Jackson Planning Board
MINUTES – July 10, 2014 – REGULAR MEETING
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by Sarah Kimball, Vice-Chair. Attending were: Members Dave Treadwell, Larry Siebert, Sarah Kimball, Betsey Harding, and John Allen, and Alternates Daren Levitt, Bea Davis and Kathleen Dougherty. Dick Bennett had indicated he would be unavailable. In the audience were Jerry Dougherty III, Andy Kramp, and videographer Hank Benesh, who was filming the proceedings.
Minutes of June 12: It was moved and seconded that they be accepted, and all approved.
New Business: Andy ~Kramp came to the planning board seeking advice about the lot he and his sister had inherited from their parents. ~One of the options they were considering, which would allow them to keep the property but also relieve some of the financial burden, was to subdivide and sell a portion of the lot near the road. Because the lot has less than the 400 feet of frontage needed for two lots, they would have to construct a road into the lot to gain more frontage, or negotiate a lot line adjustment with an abutter to gain the necessary frontage. If they submitted a subdivision application without the required frontage, the planning board would have to deny it and they could appeal for a variance to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Andy was also advised that the topography and soils on the lot may require a High Intensity Soil
Survey to determine if the lots created where of sufficient size to meet the Zoning Ordinance minimum lot size requirements. Board members agreed that one of the simplest routes would be for them to make arrangements with neighbors for a land swap, then to apply for a lot line adjustment, that could increase the frontage to meet zoning requirements sufficient for a subdivision.
 Old Business:
Master Plan Survey: The questionnaire was reviewed; we added a couple of questions at the bottom: Are there any zoning ordinances or regulations that you feel should be added? Do you feel any existing regulations should be modified? Jerry recommended several changes at #8: consider omitting “some” from the second phrase; at the last couple of phrases about for sale vs. for rent, rephrase them to omit “lower cost” and “young”; members questioned if people would understand the concept of “grandfathered” non-conforming businesses, and decided it would suffice simply to ask about permitting businesses in new areas of town. Betsey will make the changes and send it out to the Board for review.
Questions were raised about the email address indicated at the bottom of the survey. It is different from the one Jackson had in the past; we will see if that old email address is still available. Suggestions were made for minor changes to the cover letter to accompany the survey; Sarah will revise that. Concerns were voiced about one survey per household: what if people wish to register differing opinions? We will suggest that they duplicate the survey, or ask for another copy.
For possible inclusion in the next Master Plan: a recommendation for study of whether a Village sewerage plant would improve current conditions in the Village; reference was made to a study in the 1980s when a Village-wide sewerage system could have generated effluent clean enough to enter the river system.
We determined that we will determine costs for duplicating the single-page cover letter, and the double-page survey (possible colored sheet to indicate resident status), and for creation of a pre-paid return envelope; and that we will ask for citizen help on stuffing envelopes.
Review of Master Plan: Sarah suggested that we check RSA 674:2 for what sections we can have/ should have in Jackson’s next Master Plan.
Review of Subdivision Regulations: Proposed changes were distributed for Board members to consider. Many of the proposals had been brought to the attention of Dick Bennett and Betsey Harding by Jay Henry, who serves as both Town Road Agent and Fire Chief. His recommendations stem from concern about safety of both residents and fire and emergency personnel. We will review the proposals at our next meeting, and ask that Jay join the meeting to explain his concerns and reasons for his proposals.
There being no further business, it was moved and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Betsey Harding
(Note: an audio-visual record of the meeting may be found on Jacksonflicks.com)
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