Planning Board meeting
Town of Princeton, Mass.-- PLANNING BOARD meeting At T.H. Annex w/ remote participation
Meeting Minutes --– November 4, 2020 7:30 PM
Present were: Chair John Mirick, Ian Catlow, alternate Lisa Drexhage and Bill Lawton. Attending remotely were Tom Sullivan, alt. Corey Burnham-Howard, Wayne Adams and Linda Nash. Absent were Rud Mason and Ann Neuburg.
7:33 PM Opened meeting and noted that Michael Watkins was not ready with a site plan for Monti’s Market and he will attend a future meeting—likely Dec. 2.
The group discussed re-submitting zoning amendments to clarify pre-existing/non-conforming section of zoning bylaws and Corey had some edits. She will distribute a red-lined draft to the board. Also discussed further edit of last year’s zoning amendment which required bigger set-backs for buildings over 10,000 sq.ft. At issue is the town’s possible use of the Princeton Center site for a new public safety complex so an exemption for municipal structures may be in order. Ian described his experience working with architects on the facilities committee that studied the P.C. site and he is willing to take the lead in finding a solution for re-use of the site. Wayne A. pointed out that a public safety facility may require special accommodations for setbacks, means of egress etc. Corey suggests developing a solid justification for any zoning exemption and John noted that site plan review may be used for (exempted) municipal uses.
John also suggested looking into solar generation facilities for offsite delivery, over 1 MgW and possibly crafting zoning to encourage it, with stipulations regarding preferred siting and parameters for setbacks, screening and acreage. Corey has done much research and noted that an overlay district may be a solution for large-scale projects.
The issue of two primary uses sharing a single lot may also be addressed with a zoning amendment, as no provision is currently outlined for Business or Industrial districts in town which allow cumulative uses—i.e. a house can be sited in any zoning district.
Corey reported on progress of MVP (Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness) meetings she has attended—two of three have been completed. Top issues and challenges include heat /droughts /fires /flooding/ winter storms. She described the state’s goal of finding (green) nature-based solutions for hazard mitigation as opposed to (gray) hard-scape infrastructure solutions. Ian pointed out that grants are available for both “green” and “gray” solutions. Group also noted Fire Chief John Bennet’s goal of improving water access for firefighting with fire ponds and the possibility of piping water from Echo Lake off Mountain Road at Wachusett Reservation.
Board briefly discussed the joint meeting with the ZBA scheduled for November 18 on petitions from John Bomba to remove a condition on his special permits and site plan review for Harrington Farm. A joint meeting is the efficient way to address the issue. Tom Sullivan will chair the PB part of the meeting because Mirick has recused himself. Tom will discuss procedures with ZBA chair. Tentative approach is to have a combined public hearing, with both boards asking questions, and then have each board act, with ZBA going first
Group voted with a majority to approve the minutes of Oct. 21, 2020.
8:35 PM Adjourned. The next PB meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020.joint hearing with ZBA at 7 PM by remote access.
Respectfully submitted: Marie Auger, land use coordinator