Draft
Planning Board
Work Session
November 7, 2006
Members Present: Barbara Freeman (Chair), Bill Weiler (Vice-Chair), Ken McWilliams (Consultant), Ron Williams, Deane Geddes (Alternate) and Lacy Cluff (Alternate).
Mrs. Freeman opened the meeting at 7:10 p.m.
Mrs. Freeman appointed Mrs. Cluff and Mr. Geddes as voting members.
Conservation Commission
Mr. Weiler, Conservation Commission Chair, said that there were three other members of the Conservation Commission present this evening, Katherine Holmes, Bill Anabell and Frank Perrotta, as well as Deane Geddes who was also on the Planning Board . He said that the handbook advised that the Conservation Commission should meet with the Planning Board early on in the master plan process. The conservation plan needed to be in the Master Plan. He asked if the Planning Board could offer any advice or suggestions on the materials that he submitted to the Board.
Mrs. Freeman said that the outline looked perfect and did not see a reason to change that. She felt that it should be weaved together with the Master Plan rather than just stuck in it. She asked what the time line was.
Mr. Weiler said that originally December or January, but did not know if they would be able to meet that goal. He asked when the Master Plan needed to be done.
Mrs. Freeman said that the Master Plan needed to be done by the end of 2007.
Mrs. Freeman commented that it should be looked at regionally and how it related to the immediate surrounding area.
Ms. Holmes said that they would like to talk about the Greenway trail. She also asked about Ausbon Seargant and asked if there was any in Newbury.
Mr. Weiler said that he was not sure and that he would look into it.
Mrs. Freeman said that it would be important to mention how these areas connect.
Mr. Weiler asked if there were any elements that they should pay attention to. They talked about mapping the wildlife corridors.
Mrs. Freeman asked if they paid attention to soils.
Mr. Weiler said that soils were in the Natural Resource Inventory, so it had already been done.
Mrs. Freeman said that part of the issue with steep slopes was the soils and the habitat was so fragile.
Ms. Holmes said that soils were not covered in zoning now.
Mr. Williams said that they were covered under wetlands and steep slopes.
Mr. McWilliams asked about their priorities.
Mr. Weiler said that in the second public meeting, people will have the opportunity to say what they feel should take priority.
Ms. Holmes asked if there were any areas in need of conservation.
Mr. McWilliams said that he was hearing a lot about identifying and interconnecting of wildlife corridors and trail systems for recreation.
Mr. Williams said that the ridgelines and hilltops tied in with the Greenway and other recreation trails.
Mrs. Freeman said that there were also concerns about view sheds. If the areas continue to be developed, it will lose it’s economic value and health. There was a lot of interest in the forums and survey for the Master Plan in preserving.
Ms. Holmes said that she agreed that they should have an interconnected regional plan.
Mr. Perrotta did not feel that it was necessary to do a regional plan. He wanted to focus on the Town of Newbury. They have looked at the cooridors that border the town and there will be an intertown connection when the master plan gets written, but did not feel that it should be a regional plan.
Mrs. Freeman said that she did not intend for it to be a regional plan. What he just described was exactly what she was saying.
Mr. Weiler said that they had been having a difficult time finding someone with experience.
Draft Recommendations
Mrs. Freeman said that November 18, 2006 was going to be a public forum for the Master Plan.
Mr. McWilliams commented that the growth exercise for commercial uses resulted in the support of further development at the traffic circle, Newbury center, 103 Morris Hill area and some scattered residential areas with no particular pattern.
Mr. McWilliams said that the areas where people did not talk about development there were big blocks of open space so he came up with a map for wildlife and trail corridors.
Mrs. Freeman said that there were wildlife corridors already there and that bears cross at the base of Old Post Road.
Mrs. Freeman said that she would caution that people tend to want to develop where the roads already exited. She said that she would want to encourage that and discourage sprawl.
Mrs. Freeman asked Mr. McWilliams to describe the areas and limits.
Mr. McWilliams showed the areas on the map.
Mr. Geddes said that he was concerned about basing these plans on the small percentage of people that showed up.
