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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-12-16 ad Hoc - Zoning Advisory Committee MinutesTown of Reading : � ( Meeting Minutes t%'ECEIVED ` OWN CLERK :r ,,DING. MASS. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: tu�l JAN 21 A II: 21 Zoning Advisory Committee Date: 2013 -12 -16 Time: 7:30 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Selectmen Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Attendees: Members - Present: David Tuttle David Traniello Marsie West Eric Bergstrom George Katsoufis Jeff Hansen Members - Not Present: Erin Calvo -Bacci Others Present: Session: Jean Delios- Assistant Town Manager - Community Services Jessie Wilson - Community Development Administrator Ralph Willmer - VHB Consultant Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Jessie Wilson, Community Development Administrator Topics of Discussion: There being a quorum the Vice Chair called the meeting to order at 7:40 PM. Review Revised Section 1 Purpose and Section 2 Definitions The ZAC reviewed the revised Section 1 - Purpose and Revised Section 2- Definitions with Mr. Ralph Willmer, Consultant with VHB. In regards to Section 1 - Purpose, the ZAC members discussed minor re- wording of the purposes identified in the proposed Section 1.3. In addition the ZAC discussed reorganizing the purposes based on merit /weight. There was a question as to whether there would be any issues with including the proposed addition of Section 1.2 that indicated Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40A will supersede any conflicting regulations in the Bylaw. The ZAC agreed that the Town must follow state regulations and to leave that provision in the document. In re- wording the purposes, the ZAC attempted to eliminate duplicative purposes and combine purposes that were similar. The ZAC also began review of revised Section 2- Definition. Mr. Traniello said he has reviewed Bylaws from other communities and in some cases there is a preamble at the beginning of that section. He cited the example from Watertown "For the purposes of this Zoning Ordinance, words used in the singular include the plural and words used in the plural include the singular. Words used in the present tense include the future. The word "shall" is mandatory and not merely directory. The word "building" includes "structure ". The word "lot" includes the word "plot". The word "land" includes the words "marsh ", "wetland" and "water ". The following Page 1 1 Town of Reading - Meeting Minutes words and phrases (whether capitalized or not) shall have the meanings given in the following clauses, unless a contrary intention clearly appears. " The ZAC agreed this would be good to include in the Reading Bylaw Mr. Wilmer said that Ms. Edith Netter, the Attorney working with VHB on this project will provide input on the definitions. One of her initial comments, he reported, is to bold or capitalize the term throughout the document when it is used in the context of the definition This could also be hyperlinked which can prove to be helpful for users. Mr. Katoufis recommended using capitalization to note the term throughout the document. That is because certain formatting may not carry to an unformatted document such as bolding or underlining. In addition, Mr. Katsoufis said that the use of graphics is very important, but that each graphic should convey one message so that it does not get complicated. He also recommended avoiding the use of high contrast graphics. Mr. Tuttle said that many definitions include regulations. It is important to weed out the regulations so that the terms only include the true definition. In the example of Abandonment, Ms. Wilson asked whether a reference could be included so that a user may know where to look for the regulation. Mr. Willmer said that is possible, but that including too many references and cross references can become very difficult to follow. The ZAC discussed the proposed definition of Accessory Apartment. It was agreed to not select an alternative at this time until that specific use is fully vetted with the ZAC. That way the use will match up with the definition. Mr. Katsoufis pointed out that the definition for Accessory Uses should match up with the definition under the state building code. Mr. Tuttle agreed and also suggested including a table for Accessory Uses in the section to clearly identify what is an Accessory Use to specific Principal Uses. The ZAC agreed that would be a useful addition. Ms. West requested the ZAC continue to review the revised Section 2 - Definitions and hold another meeting to discuss their comments. It was agreed to discuss this on January 6, 2014 and then to hold another meeting to discuss the topics of Site Plan Review and Visioning. Zoning Diagnostic The ZAC received a revised Zoning Diagnostic from Mr. Willmer based on comments previously received. Mr. Willmer said that he reorganized the diagnostic based on themes and also included some issues identified at the public forum. In addition, he included some recommendations from the Town's planning documents including the Master Plan and Housing Plan. In regards to design standards /guidelines, Mr. Willmer said that there are a number of ways design guidelines can be implemented. He will share some examples of how other communities incorporate design standards /guidelines. Mr. Tuttle suggested that a guide be developed on how to use the bylaw. We have heard many times that people have a hard time navigating the process. Ms. Delios said that the ZAC should review the revised Zoning Diagnostic to see if there is anything else that should be included. The purpose of the diagnostic is to really be a first pass on what the clear issues are within the bylaw. This is done via review by Mr. Willmer, comments made by Staff and Stakeholders. There will be some issues that will come up as the project progresses which are not yet identified. Ms. Delios asked Mr. Willmer on the status of the stakeholder interviews. He replied that he has had some difficulty getting responses, and that he included a summary of the outreach Page 1 2 Town of Reading - Meeting Minutes efforts in your packets. Ms. West asked Mr. Willmer to include the date(s) in which he reached out to the stakeholders. This may be useful if the ZAC has to reach out directly for some input. Ms. Delios also told the ZAC that the Chamber of Commerce is going to send an informational email to its Reading members regarding the Zoning Update. In addition, Ms. Delios did have a chance to talk with the Building Inspector who has some additional comments on the definitions and graphics. Ms. Wilson reminded the ZAC to start thinking about Site Plan Review and how Reading should modify this process. She indicated there is some information included in your packets on how the process is currently handled. Mr. Willmer added that Ms. Netter will also have some comments on Site Plan Review. February 3. 2014 Public Forum Discussion Staff wanted to get an idea on how to proceed with the next Public Forum. Mr. Willmer said he could review the revised Sections 1 and 2, however, it was agreed that it will be very tedious for the public. Mr. Willmer suggested including the revised Section 1 and 2 on the website for comment. Ms. Delios suggested the Public Forum focus on Site Plan Review. Mr. Traniello agreed, noting that it would be a good opportunity to find out what the issues are during the application process. This will help us understand if applicants know how to go about the permitting process. Ms. West agreed and noted that the Passport should have identified what permits are going to be required based on the proposed business. She also said it would be good to have flow charts. Mr. Katsoufis said he would be willing to draft one and work with staff prior to the next meeting. Mr. Hansen asked if certain definitions should be put out to experts in the community. For example, Assisted Living Facility /Nursing Home, Mr. Hansen suggested reaching out to the Artis Senior Living Center and Peter Sanborn Place and also reach out to Nancy Twomey for the issue relating to Accessory Apartments. Mr. Tuttle expressed concern with the lack of input from the community developers. Ms. Delios suggested having a morning breakfast meeting with these stakeholders to get them out and have their input. Ms. Delios suggesting introducing the ZAC Members at the next Public Forum. Ms. West agreed noting it may be useful for people to know how to reach out to during this process. Aooroval of ZAC Minutes Mr. Tuttle moved to approve the December 4, 2013 ZAC Minutes as amended. Motion was seconded by Mr. Hansen and carried 5 -0 -1. Adiournment On a motion by Mr. Tuttle, seconded by Mr. Hansen, the ZAC moved to adjourn at 10:00PM. Motion carried 6 -0 -0. Page 1 3