Your Planning Board is back at work preparing for the Special Town Meeting on November 14 when town voters will consider proposals for revisions and additions to the town’s zoning laws. Many of these changes are simple and make the bylaws easier to understand and implement without changing any policy. Others are based on recommendations made in our town’s Master Plan and are more substantive. The Board has held a formal public hearing and received much public comment already and will hold a public in-person workshop in the coming weeks to discuss and answer any questions. The Board urges residents to visit the town’s website (http://www.manchester.ma.us/703/Zoning-Recodification-and-Updates) to review the current and proposed regulations and reasons for the modifications. The Board welcomes public questions and comments at our workshop or by e-mail to Board members or to the Town Planner.
One important change is simply a matter of formatting. The town is currently divided into specific zoning districts, and each district has rules about what uses are allowed, what dimensions and building sizes are required, and what other uses might be allowed with a special permit. The Board is proposing that instead of the lengthy and confusing narrative in the current regulations, the allowed uses in each district should be presented in a simple and clear table. The proposed “Use Table” is currently posted on the town’s website.
Other changes include a list of definitions of terms and a clearer description of the roles of the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and the Building Inspector. Procedural requirements for the granting of permits are also clarified.
Proposed policy changes include new regulations:
An additional important change would include concise performance standards for new developments, to be administered in conjunction with the site plan review process that would clearly describe how projects are to be designed and constructed to promote resiliency, protect the town’s natural resources including water supply, and preserve the character of the town’s neighborhoods.
Another proposal is meant to deal with changes to non-conforming uses, that is properties that do not comply with current dimensional regulations such as lot size, frontage, or setbacks. These properties were built before current zoning was adopted. This is important, because 75 percent of the properties in town are technically “non-conforming” and could not be built under current zoning regulations. A Special Permit is currently required by property owners who want to make changes to their non-conforming properties. The proposed new regulations would allow changes to these properties as long as they do not make the non-conformities worse and would allow the ZBA some flexibility in approving alternative uses to properties that are not allowed, but are grandfathered.
All of these topics have been discussed in public meetings over the past two years. We urge town residents to attend a soon-to-be-posted workshop to discuss zoning changes face-to-face with Planning Board members. The Board is continuing its work and the final zoning changes will be available by October 18on the website, town hall, and the library. In the meantime, the Board is meeting weekly to finalize the material.
The Special Town Meeting has been scheduled for November 14 by the Select Board.
