Remarks by Nancy Smith
126 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 3 of 6
So where to operate is the problem there.
So where does, so that language came from? It came from the moratorium. I understand it's in the moratorium. I'm looking for what the logic was in including that word. We work in both. We work in both.
And did legal rights issues on that? Again, I think it was discussed. I don't think so.
So we can look at, we've only got four councillors, but we've got a good turnout from the planning board. Is anyone interested in option three?
I would say that wasn't our intention when we were going through. And again, where this is a workshop, no decisions being made, or no votes being taken.
So others can address why it was gone towards before the vote. I wasn't there at the August meeting where that was decided, but... The idea was, I think, that there was a problem. From my understanding, the planning board said to the folks who were concerned, we can't do more, according to the fact that you won't go to city council. And they did. And the conversations, as you know, pursue from there. I'm frustrated that we had this reviewed by legal. And thank you for the recollection that legal said the word operate does not do what we think it does. I don't know what we do with that piece…
So if we're looking to be helpful to planning staff on what do we do with this thing, it looks like this time there's no interest in having you invest in number three. And with number one, it's the, I'm consistently hearing two things. It's the performance standards and the definitions so that we know what we're talking about. Is that doable within that two to three months at a minimal cost?
So I had, you know, after the meeting, the council meeting, listening to folks who were talking, and then there were just a few people left in the room, and it was... Is it the wife of the property owner? I can't remember names, but I think she was his wife. And she said, what I want to say to the neighborhood association is tell us what you are comfortable with and we'll do it. We don't want to go through this again. So that's, I think, that to me was a really telling point. I wish that conversation had happened or that, and I don't know how much of it had happened, but that's the energy…
So I'll say part of my frustration with this, too, before our meeting, I went to the planning board site, and the most recent recordings were months old. I couldn't find any information about this. So I understood when the neighbors were saying, we don't know what's going on. feel like they're responding to what we're doing. And I know that the website is one of many things that we don't have the capacity to bring 100% up to where it should be.
I understand that it's everybody. We're all dealing with a community board capacity and yet here we are. Totally get it. But I can see that that was a challenge. I couldn't get up to speed on it in time. Getting back to offering direction to the planning board.
I'm going to interrupt for a minute. Brittany, is that your computer that might be doing feedback? Or Charlie, is that you?
Thanks. And I think to what Pat's saying, can you outline what you see in those bullet points?
And will that help with the conversation we've had about attend versus? No. The state does not differentiate between the two. Do we need to or not? Well, currently, our ordinance does not.
And that seems to make sense. But I think it's still a question about whether we subcategories depending on the performance standards. I would think the performance standards are going to be different depending on the activity.
There was talk that night about there's another one. Again, all the hearsay just confuses everybody.
I thought we made progress on that. That number three is off the table or since at this point. It's a very awkward situation where there was a campground looking to expand. But also, if this can get done in two to three months, that may not be hardship. so we're back to the option one and I'd love to see a legal opinion on the word operation that they can't operate because that was brought up and we were told by by legal that's not an issue would love to have that clarity for the planning board and for staff in case something happens and if it is an issue and somehow that was in error then we…
seeing where there are issues and bringing those small spots up to... And the two that come to my mind in addition to this, there was the noise issue, and I wondered if our existing noise ordinance is sufficient, and we just need to make sure that that's there for them to know. And then lighting was another one that came up that night, and I don't know what to do.
And what percentage of the geography is the two combined? What's that? What's the percentage of those two combined?
It has some weird overlay of other places.
It is a decision to encourage housing specifically and making it without the cost of land being a barrier. I want to bring us back to the guidance we need to give tonight, even though I love these conversations that are there. Lisa brought up the other concern that was brought up at the neighborhood is smoke and campfires and fires spreading. We have an odor ordinance.
Do we have anything like that for any other, sorry, commercial, like the malls?
Well, I think this is an opportunity to refresh, update this ordinance if there are 13 components to it. I would assume you've already looked at them to see where there might be issues.
So you're talking about the height of the flames because they're 20 foot tall.
So the last thing that I want to raise is there was talk about transportation and the RVs on the roads, but DOT... has expertise in this, and they deem that to be sufficient road.
So it feels like that's along with the other things where you said water usage was covered, sewage was covered.