8/14/2018 ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS Minutes

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MASHPEE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 14, 2018 Mr. Don Bliss, a resident and builder in Town. He also is hearing a misconception that larger homes are being built on small lots; and that is not the case. He said that the older homes do not meet current building codes, and are difficult to renovate. He believes that the new bylaw makes sense, and to move forward to meet current building code standards. Mr. Tom O'Neil, has worked 26 years in Mashpee. He is extremely proud of the people of the community that make the Town of Mashpee a place that people want to live in. He said that the older homes are unsafe, and effects his business in many ways. He mentioned that Mashpee is involved with the stretch energy code, and makes the Town unique and progressive. He is hoping to see that new homes are re-built to allow people to live in Town year round. Kristina Thomas is a part-time resident who bought a home in Town five years ago, and she is hoping she can rebuild. She said that it is cost prohibitive for her to remodel the home that was built in 1948. Her lot size is under 10,000 sq. ft. She is hoping in the future to move to Town full time. Mr. Mendoza, Building Commissioner said that he has observed that most of the public that spoke are discussing a particular area of Town. He wants to make it clear that this bylaw is not focused on one area; it covers every place in Mashpee. He wants to make it clear to the TV audience, and everyone present that this bylaw covers every place in Mashpee,not just one part of the community. He also wanted the public to know that there are areas that were not in the flood zone, that are now'in the flood zone. He mentioned a case that involved a kitchen remodel that went above the 50% rule. This is not the State regulations, it is the Federal regulations. The 50% rule is the assessed value of the house only, not the house and the lot. If a house is valued at $60,000, but the kitchen renovation is worth $30,000, then under the Federal guidelines (FEMA) the whole house had to be razed. The applicant didn't meet any of the setback requirements,he just wanted a kitchen. This was a hard-ship position, and he had to raze the house but could not meet zoning. The Federal Government overrides everything. This new bylaw will provide a mechanism to help applicants achieve their goals. Board Member, Mr. Ron Bonvie said that he has been in the community for over 30 years. He has experienced.going in front of the Zoning Board several years ago. In the late 1980's the people in the community were upset over the old permits that were extended through grandfathering, i.e. Southport, and several other permits, and they saw the possibility of hundreds of units every year being built. So the Town created the 80,000 square foot zoning, and they actually capped the amount of building permits that would be allowed on a yearly basis throughout Town, so only "x" amount of permits could be pulled. That's when all this zoning was created. He said the community is experiencing the after effects of that now, even though he believes the community has embraced good quality zoning since then, it has made a lot of changes and improvements to the zoning bylaw, this not being one of there. 3