ANTRIM PLANNING BOARD
Regular Meeting
June 7, 2018
MINUTES
Members & Staff Present:
Janet McEwen (Chair), Chris Condon (Vice Chair), Mary Allen (Member), William Bryk (Member), Lynne Rosansky (Member), John Robertson (Ex-Officio), Jeanne Cahoon (Alternate); Carol Ogilvie (Consultant Planner), and Kristin Bixby (Assistant to Land Use Boards).
Members Absent: Bob Holmes (Member)
Others Present: Ben Belford, Scott Burnside, John Cronin
CTO: Chair McEwen called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and introduced the Board and staff. The Chair rearranged the agenda so that the minutes could be discussed after the applicant for conceptual review presented.
I. Preliminary Conceptual Review: Belford; 51 Old Hancock Road, # 245-026
Chair McEwen asked Mr. Belford to present his preliminary plans for a private outdoor recreational facility to be constructed on a lot that he and his wife are planning on purchasing.
Mr. Belford handed out what he had drawn up for plans so far, adding that they look a little rough right now, as he is not an engineer, but he will be hiring one for the official plans. Mr. Belford added that the proposed facility would add on two new structures to the property, and it would typically be used for a day, or overnight if the customers wish. It would also be available for weddings, or other events that would utilize the natural environment. He wanted the project to be simple with low impact, without cutting down any trees or do anything drastic to the current landscape. There is currently a house on the property, in which Mr. Belford plans to reside with his family and an assistant caretaker. Mr. Belford added that he viewed the use as a home-based business, and has always wanted to be able to work for himself.
Chair McEwen added that a conceptual consultation is nonbinding, and that the Board can’t make any guarantees that this will go through the process successfully. The Chair went on to say that the first thing the Board should look at was permitted uses in the Rural District. A home-based business and a private recreational facility are both permitted. The Chair read the definition of recreational facilities from the Zoning Ordinance. The Board agreed that the proposal would be described best as a commercial recreational facility.
When asked about meeting setback requirements, Mr. Belford said he believed that the Ordinance requires 50 feet from the property lines, and what he has proposed is 60-75 feet. He added that he didn’t want the people using this facility to feel encroached upon by neighbors or vice versa.
Chair McEwen opens up to the rest of the Planning Board for comment. Ms. Cahoon asked for clarification on the types of recreation that the applicant was referring to. Mr. Belford said that the future customers would be able to design their own activities within reason. He adds that these would be free-form, open space activities [ie. hiking, outdoor games, archery, cross-country skiing]. He will not be adding courts to the property for activities like basketball or tennis. Customers will be paying to rent the private facility in total, so only one group will be there at a time, and they have the option to stay overnight if they wish. Ms. Cahoon asked what is in place to have customers stay within the property boundaries. Mr. Belford said that he will post signs and property markers on both sides, and may want to put up bushes on the
property edges.
Mr. Robertson said that he would be interested in the maximum size group permitted on weekends/full time, and what the expected traffic would be like. Mr. Belford said the largest group the site could handle would be 60 people or so, and he was planning to only run the recreational facility on weekends. He would be expecting a maximum of 20 – 25 cars, with traffic trickling in throughout the day. Mr. Belford added that he will not be paving a parking lot. There is a large, unpaved, open area already in existence that could be utilized for parking.
Ms. Allen asked if campers could be used, then where would a sanitation facility be located. Mr. Belford noted that there is a staff bathroom planned for the staff center, but main bathrooms would be located in the mess hall. Ms. Allen asked for how many people the mess hall could serve. Mr. Belford said that the building is planned for being about 4,000 square feet in total, and 60 people could be served easily. The applicant has a background in culinary arts. Ms. Allen asked if this would be a non-profit business, to which the applicant responded that it would be a home-based, for-profit business.
In response to a question from Ms. Cahoon on overnight accommodations, Mr. Belford said that if people rented facilities overnight, there are spots to put up tents.
Chair McEwen added that a main concern she sees is with abutters, and that Mr. Belford will need more specifics on the maximum amount of people using the facility. Inquiries that will come up in a Public Hearing include capacity and excessive noise concerns. Weddings typically have music and alcohol, which may be of concern for noise. Ms. Cahoon suggested that Mr. Belford talks to the neighbors ahead of time, as the abutters will probably be his deciding factor. Mr. Belford said he is fully willing to work with them, and does not want to make waves.
