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Planning Board hires Innes Land Strategies to update downtown design guidelines
Summary
The Planning Board voted 5-0 to accept a proposal from Innes Land Strategies to update Sharon's downtown design guidelines and prepare recommended zoning changes and sample warrant language for Town Meeting.
The Sharon Planning Board voted unanimously on July 9 to accept a proposal from Innes Land Strategies to update design guidelines for the town center and recommend zoning changes where appropriate.
Emily Innes described a scope of work that includes site walks, review of existing guidelines and zoning, a memorandum with proposed changes, draft design guidelines with illustrations, staff and Board reviews, and final edits. Chair Rob Maidman said the town's 1996 guidelines are largely advisory and need updating and, "Anything we need to codify needs to go through the warrant and then Town Meeting." Vice Chair Oanh Nguyen asked how success would be defined and what regulatory tools would be used; Innes said the project will deliver both advisory guidance and suggested regulatory language and can provide sample warrant language for Town Meeting.
Town Administrator Fred Turkington told the Board the Planning Department had encumbered $13,000 toward the consultant fee for 2026 and that the Kendall Trust holds $86,000 available; the Board voted 5-0-0 to accept the consultant proposal. Chair Maidman will sign the proposal and Innes said she is "excited about working with the Board."
