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Board flags ambiguity in frontage rules as it reviews waiver criteria
Summary
During the hearing on ZP25-15, board members and the regional planner (2 Rivers) identified unclear language in the town's frontage standards and urged the planning commission to clarify the bylaws; members noted waiver criteria require objective review before approval.
Board members at the Aug. 28 hearing repeatedly returned to the question of why Braintreerequires 300 feet of road frontage in the rural-1 district and whether that standard is clearly defined in the town bylaws.
A member summarized the regional planner's review, saying the planner recommended the town "clarify that potential ambiguity in our zoning regulation about the ratio and what that really means." Another member explained the 300-foot rule is intended to "keep it more rural... fewer buildings, and a more rural character." The board emphasized that it enforces the bylaws and does not change them; any rewrite would go to the planning commission.
Board members noted the bylaws include waiver standards (cited on pages 81 and 82) that permit reductions up to 50% if specific criteria are met, and suggested that the board needed to see how the application maps to each criterion before granting a waiver. One member called the frontage finding a "red flag" and urged careful, written review of the waiver criteria.
The session closed without a decision on whether the waiver would be granted; members said they would consult the written standards and the planning commission as needed.
