2010-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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Comprehensive Plan update. Work on the Plan will Report of the proceed over the next few years, with timing depen- Planning Department dent on available staffing and other competing work items. f To the Honorable Board of Selectman and the We continued to maintain a Town lands database !� Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: and provided our annual housing, land use and popu- lation estimates and projections. During 2010 the Planning Department continued to provide Town boards,developers and residents with As staff to the Planning Board, the Department the highest quality planning advice and standards. Bill was involved in the review and permitting of a number Newton,our half-time Assistant Planner, continued to of subdivision and commercial development projects work on the update of the Town's Comprehensive during the year, along with input to the Zoning Board E Plan. In addition Tom Mayo, our former Assistant of Appeals when requested, with much of the Planner and now the Town's GIS Coordinator,remains Department's time again spent on modification physically in the Planning Department office and able requests to previously approved projects. Much time to provide office coverage and field some inquiries, as was again spent with the Planning Board, Cape Cod well as having committed to helping with several ele- Commission staff and Mashpee Commons on initial ments of the Comprehensive Plan. At the same time, steps towards a long-term Development Agreement our primary work involved managing the Planning for the"East Steeple Street"and"North Market Street Board's regulatory process, along with similar staff West" neighborhoods of the Commons project. support to the Historic District Commission,and deal- ing with the day-to-day requests of other departments, May Town Meeting saw approval of a petition boards,developers and the public. article to rezone a 1.3 acre residential lot to C-2 Commercial.Two zoning articles were approved at the The May election brought new members George October Town Meeting, including one submitted by Petersen and David Kooharian to the Planning Board, the Planning Board as a result of its discussions with while Mary Waygan became Chairman, replacing Mashpee Commons, which amended Section 174- Tom O'Hara, who moved on to the Sewer 45.1.I to authorize the Planning Board to allow under- Commission after years of dedicated service on the sized lots within "commercial center" developments Board. Jim Leonard and John Cotton should also be to be connected to a private wastewater treatment recognized for their outstanding service as Board plant, rather than the previously-required connection Member and Associate Member respectively. to a public wastewater treatment plant. Regarding the update to the Town's Local The second article, submitted by petition on Comprehensive Plan, originally adopted in 1998, Bill behalf of the Wampanoag Tribal Council, amended Newton has developed drafts of the Affordable the cluster zoning by-law by amending Section 174- Housing, Health & Human Services and Economic 47.B.(5) to clarify that when the Planning Board Development elements of the Plan, working with the authorizes zero lot line housing, no landscape buffer Affordable Housing and Human Services Committees will be required between the residences, and by and the Mashpee FDIC. Work was also begun on the amending Section 174-47.B.(10) to clarify that more Open Space,Recreation&Agriculture and Wetlands/ than one lot in 10 may be set aside for affordable Wildlife & Plant Habitat elements. The Planning housing,and that an additional lot may be allowed per Board also began the process of reviewing and updat- each such lot set aside for affordable housing. ing the Goals and Objectives for those elements. In addition,we distributed a Comprehensive Plan Public In addition to assisting the Planning Board with Opinion Survey both in paper form through various permit reviews and other tasks,the Department under- Outlets,and electronically through the Town's web site takes other assignments from the Board of Selectmen (with great assistance from Tom Mayo). 685 com- or Town Manager, assists other boards, committees pleted surveys were returned. The survey results, and departments with their activities and responds to which are available on our web page, will help guide frequent requests from developers, appraisers, attor- us in our work with the Planning Board on the neys, landowners, planning students and the general public for information and assistance. 105