[Music] Good evening everyone. Today is November 6, 2025. The time is 6:00 p.m. and this
is the accishna planning board. This meeting is being recorded for future viewing on the town's YouTube page uh YouTube site and on uh the New Bethford media channel. Uh can I get a motion to open the
planning board meeting? >> I make a motion to open the meet. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I I uh we have a quorum tonight. Can we introduce ourselves? >> Victoria Albaro, town planner. >> Peter Gaya, member. Mark Francois, chairman.
>> Brian Dishamps, member. Rick Ellis, vice chairman. >> Okay, minutes. Uh, we got the minutes to the September 4th meeting, uh, sent to us.
Uh, everybody was in attendance except for Steve Bush. U, he's not here tonight. Anyways, um has everybody had a chance to look these over? Any questions, comments, concerns? >> I make a motion to accept the minutes
from September 4th. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Fabulous. Uh we have another set of minutes here
uh from October 16th. Uh myself, Brian, and Steve were in attendance. Rick and Peter were not. Um we can still vote on them as is. Does
anybody have any questions, comments, concerns? I make a motion to accept the minutes from October 16th. >> I got a motion. All in favor? Uh, second. Excuse me. >> I'll second. >> All in favor?
>> I I'll have to abstain. I wasn't here. >> We have one abstain. Very good. Moving on. Discussion demolition affidavit 39 Keen Road Angelo
Drive Subdivision applicant owner AMN Estate Holding LLC representative Alex Mashado. Uh I will there's nobody here representing so I'll just read the affidavit real quick. give you a quick
uh I am N estate holding LLC of having personal knowledge of the facts herein stated under oath depose and say as follows. This affidavit is being recorded to show that 39 Keen Road at
Krishna Massel 2743 is owned by the above LLC and the deed is recorded in book 14510 page 305 and Bristol County uh SD registry of deeds. The building on said premise is
to be removed upon completion of the project and two lots will remain under covenant through the planning board until the existing home on 39 Keen Road has been demolished. So basically very
self-explanatory. Um there was an uh legality, an opening so to speak that wasn't closed at the original meeting. Uh that the building needed to be demolished and he wasn't the building
department wasn't issuing a building permit until said building was demolished. So um we are going to put uh the demolition of that building under two of the five lots that are under the covenant. At the moment we have five
lots in the covenant. Uh so two of them will also add the demolition of this existing house on 39 road. Pretty self-explanatory. Anybody got any questions, comments?
Let's take a quick vote. Uh, I'll entertain a motion to accept this affidavit for the demolition of 39 Keen Road under two house lots. I make a motion
that we approve the affidavit uh that you just read. >> I got a motion second. All in favor? >> I I Thank you. uh to continue. Um this is continued discussion on amending the business
village district. So we've had multiple meetings uh 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. So the business is probably number eight on um amending the village district
A. Uh, one of the things that's still open is um naming those districts. So, at the moment, at the moment we have we got in orange
is the business village. In blue we have commercial business. In yellow we have industrial. In the white is a residential A and in orange here is residential village.
Now the business village which is highlighted in orange here. I don't know if you guys can see it or you're familiar with it. this where we're looking to continue this all the way to Lake. I've I've had people concerns with using
the name business village when that goes outside of the village. Um, I would, my personal opinion, I think we should just rename it completely and instead of keeping it business
village and then adding another color and another name from here to lake. I think we should basically just remove the word village and just make it business
district or business zoned or I'm open to suggestions. >> Were you going to hold the same the same lot sizes as the business village district all the way up uh Main Street? That would be my only question. You
know, I I don't know what what are the minimum lot sizes in the business village district >> for but for um residential home building. >> Well, if you're going to if it's going to be one name and you have residential
and business village district, >> well, we have residential village. No, see, I I'd like to keep residential village. Okay. >> The yellow where there's residence. >> Y >> that stays residential village. >> Yep. It's the orange or red, I guess you
could call it. Red, which is South Main to center to here. >> Mhm. >> That is business village. >> Oh, okay. All right. >> I'd like to keep it business because I'd like to continue that red line all the way to Lake.
>> Mhm. >> But I've heard grumblings uh out out and about that people don't like to use the word village when it's outside the village. Mhm. >> So instead of having business village from here to here and then business
something else from here in the lake, >> my recommendation and I'm open to suggestion is keeping it business all one word when it goes through the village all the way to lake just removing the word village because not
only is it in village but it's also outside of village. These all residential uh lots along Main Street right towards the north end
of town. Um what are the residential avail what are the allowable residential lot sizes on the business village district as it sits right now? >> Can you not have any residences at all?
