Wellfleet Planning Board
Minutes of Meeting and Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Senior Center Conference Room, 7:00 p.m.
Present: Barbara E. Gray, Chair; Griswold Draz, Ronald Harper, Olga Kahn, Gerald Parent, Alfred Pickard, Janet Reinhart; Assistant Town Administrator/Planner Rex Peterson;
Also Attending: Selectman Jerry Houk
Chair Barbara Gray called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Minutes of 6/2/10
Gray moved to approve the amended minutes of June 2, 2010. Reinhart seconded, and the motion carried 7-0.
Bylaw Revisions
Hand-outs for Gross Floor Area, the Sliding Scale and Site Plan Standards &
Criteria were available to the audience. Gray gave a brief history of the work that
Planning Board has been doing. Gooz Draz explained why Planning Board was working on the Residential bylaws; noted what the present size bylaw based on 15% building coverage allows; gave differences between the Seashore District and the R1 and R2 Districts; reported the numbers of existing homes and gave the average size of homes.
Draz reviewed the new definition of gross floor area and explained the new sliding scale. He exhibited a poster of a scatter chart that illustrates where various sized, existing houses are placed in relationship to the proposed “by-right” allowances. Draz entertained questions from the floor. Questions were posed on: the number of bedrooms allowed; lot sizes; Planning Board agreement on the plan; the scatter gram; the premise behind the bylaw changes; lot shapes; pre-existing, non-conforming houses.
Janet Reinhart said she had a list of houses built since 1982; she gave the average house size as 2,000 square feet. Less than three houses per year, she said, would have needed a Special Permit according to net living area. She discussed compatibility of houses with their neighborhoods.
More questions and comments concerned: MESA review; Title 5 restrictions; opinions from townspeople; Special Permit process; the rough data from the Assessor’s office; and building permit requirements for additions.
Manny Heylinger requested that the two Planning Board members who had not agreed with the proposals to speak. Pickard and Parent explained their reservations about the current proposals.
More concerns were raised on: AADU incentives; energy saving credits; diminishing individual rights; discrimination issues for locals; home occupation business situations; Wellfleet’s character; and Affordable Housing on small lots.
Reinhart discussed the Standards and Criteria for Site Plan Review. Roger Putnam spoke strongly against having the Planning Board as the Special Permitting Agents. Pickard said that originally Planning Board voted to be the Special Permitting Agent (SPA), but that changed to have ZBA as the SPA.
There was another question on grandfathering of small properties. One Planning Board suggestion was for anyone with a particular house situation to come to the Board to discuss what could be done. Ron Harper discussed Planning Board’s role as a proactive group. Harper proposed an audience poll to indicate that a bylaw on house size was an issue PB should be working on. Fifteen of the 19 people polled indicated that the Board should proceed with bylaw changes on house size.
Gray said that Planning Board would like to work with the public to create a “reasonable” proposal. She asked for the help of the concerned citizens who were in attendance. Draz concluded the discussion by expressing his hope that the bylaw changes would be a great improvement over the present provisions.
Discussion with Housing
Members of the Housing Authority and the Local Housing Partnership were present to discuss ways on increasing the Affordable Housing stock. The Housing groups had changed their focus from Inclusionary Zoning Bylaws to allowing deed restricted Affordable Housing on small lots. Housing reported on Affordable Housing projects underway. Draz said he had prepared a list of lots that could be subdivided with the possibility of including Affordable units. Now there is consideration of allowing Affordable houses on half-acre lots or by another method.
Parent disclosed that he was on the list of 5-acre properties that could be subdivided.
Bonus lots could be offered by Cluster Development, Parent said. Parent asked what kind of needs the Affordable Housing groups wanted to meet. Elaine LaChapelle said Title 5 regulations control what can be built. The emphasis at this time is on rental properties. Judy Taylor said there were also10 single family homes that had been developed into Affordable Housing on Town-owned land and are held by deed restriction in perpetuity. Rex Peterson said it was worth looking into the varied approaches: Inclusionary Bylaws, cluster development and smaller lots. Reinhart asked that the Housing groups provide numbers on Affordable limits for eligibility, costs and rents. Peterson said the AADUs are based on HUD guidelines. Elaine LaChapelle said they need to develop both rental units and individual
Affordable homes. Pickard said working on the half-acre lots in new subdivisions was worth investigating.
Steve Durkee distributed a proposal dated June 16, 2010 that he asked the Planning Board to consider. Planning Board said his proposal to put four prototype houses on 1/4 acre lots would require a bylaw change. Durkee also stated that if a one-acre lot were subdivided into four quarters, it would work for Affordable Housing.
Gray asked about using “sweat equity” to produce Affordable homes. Gray also suggested a “painting the town” project for improving property.
Parent asked Housing about their interest in developing four units on 1-acre lots through Cluster Development. Draz questioned how many one or two acre lots were available for this kind of development. Judy Taylor discussed the building cap that Provincetown has which provides benefits for developers who include Affordable units. Planning Board will continue the discussion with Housing of how to proceed when more information becomes available.
Dunkin’ Donuts
From the floor, Sandie Rotberg expressed her concerns about Dunkin’ Donuts. She asked that the bylaws be amended to prevent further “formula businesses.” Selectman Jerry Houk said that zoning work should be done on this. Steve Durkee agreed that the Planning Board should work on zoning bylaws regarding formula businesses. Parent moved to ask Town Counsel if franchise businesses can be zoned out of Wellfleet. Pickard seconded, and the motion carried 7-0. Gray moved to ask Town Counsel about requiring a Special Permit for all formula businesses. There was no second. She said she would bring this to Town Counsel without a motion.
Agenda for Next Meeting
Anticipated agenda items for the July 14, 2010 meeting include: Housing Information; Formula Businesses; Bylaw Revision; Lines on the streets; Traffic at Rte. 6 and LeCount Hollow Road; scheduling a PB meeting with contractors, realtors, architects and other building professionals
Adjournment
Parent moved to adjourn. Harper seconded, and the motion carried 7-0. The meeting was adjourned at 10:07 p.m.
____________________________ ____________________________
Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Date
Planning Board approved these minutes at the meeting held 7/14/10.
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