TOWN OF GEORGETOWN
Economic Development Committee
Memorial Town Hall One Library Street Georgetown, MA 01833-2086
Phone: (978) 352-5713
MEETING MINUTES
Memorial Town Hall – 3rd Floor
Thursday, October 13th, 2011
7:30 AM
Attendees:
Nick Cracknell
Ted Kottcamp
Jim Lacey
Tillie Evangelista
Rich Williams
Gary Fowler
Bob Cacciola
Guest: Bill Bevelaqua, TRB Development Group
Committee Business 7:30 AM
1. Approval of Meeting Minutes: committee members G. Fowler, T. Evangelista, J. Lacey, T, Kottcamp voted unanimously to approve the meeting minutes of September 22, 2011.
2. Introduction of Bob Cacciola, new EDC member candidate: Bob, a current Georgetown resident & community volunteer, provided a brief background of his experience. Due to the departure of committee member, Paul Pagliarulo, the EDC has a vacant position within the 7 member committee. If the committee agrees, a written request to appoint Bob to the EDC will be submitted to the BoS for approval.
3. Update of Town’s draft Economic Target Area (ETA) application & Selectman Report:
a. In order to be considered an ETA, the committee concluded that the Town’s best options to meet one of the 11 criteria outlined by the State (and presented by MOBD in the Sept. 22 EDC meeting), were the following: 1. Commercial vacancy rate of 20% or more
2. 200 acres that can support 3,000,000sf of commercial/industrial space used for the establishment of a regional technology center
b. Nick provided MIMAP data that illustrated the theoretical sf of commercial and industrial space in Georgetown which is believed to meet the States’ criteria of 3,000,000 sf. The commercial vacancy rate falls short of the 20% requirement and was roughly estimated by Nick at ~10%. A concern was also raised by Nick following discussion with MOBD that at least 3 census tracks are required within the ETA. Recent data collected by Jim confirmed that Georgetown would
meet this requirement, if needed.
c. Based upon the current assumption that Georgetown will meet the 3,000,000 sf requirement, the committee agreed that the Town would not need to include neighboring communities in the ETA application at this time (as was proposed in the Sept. 22 EDC meeting). The committee also recognized that Selectman Fowler could facilitate discussions with neighboring communities; such as Groveland or Rowley, if required.
Action items:
EDC to approve draft ETA application for submission to BoS during November 3 EDC meeting.
Submit ETA application for BoS approval at the November 7 BoS meeting.
Submit final ETA application & present to MOBD in late December (December 21 MOBD meeting).
4. Resignation of Town Planner, Nick Cracknell: Nick informed the committee that he was resigning as Town Planner in order to pursue new opportunities in another municipality, effective October 31. Nick requested that the EDC support a letter of recommendation to increase the Town Planner’s hours to a minimum of 32 hours (from 24) based upon the current demands/responsibilities of the position; which include,
a. Town Planner
b. Economic Development Coordinator (43D/expedited permitting)
c. Support of Affordable Housing Trust & Building Dept.
The committee voted unanimously to approve the letter of recommendation which will be submitted to the BoS.
5. Discussion with Bill Bevelaqua, TRB Development Group: Bill was investigating commercial real estate development in Georgetown, described as low impact retail, and questioned a 100’ buffer zoning requirement. Without knowledge of the specific location (which was not disclosed by Bill), Nick suggested to amend the current zoning requirements for approval at fall or spring town meeting. The EDC voted unanimously to approve drafting a zoning amendment but recognized further discussion between Bill and Nick was required to fully understand the development plans.
Upcoming Meetings: Thursday, Nov. 3 (7:30 am)
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