05/11/1987 Special Town Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

r • ' J e- .2.1 describes the steps required for an application under the plan review process and the items which must be reviewed as part of that process. Section 6,2,2 specifies the special permit process, required application materials, the items and interests which must be reviewed and conditions and requirements which may be placed on a special permit The final portion of the article specifies what uses will be reviewed under the plan review PR process. Under the provisions rov sions of phis article the 14-day plan review b Town y staff would apply to small projects containing a building or addition of less than loco square feet of first Floor area, alteration of less than one acre of land or a charge of use without any structural change. Our by-law currently requires a special permit for such minor changes and, in effect, for all possible uses within commercial and industrial districts, That directly conflicts with recent court rulings, particu- larly IISCIT., Inc. vs. Braintree" (1984) and leaves the Town open t potential legal challenges. The plan review proposal allows a range of uses in those zones by right, without a special permit, but maintains an adequate level of control over the potential impacts of a proposal with regard to parking, health, fire safety, etc. Signs are separately regulated under Section 10 and would continue to be reviewed by the Design Review Committee under Selection 9.6. For commercial and industrial projects involving up to 20,000 square feet of first 'floor area o.r alteration of up to five acres of land, special -permits would continue to be reviewed by the Board of Appeals with the advice of the Design Review committee and other boards and departments. Residential special permits will continue to be reviewed by the Planning _ Board, which would also review large commercial and industrial projects containing over 20,000 square feet of first floor area or altering over acres of land. Such major projects have a large impact on the Town and should be coordinated with other projects and the master plan process, which is a statutory responsibility of the Planning Board.. }; Finally, Section 6.2,2 also specifies items to be considered by each, board in its review of a special permit application and authorizes the boards to require traffic, water quality, environmental , fiscal or other impact analvses of a nrolect.