Public meeting will address zoning

After several months of drafting, the Planning Board is ready to forward a new proposed zoning district for public review.

The new district – which would have to be made official through town ballot vote – would promote a “traditional neighborhood” feel, extending areas of town that already come under a similar existing ordinance, and would encourage development near town centers, instead of the rural edges.

“We cannot, as a town, afford to continue to develop in rural areas,” said Planning Board chair Ivy Vann. “It doesn’t make sense for us.”

The zone would require that new developments be able to hook into existing or extended town water lines, and either existing sewer lines or a DES-approved community system. Allowed in the zone are single-family, two-family, or multi-family homes up to 10 units, and small businesses under 1,000 square feet that are primarily intended to serve the neighborhood.

Unlike most other zoning districts, the new zone would not have a minimum lot size requirement. Instead, the ordinance would require that not more than 40 percent of the lot be covered, and that there be at least 50 feet of frontage. 

The new zone would extend and have the same design standards as the existing traditional neighborhood overlay zone, which also depends upon the existence of water and sewer lines. 

Carol Ogilvie, who assisted in drafting the ordinance, explained that in the drafting process, the steering committee heard “a lot of the same things from people about what they want and what they don’t want” that already aligned with the existing traditional overlay ordinance, and so the steering committee decided to maintain the same design standards. 

The board agreed unanimously to forward the current draft of the ordinance to the public hearing process.

The hearing will be held Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town House.