Town of Lenox
Planning Board
Thursday, November 20, 2014 at 6pm
Town Hall – Select Board meeting room
Members present: Chair Kameron Spaulding, KS; Tom Delasco, TD; Linda Messana, LM; Kate McNulty-Vaughan, KMV
Absent with notification: Mark Smith, MS
Staff present: No Selectman Liaison: No Attending: Town Manager Chris Ketchen
Meeting Documents: Agenda
Approval Not Required Plans-There were none.
Town Planner Update KS noted that Gwen Miller had accepted the position of Land Use Director/Town Planner and would begin work December 1st. Town Mgr. Ketchen added that Gwen had attended a staff meeting and that he was putting together an orientation plan for her.
Sign Bylaw KMV indicated that she and MS had scheduled a meeting Friday morning to continue work on sign bylaw changes. LM stated that as Chair of the HDC she hopes to meet with Town Counsel Janet Pumphrey for input on the HDC Bylaws and Guidelines on signage issues.
Parking Update KS, TD, and Tn. Mgr. Ketchen set up a meeting for Monday, Nov. 24 at 5pm to begin work on improving the parking situation in Lenox Village with the goal of putting rules in place and finding solutions realistic, enforceable, and fair to all interests (residents, business and municipal employees, and visitors). They noted that until Town Meeting makes a change in the Town Bylaw, the current limit on downtown parking is 2 hours. The goal is to have a plan for parking in place by this summer (2015). TD noted that the parking section in the Zoning Bylaw needs work as well.
Use Table Review KS informed the Board that he had spoken with incoming Planner Gwen Miller about utilizing a consultant to review and recommend changes to the Use Table. They have tentatively put together a list of names for consideration.
BRPC Update MS was absent, attending a BRPC meeting. Tn. Mgr. Ketchen noted that several communities have contacted him to propose that Lenox join them in seeking a DLTA (District Local Technical Assistance) grant: Sheffield for “Rest of River” planning, and Lee to plan a Veterans District. KMV noted that BRPC had just announced available grant money for developing recreational trails, and wondered if the Land Management Committee was aware of that. KS indicated that the Land Management Committee would be meeting in 2 weeks.
Correspondence from Abutting Communities- Notices were read.
Open Session LM has been contacted by a number of people concerned about the size of a house under construction on the corner of Pinecroft Drive and Walker St. Other members also have received inquiries, and the general observation is that there may be an issue with appropriate setbacks or lot coverage. KS will ask the Building Inspector to follow up on these concerns and determine whether what is being built is permitted on that site.
Approval of Minutes-October 14, 2014-Members did not have the Minutes and deferred action. KMV will ask Land Use Clerk Ammendola to resend them.
Members decided on the following meeting schedule:
- Tuesday, November 25 – NO meeting
- Tuesday, December 9 – regularly scheduled meeting
- If necessary, a meeting on Tuesday, December 23 or December 30.
Old Business Tn. Mgr. Ketchen anticipates that the Elm Court project will be filed soon with the ZBA, and recommended that the PB give consideration to process concerns in conducting the meetings and gathering input for the recommendation to the ZBA. He also suggested that any member with a potential conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict should e-mail him a statement disclosing such, as required by law, and he will ensure that those are appropriately filed. PB members and Ketchen discussed various ideas for keeping the meetings focused and orderly.
TD asked about next steps for the Large-Scale Ground-Mounted Solar Bylaw, and the committee discussed the timeline for a Public Hearing (Feb.-March) and Warrant Article for the Annual Town Meeting (May 7, 2015).
LM made a motion to adjourn, seconded by TD. The Board voted 4-0 and the meeting was adjourned at 7:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Kate McNulty-Vaughan
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