P&Z Poised To Act On Zoning Rule Revisions

By Andrew Gorosko

Following almost three years of review, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members are poised to reorganize the town’s zoning regulations to make the land use rules more understandable and easier to use.

Following discussion on March 6, P&Z members concluded public hearings on the proposed zoning rule changes. The agency is expected to act on the regulation revisions on March 20.

The regulation revision project stemmed from the P&Z’s adoption of the 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development.

The original town zoning regulations were adopted in August 1958, and then thoroughly revised in April 1987.

The numerous amendments that have been made to the rules over the years have made the regulations difficult to understand, according to Elizabeth Stocker, town director of planning and community development.

In a statement, Ms Stocker said a P&Z subcommittee reformatted the regulations to make them easier to read and use through the addition of many categorical subheadings. The revision project also sought to make the rules more concise, she said.

The definitions used in the regulations concerning Business, Professional, and Commercial zones have been expanded and brought up to date with current state law.

The technical standards covering a variety of zones have been consolidated within the regulations to make the rules easier to understand. Such standards cover topics including traffic, site access management, landscaping, parking, signage, and exterior lighting.

Also, the number of land use zones covering Business, Commercial, and Professional uses would be reduced from four zones to three zones. The number of Industrial zones would be reduced from seven zones to five zones.

The zoning requirements concerning lot areas, building heights and yards would be brought up to date to conform to recent state Supreme Court rulings.

Also, the administration and enforcement section of the regulations would be revised to better describe the actual duties performed by zoning enforcement staffers. The fees and fines pertaining to zoning matters would be consolidated into one schedule that would be easier to use and understand.

Regulations concerning site development plans and special permits would be revised to make those rules easier to understand.

The P&Z has held more than 20 public hearings since 2005 to air proposed substantive changes to the zoning regulations, according to Ms Stocker.

Public Hearing

At the March 6 P&Z session, resident Christian Qualey of 1 Cedar Circle told P&Z members that he has found it difficult to discern the changes that are proposed in the rule revisions.

“It’s almost impossible to follow this,” he said. Mr Qualey asked that the agency provide better explanations of specific changes and why those changes are proposed.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean said, “We thought long and hard about the way we wanted to do this,” adding that panel members opted to make all the zoning regulation changes take effect at the same time.

“Essentially, I’m hoping the new [rule] book will be easier to use,” she said.

Potential applicants are waiting for the P&Z to approve the many rule changes, she said. As such, the panel needs to approve a set of revised regulations soon, she said.

Copies of the proposed rule changes are available for public review at the town land use agency office at 31 Peck’s Lane, Ms Dean told Mr Qualey.

“It’s extremely complicated,” Mr Qualey responded, adding that the only people who seem to know what rules are changing are the members of the P&Z

Mr Qualey said that because the P&Z has reviewed the rule changes piecemeal during a long period of time, he has been denied an adequate opportunity to make intelligent decisions about the value of those proposed changes.

P&Z member Jane Brymer pointed out that notices of all the public hearings that were held on the rule changes were published in legal notices before those hearings occurred.

James Belden, a P&Z member, said that reviewing the proposed zoning rule changes is not a simple matter, but the information is available for review.

P&Z member Richard English said that although the proposed zoning rule changes may not be stated in the particular format sought by Mr Qualey, the information itself is available for review.