Regular Meeting and Public Hearing
Mayor’s Conference Room
PRESENT: Mike Cassavoy, Chair, Ed
Cassidy, John Sadowski, Gerry Marcus, Anne DeSouza-Ward, Tom
Pawlina and Carla Francazio
ABSENT: Richard
Connolly and Bob Mercado
Denise Gaffey, Director & City Planner, and Matt
Hennigan, Assistant Planner, were present.
The
meeting was called to order at
MINUTES
a)
Regular Meeting and Public Hearing,
b)
Regular Meeting and Public Hearing,
Mr.
Cassidy MADE a MOTION to accept the two sets of minutes. Ms. Marcus SECONDED the motion. All voted in favor. None opposed.
ASSENT
CALENDAR
Case 06-047,
Mr. Pawlina recused himself from the Planning Board
given that he has an application for a home occupation special permit on the
ZBA agenda. Mr. McAvoy, the Applicant’s
representative, and the Applicant, Sharon Wynne, appeared before the Planning
Board. Mr. McAvoy stated that the
Applicant was not here due to complaints from the neighborhood or building
department. The Applicant seeks to
acquire a home occupation special permit for her business that she operates
from the basement of her house. The Applicant’s
business consists of the publication of study guides for teachers preparing for
certification. There are no signs or
customers associated with the Applicant’s home occupation. Nothing is physically produced on site. All work is done ‘electronically’ by the
Applicant, her son, her mother, and four employees. Two of the employees are recent graduates who
upload and proofread text. Mr. McAvoy
stated that two employees drive; the other two use public transportation. Therefore, Mr. McAvoy stated there is no
overburdened parking or disruption to the neighborhood. Mr. McAvoy said that the Applicant has
initiated this process to attain a business certificate from the City. Mr. Cassavoy asked if any of the board
members had questions. Ms. Marcus
commented on how the employees may not own cars at the present time but may
drive to work in the future. Mr. McAvoy
stated that the special permit would allow the Board of Appeals to impose conditions. Mr. McAvoy explained that there is one space
for parking in front of the house. One employee
parks in the driveway on the adjacent neighbor’s property between
1)
On-site parking
in connection with Parking Code T in the Table of Off-Street Parking
Regulations;
2)
Potential
disruption of the neighborhood;
3)
Number of
employees; and
4)
Total floor area
devoted to the home occupation.
Ms. DeSouza-Ward SECONDED the MOTION. Mr. Pawlina recused himself. All voted in favor. None opposed.
OTHER
Zoning for Home Occupations
Ms. DeSouza-Ward said that the Zoning Subcommittee met
twice to draft the proposed home occupation amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. The Subcommittee favors a two tier approach
to permitting home occupations. They
would like to see no non-resident employees and no more than two allowed only
by Special Permit. Mr. Sadowski stated
he thinks the definition is fine but asked why the second sentence must be
deleted. Ms. DeSouza-Ward explained
that the issue is addressed in the conditions.
Mr. Sadowski had questions about the wording of the appearance of
the ‘building’. Mr. Cassidy felt it
applies to the whole ‘property’ not just the ‘building’. Ms. Gaffey stated that the wording about the
appearance of the ‘property’ can be inserted into the definition. Mr. Cassavoy felt the recommended revisions
to sections of the Zoning Ordinance were very well done. Ms. DeSouza-Ward explained that the
Subcommittee did not put a limit on truck deliveries. A special permit is needed for more than ten
client/patron visits per week. Ms.
DeSouza-Ward also shared with the Planning Board the Zoning Subcommittee’s
recommendation to remove the provision to permit home occupation-related
signage from the Zoning Ordinance. Mr.
Sadowski MADE a MOTION to send a letter to the Board of Aldermen to consider
these revisions. Mr. Cassidy SECONDED
the MOTION. Mr. Pawlina recused himself.
All voted in favor. None opposed.
Medical Business (BD) District
Ms. Gaffey stated the Zoning Subcommittee conducted a
couple of meetings to research the existing zoning in the Medical Zone (BD
District) in an effort to update its density and dimensional regulations. OPCD did a lot of research on existing
conditions in the medical district and the research was suggesting dimensional
characteristics similar to URC/URD District.
Ms Gaffey directed the Planning Board to the existing language within the
Zoning Ordinance, Section 235-25, that could potentially mitigate this issue as
well as offer a more efficient alternative to amending the Zoning
Ordinance. Ms Gaffey explained that
according to Section 235-25 “any new residential uses in nonresidential
districts shall be subject to the density and dimensional regulations of the
nearest residential district”. In the
case of the Medical Zone, the Zoning Subcommittee felt that UR-B is too
restrictive and that UR-C would be more appropriate. The URC and BD Districts share the same type
of residential uses and the URC provides for more density than URB and URA
which is appropriate in the medical district because it is close to downtown
and the lots are modest in size. Ms.
Gaffey stated that the Planning Board may have been able to limit the
Greenspace Protection Proposal
Ms. DeSouza-Ward shared with the Planning Board the
outcome of a meeting coordinated by the Zoning Subcommittee with a resident who
is concerned with the trend of homeowners who pave over their front yards. Ms. DeSouza-Ward voiced the Zoning
Subcommittee’s preference to initiate a zoning amendment concerning this matter
rather than waiting for a citizen petition.
The Planning Board members feel this is a sensitive issue in
Smart Growth Task Force
Ms. Gaffey provided an update on the rezoning of lower
Ms. Gaffey noted that the
Ms. Marcus MADE a MOTION to adjourn. Mr. Sadowski SECONDED the MOTION. All voted in favor. None opposed.
Meeting adjourned at