Resident-proposed Groton text amendment requiring 51% neighbor agreement opens for hearing

Agency staff notified members that a resident-submitted text amendment related to a zoning change will open for hearing on the 20th. The application builds on a previously approved amendment proposed by attorney Bill Sweeney on behalf of EG Home; the new version adds clauses the resident said would increase public participation by requiring evidence that 51% of adjacent property owners within a specified radius either favor the application or express no opinion.

A staff member explained that while the applicant proposes that 51% of neighbors must either agree or not object, the planning and zoning commission cannot legally delegate its decision-making authority to neighbors. The staff member described the proposed mechanics as requiring the applicant to present evidence that 51% of neighbors within the specified distance either support the development or have no stated objection; the staff member and others discussed how a lack of response would be treated and whether ‘no answer’ counts as no opinion.

Members asked whether there is legal precedent for such a requirement; staff said there is none and framed the proposal as a topic for discussion when the hearing opens. The agency did not take a formal position at this meeting; the item was noted for the record and will be heard by the planning commission on the designated hearing date.

Next steps: the planning commission will hear the resident-submitted amendment on the 20th; agency members may follow the planning commission hearing and provide comment through the usual public-participation channels.