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Conservation commission objects to draft rule requiring neighbor support letters for floating-zone projects
Summary
Groton Conservation Commission members told the Planning & Zoning Commission they oppose a late-submitted zoning text amendment that would require developer-obtained neighbor letters (51% within 1,500 feet; 66% if a scenic road) and steward approval for floating‑zone open-space projects, saying it would create a de facto veto and fall outside normal PNZ procedure.
The Groton Conservation Commission on July 20 agreed to send formal feedback to Planning & Zoning opposing a proposed zoning text amendment that would require letters of support or indifference from nearby property owners for floating‑zone, open‑space community developments.
Chair Larry Dunn said the provision — which the draft ties to a 51% threshold for property owners within 1,500 feet and raises it to 66% for properties fronting a designated scenic road — would “change how the PNZ ordinances work” and effectively give neighbors a veto, making the permitting process cumbersome. “If you read the statute in the charter, that’s us. We’re the stewards of the protected land,” he said, but added that the neighbor‑letter requirement would go beyond the normal scope of zoning review.
Commissioners said the amendment as submitted was confusing to read because it incorporated language from an earlier approved text amendment rather than showing only Mr. Blacker’s new edits. One member called the added requirements “outside the normal process” and recommended the chair provide a formal comment to PNZ explaining the commission’s objections.
The commission did not take a formal binding vote on policy but directed the chair to draft and submit feedback through the commission’s established channels so their comments will be part of the public record at PNZ’s review of the text amendment.
Next steps: The chair will prepare and route a comment letter to Planning & Zoning for inclusion in the public hearing record; PNZ will hold a hearing on the broader zoning text amendment schedule described in their packet.
