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Brookline planners push clearer waiver form, stricter deadlines after review of acceptance process
Summary
The planning board signaled support for a written waiver-request form and for enforcing a submission deadline (suggested: seven days prior to a meeting) to reduce late waiver requests and improve public understanding of application acceptance and waiver decisions.
During a training segment and discussion Jan. 15, the Brookline Planning Board reviewed waiver procedures required under subdivision and site-plan regulations and discussed steps to reduce late requests and improve transparency.
Planner/counsel Michelle (Speaker 3) ran the board through requirements: waivers must be in writing, specify which regulation is at issue and provide a clear justification; the basis for any waiver must be recorded in the minutes and waivers must respect the "spirit" of the regulations so the board can still make an informed decision. "You should only grant a waiver if granting the waiver will still honor the spirit of the regulations," Michelle told the board.
Members debated process changes aimed at improving clarity for applicants and the public, including creating a standard waiver-request form, requiring waiver requests be submitted with the application, and enforcing a cut-off for materials received fewer than seven days before a meeting so they are not discussed. A suggested statutory window of 21 days for meeting packet submissions (the new regulation/reference) was noted; the board favored an internal enforcement standard that any research/materials less than seven days prior would not be considered to limit last-minute, incomplete submissions.
Board members said the changes should make meetings more efficient, reduce incomplete applications, and give members and the public better opportunity to review proposals before substantive waiver debates occur. The board asked staff to draft a waiver form and to implement a submission deadline policy for consideration at a subsequent meeting.