>> Repeat that again. I'm sorry. Well, I'm just seeing what I'm just wondering what the minimum lot sizes would end up being. >> Yeah. So, >> please. >> So, to answer your first question, right as it sits right now or it stands right now, um business the business bills
district allows any uses that are already permitted in the residential a district. So, all of the residential >> Okay, that's uses. Yeah. >> Yep. >> Now, what go ahead. >> Yeah. Yeah. For the lot sizes, right now it's 10,000 square ft is the minimum lot size >> for residential or for everything
>> for that district. Yep. >> Okay. >> For the residential village. >> For the business village district. >> Business village district. >> So you would be allowing residential lots 10,000 square ft all along North Main Street. That's that's what I was getting at. If you unless you either
have a different district or you have something in there that changes the lot size. I think at least if I'm understanding correctly based on our discussions, >> we're trying to promote a mixed use along that strip. So I don't think at
least under my understanding from our discussions, we wouldn't we would kind of strike that saying that all residential uses are allowed cuz we'd want to promote the mixed use, right? You want to have require >> have the commercial above, you know, you can do, you know, a residence above. If
you want to kind of see the first floor commercial, I would say >> the uh what I'm getting at is is, you know, right now you've got 150 ft of frontage and and 60,000 square foot lots. >> Yes. >> Um so that would mean if you got enough
frontage, whatever the frontage requirement is, you could put >> quite a number of lots on you could put six lot six residences or six businesses on that 60,000 foot lot if you've got enough frontage. What's the frontage requirement?
>> Frontage right now is 60 ft. >> Okay. So that that would let you carve up uh every residential lot on North Main Street to uh you know in half. You could put two you could put two residences pretty much on any lot that
any any lot that you've got on uh North Main Street right now. That's all. >> Yeah. No, no, I'm glad you me I'm glad you're bringing that up. But it would be business. It would have to be a business. So basically, if if let's just say you got 150 ft 60,000 ft lot, you
could cut that in half and put two businesses on that lot even though they have living spaces above it. >> Mhm. >> I What about if you have a separate residence like there is in many places along North Main Street?
I'm just looking at I look at it like that's an opportunity uh to split split all the lots in half and make some more money. >> I guess I was interpreting this differently. I thought we were going to just keep what the setbacks were in those zones but allow if somebody wanted
to put a business there didn't mean that we were going to shrink frontage or we're going to shrink square footage. >> That's why. >> But we're just saying you have the right to put a business there. >> Yes. Not that we're going to use the business
district setbacks and lot sizes and >> Right. That's how >> that's how I was interpreting. >> That's how I would >> as long as it's clearly written that way. >> Yeah. >> Well, then that's different. That's I was not interpreting. We were all having the same conversation. >> Well, that
>> Yeah. I'm just letting you know that's how I was interpreting it from since we've been doing it that yes, we're going to change the zone to say you have the right to put a business there, >> but we weren't going to shrink down setbacks and lot sizes. >> The only setback that I was thinking about shrinking was
>> down the 300 ft that you have off of the main >> 300 ft setback. >> Set back. That was the only setback that I was thinking about. It seems like the best thing would honestly would be to have like a business village A and a business village B because other than that you're going to get very confused
between the two districts as to which setbacks apply and which lot sizes apply. That's all. I think it would make it a little more clear. >> Now, do even though let's just say village district A >> is where it is now in the village.
