Planning Board
Town of Princeton, MA Planning Board Meeting Minutes November 18, 2021
Town Hall Annex and GoToMeeting
Committee Members Present in-person: John Mirick (JM), Ian Catlow (IC), Rud Mason (RM); Ann Neuburg (AN), Alternate Lisa Drexhage (LD)
Committee Members Absent: Tom Sullivan (TS), Alternate Corey Burnham-Howard (CBH)
Public Attendees present in Person: Jan and Steve Jones, Al and Amy Pearson
Public Attendees via remote: Jennifer Oswitt, Jennifer Shenk, John Chase, Anne Malos, Rachael Catlow, Fe Fandreyer, Mike Sidoti, Perry Cheng, and Larry Dubois
Call to order: 7:45pm
JM apologized for the delay in starting the meeting, and the difficulties of remote participants logging on. There were some issues with the Go To Meeting app.
Referral of resident-proposed by-law on Cannabis
On November 16, 2021, the Planning Board received from the Select Board a resident-proposed by-law dealing with Cannabis. JM distributed copies of the referral, which included comments from the Select Board about including hemp, and including all zoning districts. Pursuant to G.L. Ch. 40A sec. 5, the Planning Board needs to hold a public hearing on the resident-proposed by-law within 65 days of referral from the Select Board, and then has 21 days to issue a report and recommendation. The resident-proposed by-law would have town-wide application.
IC is part of the group of residents that proposed the by-law. He recused himself from the discussion, except in so far as he spoke as a resident.
The Planning Board, with some comments from public attendees present in person, discussed the procedures to consider the resident-proposed by-law. JM suggested that the report could include a recommendation to adopt, a recommendation to adopt with changes, a recommendation to oppose unless changes were made, or a recommendation to oppose. It does not appear that Ch. 40A sec. 5 permits the Planning Board to amend a resident-proposed by-law, but amendments could be made at Town Meeting. The resident-proposed by-law will go on the warrant regardless of the Planning Board recommendation, unless withdrawn by the residents.
JM observed that the Planning Board, in the course of discussing the issues raised by the resident-proposed by-law, could also draft an alternative by-law. The residents could then decide whether to press forward with their proposed by-law with the result that there would be two proposed by-laws on the warrant, or to withdraw their proposed by-law in favor of the Planning Board’s draft.
The referral from the Select Board requested the Planning Board to consider growing hemp (to the extent that hemp is not within the definition of cannabis) and the applicability of the by-law to all zoning districts. JM distributed some comments on those requests from CBH who was at another meeting and could not be present.
After looking at a calendar and receiving some comments from public attendees present in person, the Planning Board decided to begin substantive discussion of the resident-proposed by-law and the comments from the Select Board at the regularly-scheduled meeting of the Planning Board on December 1, with the expectation of continuing the discussion at the regularly-scheduled meeting of the Planning Board on December 15, holding the public hearing on January 5, and using the regularly-scheduled meeting on January 19 to decide on the report and recommendation to the Select Board.
Long-Range Planning Projects:
Senior Housing:
AN reported that the final member has been appointed to Housing Production Planning Committee, and they are setting up a meeting with CMRPC. She will keep the Planning Board informed.
Solar Generation:
No discussion.
Encouraging Business
No discussion.
Noise Bylaw
In the absence of CBH, the Planning Board deferred discussion on noise by-laws from other towns that CBH had previously provided.
Meeting Minutes of November 3, 2021
On a motion by RM, seconded by JM, the Planning Board unanimously approved the minutes.
Meeting Adjourned at 8:40 pm
On a motion by AN, seconded by RM, the Planning Board unanimously voted to adjourn
Respectfully submitted,
John Mirick
Referenced Documents
11/16/21 Memo from Town Administrator with referred resident-proposed by-law
11/17/21 Email comments from CBH
Hemp in Massachusetts: FAQs publication of Cannabis Control Commission