Mr. McWilliams said that they were also basing it on the 460 responses that they received from the survey. He said that the Board was also going to have public hearings allowing people the opportunity to give their input.
Ms. Holmes commented that it was all strip development that people were looking for and no mall type development.
Mr. Geddes said that the town did not have the demographics to support retail.
Ms. Holmes said that part of the challenge was a vision around sustainability in a village.
Mrs. Freeman said that she agreed on both observations. She said that the Board should look at the topography and see if there was any land more suitable for development. She said that the center was being strangled and could not get any bigger.
Mr. Weiler said that the Town really needed to look at the Davis land because it was the only hope for a town center. He said that the Board needed to be careful of resisting a natural pattern. There was a natural movement into this section of Town.
Mr. Weiler commented that some people were working a brochure for the Center Meeting House. He said that a version should be sent to the local realtors because the trading post had vacant space.
Ms. Holmes asked what the meeting house was going to be used for.
Mr. Weiler said gatherings.
Mr. McWilliams said that he would like feedback on the recommendations that he submitted.
Mr. Weiler said that it started with the sewer, but it seemed like the center of town was pretty limited. We should look at where we can expand and then look at the possibility of a sewer.
Mr. Geddes said that he did not see the sewer working at all because of the topography. He commented that this was an upscale town and not workforce housing.
Mr. Williams said that affordable housing also including elderly, not just workforce.
Mr. McWilliams said that the Board needed to be broader minded and educate the public because the survey results indicated that people only wanted single family homes.
Mrs. Freeman commented that she wanted to change cluster housing to something else because she did not feel that people really understood it.
Mr. McWilliams said that he has heard it called open space housing or conservation housing.
Mr. Weiler commented that the cluster housing section of the ordinance was in good shape, they just needed to change the name.
Mr. Williams commented that #6 was too broad and costly. It needed to be in concentrated areas like Bay Point Road, Edgemont Road and Pine Cliff.
Mr. Geddes said that the cottages were close together all around Newbury’s shoreline.
Ms. Holmes said that it needed to be looked at long term, even if it was going to be costly.
Mrs. Freeman said that with this discussion it showed that it warranted a study which was all this recommendation was. She said that with the new systems they had, it could be possible.
Mr. Weiler said to delete #7 because it was already being done.
Mrs. Freeman said that #8 was also already being done.
Mrs. Freeman felt that the recommendation should say accommodate mobile homes, not encourage or support.
Mrs. Freeman said that the Board should take a harder look at the town and if the land resources were not contusive to development than maybe the master plan should recommend limiting business development.
Mr. Williams commented that 5b said as zoned which would limit further business development.
Residential Recommendations
Mrs. Freeman said that there was already a lot in zoning.
Mr. McWilliams said that it was important to have something in the Master Plan to support the zoning.
Mrs. Freeman recommended that #1 say continue to protect.
Mr. Weiler asked if the Board was going to continue to look at the Norwich regulations.
The Board felt that it would be a good idea.
Mr. Weiler asked if there was an RSA that authorized the town to do #2.
Mr. McWilliams said that he would look into it.
Mr. Weiler asked why the Board needed it.
Mr. McWilliams said that it put you in a stronger position.
Mrs. Freeman said that the Planning Board could do that by changing zoning.
Mr. Weiler said that it could be put in the requirements for density.
Mrs. Freeman said that she was not clear what typical was in #3, but liked #4.
The Board wanted to remove #5.
Mr. McWilliams said that the RSA’s said that towns had to allow mobile homes either in parks or on individual lots.
The Board voted to remove #6.
Mrs. Freeman asked what Mr. McWilliams needed to do for the next work session.
Mr. McWilliams said that it would be after the forum, so they could go over those comments and then do a chapter a month.
Mr. Weiler asked about zoning amendments. He said that he had one for the wetlands overlay.
Mrs. Freeman said that unless something was drafted, the Board was not going to have time to do amendment this year.
Ms. Holmes said that she wanted to do one on tree cutting.
Mrs. Freeman said that she also told Charlie Hirshburg to do a draft for Chalk Pond.
A motion was made to adjourn at 9:35 p.m. It was seconded. All were in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lacy L. Cluff
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