Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ordinance review committee proposes user-friendly reformat of zoning ordinance; overhaul may take most of a year
Summary
Casey, vice chair of the ordinance review committee, told the board the committee will reorganize the zoning ordinance into a new table of contents and bulleted format to make it more readable; legal consultation and a phased review mean the work likely won't be ready for the next summer town meeting.
Casey, vice chair of the ordinance review committee, updated the Denmark Planning Board at its Feb. 26 meeting on plans to reformat the town’s zoning ordinance into a more user-friendly structure with a new table of contents and bulleted items.
Why it matters: The committee’s reformatting effort is intended to make zoning rules easier for residents, applicants and staff to navigate. Committee members said the rewrite aims to reduce dense paragraph text and place key building and permit information near the front of the ordinance book.
Casey said the committee has compiled a "laundry list" of comments from state law, local board feedback and other sources and has already redrafted two sections in the new format. The committee does not expect to finish the entire ordinance before the upcoming summer town meeting; one board member estimated the process would likely take the better part of a year. Casey encouraged public participation and noted that all draft materials are posted on the town’s website for review.
Board members asked whether proposed map or zoning-district changes included in the drafts are final; Casey said map proposals are preliminary brainstorming and that the committee will consult with legal counsel when it moves into detailed text and map changes.
The presentation did not include a formal vote; the committee will continue work and present subsequent drafts to the board for review and public comment.
