Planning Board Thursday May 14, 2015 meeting minutes
Members present: Larry Klein, Alan Salamon, Pat Salomon, Roger Tryon, Stephen Enoch, co-chair, and Maggie Leonard co-chair/notes.
Public present: Steven Weisz, Select Board.
Stephen Enoch opened the meeting at 7:04 p.m.
The agenda was changed due to the cancellation of Hume Lake Camp.
The board welcomed newly elected Select Board member Steven Weisz and described the role of the Planning Board in town government:
Oversee, implement, and make changes/corrections to the zoning bylaws.
Create new zoning bylaws.
Regarding the zoning bylaws the Planning Board deals with:
Signs
Parking
Site Plan Review
Submits findings of fact to the ZBA for special permit applications and applications for variance.
(We forgot to add the following duties of the Planning Board:)
Sends a rep to Berkshire Regional Planning Commission
Review Form A land division surveys
Alan Salamon explained to Weisz that Massachusetts Planning Boards are also charged with creating master plans, but that both the Select Board and the Planning Board decided the cost to be prohibitive and the gain small. Salamon cited Rob Hoogs (surveyor, engineer and a key creator of Great Barrington’s master plan) who agreed that in Monterey planning happens through the zoning bylaws.
Klein noted that planning makes more sense where there is a lot of undeveloped land. Weisz said that he sees current opportunities for productive planning in Monterey. He gave as an example the schoolhouse property on Rte. 23, which is in the Business District, and with a small acquisition of land has potential for better land use with regard to parking and accessibility.
The minutes from 4-23-15 were read and amended by replacing the name “Don” with the title “the Building Commissioner”. The minutes were approved as amended.
The board reviewed an application for a special permit for Schmidt at 22 Bidwell Rd. The property is in the lakeshore district and the dwelling on the property is non-conforming because it encroaches into the front setback. Setbacks front side and rear in the lakeshore district, on lots in existence prior to 1986, are 15’. The applicants seek to demolish and reconstruct a screened porch on the rear side of the house, where there is no setback encroachment, and add some stairs. A. Salamon made a motion to write a finding that the proposed construction does not aggravate the existing non-conformity and is not detrimental to the neighborhood; the motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
ADU’s – The board reviewed comments from both the public hearing on ADU’s and the input from Mickey Jervas at the April 23rd meeting. The board reviewed items in the zoning bylaw proposal to re-visit issues and make sure that our newest member, Pat Salomon, has a voice in the proceedings. With regard to the particulars the board wants to meet and consult with the Building Commissioner directly.
The board opened the mail. There was an approval for a special permit in GB for 198 Main St., alteration to the façade.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Maggie Leonard, co-chair
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