Regional Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

All right, here we go. We're going to call the meeting to order. Colchester Planning Commission 702. Uh, first item on the agenda, considerations reserved for changes to the agenda. Items and order. We're not changing anything. Uh, community comments and questions from the public. We're all set there tonight. Then we move right into a discussion on potential amendments to the Colchester Development Regulation Supplement 49. [music] Yeah, supplement 49. Soon gets a supplement 50. That'll be a fun one. Yeah, the big 50. Yeah.

All right. So, um, thank you all for meeting tonight. Um, I think just to uh set the stage a little bit, been working on supplement 49 uh for a little bit now. Um, purpose of tonight's meeting, I think, is sort of to wrap things up with it. Um, and kind of finalize the item. So, if there's any final um, you know, comments or questions that you have before this list gets finalized and the public hearing is warned, now is the time to go through them. Um I'll just provide a quick update since your last meeting in December. Um very few changes, you know, um I recall staff and the commission walking through the list. Um not making a lot of changes. Um there were a couple changes that you all wanted to see under the mobile food unit section. Um and those changes have been made. So I'll just pull those up here and I will zoom in. Don't worry. Um, but under mobile food units and I would pull up the memo, but I apologize. I think I we might have put an outdated screenshot in the memo. So, I would just take a look at what's on the screen here. Um, since your last meeting, we've added item 10. So, at your last meeting, uh, there was discussion about outdoor lighting. Um, right now for context, if you want to construct or put up a light on a property, um, you have to get site plan approval at minimum from the development review board. Um, there's certain limitations on fixtures such that they need to be downcast, shielded, can emit beyond property boundaries. Um, there's certain mounting height restrictions. Uh, those result in average illumination standards. um

that are measured in foot candles, uniformity ratios, so how uniform light is distributed across the site. And that is uh a lot of work. A lighting professional needs to provide that and it makes total sense for large commercial projects. Um does not seem right sized in this situation for a temporary mobile food unit. So you wanted to see some language that allowed lighting in a less um you know permetheavy review. Um so this language was provided here. Uh this section exempts lighting for mobile food units except that they shall be downcast shielded and shall not emit further than 20 feet from the perimeter of the truck and never be on the boundaries of the property. And it also specifically prohibits flood lighting.

Okay. Okay. So, they can't just have the open bold string lights. Correct. I mean, unless they had they were downcast and shielded, which I have not seen a string light. Okay. There any any I mean happy to work through some of this language, but um I think that sums up what we're talking. Yeah. I mean, I mean, if you want [clears throat] the thing, you can change it now. We can still move forward. It's not like we want to make it a party. So, I I think we're okay. Sure.

And they're not supposed to be open past 900 p.m. And in the summer, that's basically when the sun goes down. So, yes. And I think um you know, generally, I think we'll look for some details on lighting. And you know, part of our permit process, I think, is also educating applicants on what the expectation is. So, while we talk about hours of operations and and lighting, we'll we'll talk about those hand in hand. Okay, sounds good. I'm good. We're good.

And then the other item that was just clarified and language was actually put into it was um 100 1016 C zoning permit required. Um so you had all had mentioned that um you would like to see this being an administrative zoning permit process. U this language was added. It's very similar to our uh language in article 11 that um requires zoning permits. So um this this language will require someone to come in and get a zoning permit from our office before they operate or place a mobile food unit on our property. And that's just through you guys. Just through us.

Yep.

And uh I will also mention that table A1 was updated and I'll go to that now. Table A1 is the table of uses and that is where mobile food food units do live so that you can see where they're allowed in each zoning district. They are use 8.400 mobile mobile food units. Previously, they were conditional use in many districts. Um they were actually only allowed as conditional uses in in most districts. Um after discussion at the last meeting where we walked through each zoning district, this was the culmination of that and um these are now permitted in um zoning districts here.

Okay. So in LS1 and LS2 it's it's permitted but not on the residential properties. Correct. Okay.

And that goes back to the language in 1016. So it's non-residential properties in the districts where there is a P in that column. I think most of the discussion focused on the agricultural district and you all left it with that you would not like to see mobile food units in that district at this time. All right. Can you go back to 10.16-B item three because the notes were were different. I think I believe you got the health department in there. Yeah, you did. Okay. All right. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that goes back to just needing some documentation. If they're exempt from one, they might be covered by the other.

Yep. Yep. All right. Were there any other questions? I mean, we can go back through the list if you would like, but I believe you did do that your last meeting, so I don't want to be duplicative. No, but I I did see one thing. Okay. Page 13. Page 13. Do you have a a section number? 10 point Oh, 10.01- D. That's right. You're not in the same thing I am. Okay.

10.01-d as in dog. Um, it's the little table for the excess parking. Okay, there you go. Minor thing that makes a difference. Is it what prefaces the 25 where it says greater than 25? You need to reverse the little arrow.

It does need to be reversed. Okay. I was uh I was driving myself [laughter] a little bit up a wall by googling less than or greater than signs because I was like, am I wrong here? So, I'm glad you've brought it up. Okay. Um because that needs to be correct. Okay. It makes a big difference. It's It does create a confusing situation. Good catch. That's all I got.

