to the next meeting so the town solicitor can answer planning-board questions.

The chair said the committee would not vote on the ordinance that night because "our town solicitor who drafted this ordinance was unable to be here" and the planning board has additional questions that the solicitor must address. Committee members nevertheless discussed the ordinance's purpose and scope and invited public testimony.

"So what we're trying to do here is make an ordinance to try and clean up everything there," a committee member said, describing years of residents using the town strip for parking and, in some cases, leaving junk cars and leaking oil. He said the drafter's intent is to set clear standards "so we never have to touch and deal with this again." (Committee member)

Paul Smidoni, the town administrator, said staff shared many of the concerns and advised the committee that some related rules already exist. "I'm actually in pretty much in agreement with Councilman Ollie," he said, adding that reporting routes differ depending on whether a problem is on private property (use the town's reporting tool) or on town land, which the proposed ordinance would specifically target.

Several residents who use or live near the strip told the committee they are worried about both nuisance and practical effects of stricter enforcement. Jerry St. Pierre said the asphalt parking in front of his house predates his ownership and asked what utilities lie under the strip; he said taking away informal parking could push cars onto already–congested nearby streets.

"If you would go down there now, you would see people... some people just have it mowed and they park there," St. Pierre said, asking the committee to consider how enforcement would affect apartment buildings that rely on the area for parking.

Other commenters described litter, rodents, and inconsistent town maintenance. One resident asked whether the ordinance would apply to private property; staff clarified several existing code sections already address residential parking and that the draft changes focus on town-owned land.

A planning-board adviser and residents urged a shorter enforcement timeline for derelict vehicles; a resident said three months is too long and cited a planning-board amendment recommending 30 days. The committee ultimately approved a motion to continue the Lychester zoning ordinance to its next meeting so the solicitor can respond to the planning board's questions.

Next steps: The committee continued the item to the October meeting for the solicitor's input and additional planning-board follow-up. No final vote or ordinance adoption occurred at this session.