Planners set July 15 ordinance committee meeting; debate whether zoning changes should be by town meeting or referendum

Members of the Town of Naples Planning Board confirmed an ordinance committee meeting for July 15 to continue work on proposed ordinance changes, including revisions to the street‑vendor ordinance to allow vending on public land.

During the reports portion of the meeting, a committee member raised a proposed change to the town’s zoning process that would affect whether zoning‑map amendments are decided exclusively at town meeting or can also be placed on the ballot as a referendum. One member argued that zoning votes should be done by referendum to allow private ballots; others said keeping discussion at town meeting preserves public debate and the ability for residents to ask questions in person.

Planner Kathy Tom Borelle said the select board ultimately decides which warrants to place on a town meeting warrant and that previous revisions had allowed both referendum and town meeting in different cases. Members discussed the timing tradeoffs of limiting changes to annual town meetings versus allowing the select board to act more quickly when necessary.

The ordinance committee invited public participation in the July 15 meeting and flagged other ordinance topics for future review, including private road standards and minor subdivision rules related to tree cutting and building envelopes. The board asked members to gather feedback between meetings and said the committee will return in August with continued discussion.

The planning board noted the next regular meeting is August 4 and adjourned.