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Counsel Ellen Tikowski reviews S.328 edits; committee debates 'permitted' definition, hearing waiver and sewer/water wording
Summary
At a House Committee on General and Housing meeting April 7, counsel Ellen Tikowski presented proposed edits to S.328 that would add a definition of “permitted,” permit some bylaw updates without mandatory public hearings (per a League proposal), and define 'area served by sewer and water.' Committee members pressed for clearer language to limit changes to ministerial (non‑discretionary) approvals and agreed to transmit contested sections to the Environment Committee.
Ellen Tikowski, counsel, presented a draft of proposed edits to S.328 and guided the House Committee on General and Housing through three primary changes: a proposed definition of the term “permitted,” a League of Cities and Towns proposal that would remove statutorily required public hearings for certain bylaw amendments, and a proposed definition of “area served by sewer and water” that counsel said may be inserted in multiple places in Title 10.
The definition Tikowski read for the committee stated: “permitted means a land use, structure or development explicitly allowed within a specific zoning district provided it complies with all district regulations,” and she said the drafter could consider using “development” rather than “activity.” Tikowski asked members for wording suggestions and noted the draft highlights in yellow the changes pulled from S.328.
Members focused on how the word “permitted” should be…
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