Anything else? No, that's all I had. Good. Looks great. Yeah. Everything else No nothing else was changed. We didn't do anything different for the ADU, right? Nothing else was changed with the accessory dwelling units. No. Um that one got complicated, but we were finalized on the last meeting, right?

Yeah. We can just go up to that language here. Yeah. So, you'll see the change here is primarily with the usage of habitable floor area. Like Kathy was saying, that's consistent with state statute. Um and adding the definition will um lend to consistency um in our interpretation of it. It's good.

All right. Yeah. So then the two follow-up items are the two motions that are at the end of your memo. Um basically the purpose of the first one being that there's a pre hearing report that goes to the department of housing and community development. Um so I believe the first motion is for that and the second motion is to warn um a public hearing. I'll pull those up on your screen here. Second one is to warn a public hearing for February 3rd. Um which is your first meeting in February. Um you will want to note in that motion that as amended um tonight per Rebecca Arnold's um recommendation under 101D.

Okay. All right. You'd like to take care of that? I'll make a motion that we accept the amendment and adoption report as drafted to be included in the public warning and distributed accordingly. Any discussion? All in favor? I second. Oh, [snorts] did I say second? I think you just did it right. It works for me. I think that you were just [snorts] operating with, you know, while Yeah, we're on a roll. Can I make another motion? Yep.

Okay. I make a motion that we warn for planning commission public hearing at 700 p.m. on February 3rd, 2026, the proposed amendments to the Colchester development regulations known as Supplement 49. and as reviewed, considered and amended uh as uh I I did tonight say Rebecca Arnold uh this evening of January 6, 2026. Second. All in favor? I I motion's pass. All right. Thank you both. You've now given me more work to do, but that's all. [laughter]

Take care of that. We're getting ready for that February third meeting. Yeah. Nice and simple. Good job. All right. Now, we need to uh consider approval of minutes. We need a motion. I motion that we approve the minutes of January. Uh okay. Was that December? December 2nd. December. Yep. Yep. Second. Second. I favor. All right. There we go. [snorts] All right. Now we're down to miscellaneous items. Monthly report confirm our next meetings. All right. So I believe in your packet the November monthly report was in there. Um if there wasn't, I apologize. No, there was.

It was good. There was. Uh if there's any questions about that, please let me know. Um, in terms of next meeting dates, um, you have agreed to meet now on February 3rd, 2026 for the public hearing on supplement 49. Um, currently, uh, we are holding February 17th, um, as a town plan kickoff meeting. Um, are there any any questions about that day? Anyone not feeling like they're going to be available that day? I'm fine.

Seems to work well. Okay. So, with that in mind, that's what your February is going to look like. Um we'll plan to do some publicity for that meeting um well ahead of time um just to make sure that it you know gets gets some some drummed up attendance. Um any questions about additional meetings or any anything else that you'd like to see beyond that point? I mean I think we'll likely at the February 3rd meeting kind of look out to March and plan beyond that point. Yeah, that'd be good. Yeah, Kathy had started that tabulation. So, yes, Kathy and I can talk a bit about it. Um, but

right now, just to give you a general overview, going from the town plan kickoff in midFebruary, um, you know, beginning of March, town meeting day, you know, not a not a strong next step for work for the town plan. Maybe some writing might occur on that day. Beyond that, mid-March, start getting into the topics and the neighborhoods. Um that'll continue through the summer. So, uh right now, Kathy's got that um starting with, you know, cultural resources and housing. um of note, you know, the regional housing targets are of course still being um twisted and turned and you know, we don't know what those numbers are um yet. So, we have an idea and we can start talking about it, but um likely good to start talking early because that conversation will probably evolve. Um but yeah, I think we'll plan to revisit that in February to um solidify those next steps. Okay. The uh back to the report just sent us is it did I look at it correctly where it looks like year to date we're down on permitting on

um multiple items? Yeah, that's what so um and I compile these reports year over year. Um yeah, we're definitely a bit slower especially on residential permitting. Yeah. Um, you know, sometimes we've seen uh larger development at uh, for example, Sunderland Farms come in, um, or Severance Corners. Um, haven't seen a lot of activity over there. Um, some planning activity, but not, you know, shovel in the ground activity there. Just wanted to make sure I was looking at it correctly. Yep.

Okay. Thank you for looking at it because sometimes I wonder if if anyone's looking at it. Yeah, I definitely look through it. Yeah, not too bad though. No, we're still moving. Yeah, there's always some standout things in here. Like one year the DRB denied like five or six applications and that was kind of a like, whoa, what happened that year? Yeah. You know, um but generally it does seem like the big takeaway right now is that perings slowed down a little bit. Yeah. mostly when they deny it's because doesn't fit into zoning or they can't make the property work.

That year it was a variety of um issues. Um one of which was uh somebody who wanted to be denied so they could take the next step and go to court with that property owner. Um but yeah, generally it the DRB has to deny something when uh it does not meet the development regulations. And we as staff do our best to work with applicants to get them to yes if we can, but sometimes, you know, they have the right to go before the development review board and possibly get a no. Yep.

Okay. Perfect. Okay. Well, like we said, this one was going to be quick. Anything else? Then we need a motion to adjurnn. Well, then I'll make a motion that we adjourn. Second. All in favor? I. We are. We haven't had a short meeting like this. [laughter] Got you running like full

I do. Do I have a pen? I got one right here.