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Board reviews zoning 'running document' with wetlands, open-space and multifamily items
Summary
Staff outlined a running list of zoning amendment candidates, including minor corrections, a Wetlands Protection District review, open-space development ideas and a long-standing multifamily parking/exception question; the board agreed to track state legislation and coordinate with the Conservation Commission.
Staff presented a running document of possible zoning changes and priorities for the coming year, dividing items into non-substantive corrections, substantive amendments and recommendations from a prior regional zoning audit. Notable substantive candidates included the Wetlands Protection District (which the Conservation Commission is actively pursuing), open-space development approaches, a possible South Cook River special-use permit area near Route 106/Route 3, and a longstanding dispute over which board enforces multifamily parking calculations.
A board member said regional planning and Concord materials on cluster development might be useful, and he offered to distribute copies to members. The chair said members should be cautious about discussing issues while active applications are pending and suggested staff introduce ideas for review now so members can think about them before formal hearings.
The board agreed it may be necessary to sequence ordinance work (for example wetlands before open-space) to align with conservation input and pending applications. Staff said state legislative changes could prompt additional local adjustments and that NHMA guidance will be reviewed before deep edits.
Members asked staff to circulate the Concord cluster development examples and flagged that any ordinance work should be coordinated with Conservation Commission efforts and regional planning recommendations.
