Town of Princeton PLANNING BOARD --- Regular Meeting --- September 18, 2013
7:30 PM The meeting was opened by Chairman Tom Daly. Present were: Jon Fudeman, Ann Neuburg, Richard Bisk and John Mirick.
Administrative Business
Board voted all in favor to approve September 4 regular meeting minutes.
New Business
Board considered minor modification of Sprint cell phone receivers on tower at 194 Worcester Road. Plan is to install four receivers instead of three, with no visual difference in finished monopole. Engineering detail to verify capacity/load limit will be forwarded to Planning Board. With no visual difference, the modification was considered “minor” and board voted all in favor to approve the change and add to the current Special Permit file the description/detail from the engineer/representative.
Old Business
7:45 PM Worcester Road project – Jon Fudeman recused himself and Tom D. opened the Public Meeting for neighbors of Worcester Road, briefly explaining the process and the previous two public meetings. John M. then explained the charge of the Planning Board—that the goal is to figure out where the town wants to be 5 or 25 years out. The PB’s job is to summarize what people are thinking and make recommendations, moving from an informal, conceptual meeting like the present one to a formal, public hearing on a zoning change; making sure everyone is heard.
There are five actions being considered:
1. Discontinue business zoning on the westerly side of Worcester Road from Stagecoach Road south, and on the easterly side of Worcester Road from the northerly intersection of Hickory Drive south.
This area is already built out as residential. Changing the zoning from business to rural-residential does not affect home occupations, and eliminates the possibility for future friction between business uses and residential uses.
2. Extend the business zone—using an overlay district-- on the westerly side of Worcester Road north to northerly edge of the PMLD lot; or to the edge of the brook at bottom of hill. By deepening the area for commercial use through an overlay district, the Town provides the opportunity for avoiding a “strip mall” approach.
3. Extend the business zoning on the easterly side of Worcester Road northerly—either to match extension on westerly side; or to the edge of the brook at the bottom of the hill.
4. Create a village district overlay with a special permit and site plan approval allowing the business district (including any extension under paragraphs 2 and 3) to extend up to 800 feet back from the edge of the Worcester Road right of way, with mixed uses. A true village is a combination of intermingled residential and commercial uses on the same lots and in the same buildings. Example: the Gregory Store which in the center of Town which combined residential units, a store, a post office, and a coffee shop in one building.
5. Adopt site plan criteria for overlay special permit to include: vegetated buffer zone between Worcester Road and parking area; no more than half of parking between building and Worcester Road; split rail fences or low stonewalls only; sidewalks; mixed use on same building lot; height increase to 45 feet; audio and visual buffer zones from adjacent residential uses; multiple buildings on one lot; design to be colonial/Greek revival/Victorian; and, designated access/exit points.
Each of the zoning changes would be presented as separate articles on the warrant.
A resident asked the board “what is the problem you’re trying to solve?” and noted that the town hasn’t changed much in 30 years. John M. talked about improving opportunities for commercial development, and outlined how commercial/industrial real estate does not eat up town revenue by using services—especially schools—as opposed to residential real estate. Tom D. noted that residents want “rural character” but also want some services in town. The current zoning promotes strip malls with the narrow setback off the road [300’] that is zoned commercial. If and when business develops along Worcester Road, it would look like Holden’s Main Street under current zoning, and the board feels that a walkable, off-street village-style layout would be preferable. Under current zoning, a
drive-up, fast-food operation is allowed in the business zone with no restrictions of architecture or site and landscape design, and a mixed-use overlay zone could enforce some criteria on such a use and give the town options about design and styles. Using the local architectural vernacular, design choices could be limited to colonial, Greek revival or Victorian.
There was some discussion about where to draw the zoning line if the Hickory Drive neighborhood were to revert to R-A. Another comment brought up Open Space Residential Development and how it would be addressed in an overlay district. Someone asked if another town had been used as a model and John M. noted that it’s been easier to critique another town’s models than to choose one town as a perfect example. The zoning set-back was discussed, if it went back 600’ what incentive would business owners have to build out the back of the lot? Some favored keeping same zone on both sides of road, with consistency of both use and size. Also, the increase in height spurred the question of approval from the Fire Dept.
Several residents expressed concern about the fact that people bought into the business zoning district with intention of future use, or into the R-A district specifically to avoid commercial development. The business and industrial zoned areas of town are a minor percentage of total land use, and are either empty, underused, or aren’t being used for anything but residential. That doesn’t mean a major commercial/industrial development couldn’t occur, and some pointed out the importance of thinking long-term and planning for the future while you can. PB member Richard Bisk stressed that doing nothing is not a good idea.
9:15 PM John M thanked everyone for coming and participating,~and then the regular meeting adjourned.
Respectfully Submitted: Marie Auger, Administrative Assistant
Referenced Documents: Princeton Zoning Bylaws & map with zoning proposals; Worc. Rd. Village Concept Proposed Bylaw Changes 8/26/13 from John Mirick
Marie Auger
Administrative Assistant
Planning Department
978-464-2100
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