Planning Board

Meeting date: 
Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Town of Princeton, MA Planning Board

Meeting Minutes

September 6, 2023

Town Hall Annex and GoToMeeting

Board Members present in-person: Rud Mason, John Mirick, Ann Neuburg, and Tom Sullivan, and Alternate Members Corey Burnham Howard and Larry DeBlois

Board Members present, remote: none

Absent: Member Ian Catlow

Public Participation, in person: none

Public Participation, remote: Josh Olson

Call to order: 7:30 PM

ANR Plan for vacant land across from 49/51 Beaman Road

Josh Olson from GRAZ Engineering presented a plan to divide approximately 15 acres across from 49/51 Beaman Road into three lots. The plan shows that each lot as sufficient frontage and area, and that there are no wetlands.

MOTION to give ANR endorsement to the plan

Motion: Ann Neuburg; second: Rud Mason

Vote: unanimous

Discussion of ANR Requirements

The Board continued the discussion of requirements for ANR endorsements, including a hypothetical situation in which a landowner seeks to redraw lot lines to create a separate lot with no frontage but with an existing building. It was the sense of the Board that if there were two existing buildings that pre-dated the adoption of the Subdivision Control Law, then under Ch. 41 S. 81L the creation of the new lots with one building on each lot might not be a subdivision and might qualify for an ANR endorsement. It was the sense of the Board that any lot on which a new building was proposed had to meet the area and frontage requirements of Section VI of the Zoning By-Laws. Because there was no pending application, the Board did not have to take a position.

The Board reviewed and commented upon Corey’s draft guidelines for ANR applications. Corey will now work with Kolette on including those guidelines in information that will be made available to persons seeking an ANR endorsement. The procedures in the Board’s Rules and Regulations will need to be amended to be consistent with the guidelines.

Master Plan

Ann reported that the first three sections of the revised Master Plan are likely to be ready for circulation and comment by the end of September.

High Density Residential Zoning

John reported that he has been asked to meet with CMRPC which is doing “compliance modeling” of Princeton’s proposed plan to meet the Ch. 40A sec. 3A requirements.

Housing Plan Implementation.

Ann reported that the committee has not yet met.

Review and Approve meeting minutes of August 16, 2023

MOTION to approve minutes

Motion: Tom Sullivan; second: John Mirick

Vote: unanimous

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be September 20, 2023.

Meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

MOTION to adjourn passed unanimously

Respectfully submitted,

John Mirick

Documents reviewed: ANR Plan and Application for Beaman Road property

Sketch of hypothetical division with a building on a lot with no frontage

Draft Guidelines for ANR process

Draft revision to Rules and Regulations for ANR applications

Draft Minutes for August 16, 2023 meeting