Chair McEwen added that if the approval of this plan is a contingency on purchasing the land, the applicant should wait until he has had a more finalized process.
Ms. Allen added that she was torn between whether or not this is a home-based business or a recreational facility, and that how this application comes in is going to be very important. Ms. Ogilvie said that the proposed facility would not meet the qualifications of a home-based business, since a requirement is that the amount of people and traffic on site needs to equal that of a typical home.
Vice Chair Condon suggested that the engineer looks closely at the lighting ordinance. The applicant told the Board more details of his lighting plan, where one of the proposed buildings has motion-activated switches, and one has manual switches.
II. Additional Business: Stone Church
Scott Burnside and John Cronin attended the meeting to make sure that the final plans for the Stone Church parking lot expansion, and the property’s lot line adjustments, were all set to be filed with the Hillsborough Registry of Deeds. The Planning Board approved the site plan review for this property with conditions on March 1st, 2018. The applicant has since met the needed conditions, which included obtaining a permit from the Department of Environmental Services.
Chair McEwen wanted some clarification on the entire process of the Stone Church getting acquired, and all of the property’s lot line divisions. Mr. Cronin said that the owners of the Stone Church have had that small lot for 100 years. In 2010, Jim and Carol Rymes took a large chunk from one section of their land and moved it into another lot. The Rymes’ established the Stone Church Foundation later. For whatever reason, the Board approval in 2010 was never acted upon. No deed was written or recorded with the Hillsborough County Registry of Deeds. Due to the inaction, he believed the Town tax map erroneously gave the Stone Church Foundation almost 5 acres of land, and furthermore, the Town tax map is the only record that shows Stone Church Foundation having that much land.
Ms. Cahoon asked to clarify whether it is the deed that needs to be filed to make that change valid. Mr. Cronin said that if somebody comes in for a subdivision, and the subdivision gets approved, unless and until the owner in fee of the land deeds that to other individuals, the original owner still legally owns it.
After a brief discussion on the three Mylar plans that needed to be recorded, and the fact that the lot line adjustment plans would be filed separately from the approved parking lot plan, the Board settled any remaining questions they had with this particular application.
III. Minutes
- Minutes from May 17th, 2018.
Motion: Vice Chair Condon moved to read the minutes for approval, seconded by Mr. Robertson.
Discussion: None
Motion: Ms. Allen moved the motion/seconded by Mr. Bryk for approval of the May 17th minutes.
Vote: By a voice vote, the May 17th, 2018 minutes were approved.
IV. Discussion: June 14th Workshop
Chair McEwen volunteered to call certain individuals to make sure they are attending the workshop. Ms. Rosansky and Mr. Robertson were asked for brief updates on the 2020 groups, and the Board members were asked to make some personal phone calls on Monday. So far, roughly 30 people had said they would be in attendance, giving the Board a rough estimate for the amount of food needed. Chair McEwen and Ms. Bixby were tasked with ordering sandwiches from Rick and Dianne’s, along with chips, water, and iced tea.
A brain storm came up with the following questions as conversation starters for the second part of the workshop:
- Are we a friendly business environment? What would draw people to working/starting bus in Antrim? How do we let people know that Antrim exists as a bus place? Have we appropriately defined business and commercial zones?
Ms. Rosansky suggested that the Planning Board put on a business showcase in the Fall. She noted the success of Hannah Grimes in Keene, which frequently has workshops on marketing, and business incubators [to name a few].
Chair McEwen mentioned that volunteer groups of people interested in certain aspects of economic development could act autonomously after being appointed by the Board, and emphasized that the Planning Board should only serve as the liaison, not the leader, in this process.
V. Discussion: Population Statistics
Chair McEwen decided to table this discussion for the next Board meeting.
VI. Correspondence – Southwest Region Planning Commission
SWRPC Newsletter – May 2018 Update. The Board had no questions about the May update.
Adjournment:
Motion: Vice Chair Condon made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Mr. Bryk.
Discussion: There was no discussion.
Vote: By a voice vote, all Board members agreed.
Meeting Adjourned: 8:14 PM
Respectfully Submitted,
Kristin Bixby
Assistant to Land Use Boards
| 