>> Mhm. and village district B is outside the village. Do you still want to keep the word village? >> Uh, it doesn't I to me it's it's irrelevant. It's just how it's just how the zoning is written up for that
district. That's all. You know, you can call it whatever you want. Um, you can call it you can I mean you that's that's it's just a name. You can call it mixed use mixeduse district. You can call it, you know, business village B. You can I
mean, the name is is it it really is what what are going to be the the lot size requirements, the setback requirements, the parking requirements, the coverage requirements, all of those things. Uh and and you're probably going to want a different coverage requirement
than you've got in the central part of town where things are almost completely uh covered with pavement and buildings in in different areas. just bringing it up as a discussion point. That's all. I I honestly I think you're better off
with two separate names and a separate write up for what happens in the the the other district, the new district. >> Yeah. If you're if you're wanting what's beyond the center to have different or beyond the village to have different
dimensional requirements like the frontage and law size and things like that, then yeah, it would make sense to do two different ones. I still think the business village needs to be reworked regardless of the name change, one or two districts, whatever the case may be. Um, I was under the impression that we
were continuing those requirements. So, I'm sorry if I misunderstood that. >> No, I'm just I I don't I don't know that it was set one way or the other. I mean, that's that's a that but that's a question. you know, if you want to have high density development in what
whatever where wherever the lines are drawn for this new district, uh, you know, just keep in mind that it may look a little different than it looks now. 60 ft of frontage and 10,000 foot lots, you know, that's uh that's considerably
more density along North Main Street. >> Yeah, I think that would be >> I think that would be too much, I think. Yeah, I >> I wasn't that's not what I had envisioned. I had envisioned
>> having the ability to put up a business by right. >> Mhm. >> Not by special permit. By right, mixed use. You can have a a business on the downstairs uh not first floor, you can
have a dwelling on the second floor. Um, >> I think I think that's a great idea. You know, I just it it needs to be written up so that you know what the density requirements, the lot size requirements, the frontage
requirements are all you and the the uses have got to be listed and u yeah, you know, it's just it's just got to be clear and you've got to have clear lines, too. You know what? That's part of of creating the district
is somehow you're going to have to create the district lines. >> And I mean, you can either do it as, you know, three the easiest the the simplest way is to say it's 300 ft back from the side of the road or 600 or whatever the magic number is. Uh you can also do it
uh as groups of lots. Uh you know, there's a number of ways to do it, but you have to define the lines. Uh so that when somebody picks up the zoning regulation, they can look at that lot, they can look at the zoning regulation and say, "Okay,
this lot is all included in that district. I can do X." Uh maybe the lot is half in one district, half in another, you know, and and there can be regulations written to cover that also. Um there just those are just
considerations. But uh certainly in terms of uses usage I don't see any reason why you can't define an area and you know pick what usages you want and if you want it to be mix if you want to allow mixed with residential and u and
business uh that's fine. Uh if it's going to be just residential uh you know just be careful what you do with frontage and lot size or you're going to end up with some higher density development all along. all the street
>> that we we we were also in discussions with that. So that was um we've been discussing also reviewing zoning and there's um areas that I feel uh zoning can be changed the more uh the
the areas that are I don't know if you don't have a map in front that's all right some of these purple shaded developments are 10 15 20,000 square foot lots Yep. >> And if
this is all 20,000 foot lots, that person owns that and that could be cut up into three 20,000 ft lot, then he should have that right >> because it's part of that >> if he's surrounded by 20,000 foot lots. >> Yeah. I I mean again that I think as you
get closer to the center of town, that's a different discussion than the the north end of town, if you will. And I think that was part of that discussion we were having saying, >> we would say, "Yeah, this area over here that does have the smaller square footage
>> that we would say, yeah, if you're you're surrounded by this or you're in a butter to this, you should be able to do that." >> But as far as that going all the way down Main Street, like I said, I was under the impression, no, we would just keep the zone the way it is. But we saying if you want to put a business
there, you can't by right. >> Yeah. And that's another And that's another way to do it. It would just include all of the land that's got that zoning designation, not just right along the street. That's all.
>> Repeat that. Well, if if you're going to say you you keep the you keep the lot sizes the way Well, if you kept the lot sizes the way they are, >> 60,000 square ft, >> but it's the same as it's got to have a
different name or else you will be allowing businesses on every lot in whatever it is, residential A or residential B. >> Right. It needs its own zone. >> Yes, it needs its own zone. or or or unless I mean if that's the
intent too, you can you can say, "Okay, everything in residential A can you can have a business on that lot if you've got enough land area to meet the coverage requirements, the parking requirements, and the the parking requirements get to be important, too."
And not I mean, right, every time I drive by uh what's Rochelle's Scuttlebutts, >> you know, they've got the restaurant on one side. We'll have a parking problem there in the morning. That's why that's that's why it leads
into parking requirements. You know, if typically a restaurant is going to have a like three parking spaces per seat or two parking spaces per seat, there's there's an it's it's an it's different in different towns and in different
districts. But if you don't require that they be able to build enough parking spaces to support the use, then you're going to have people out on the street and people across the people across the street complaining to the selectmen and the police that uh there's people
parking in their front yard in the morning. That's already happened. >> No, >> that's not that's not that's not a a >> right. >> That's not a pretend consideration. >> Can we can All right. So, I'm just kind
of thinking out loud. So, if if you have these lots on Main Street, like this one, whatever, right near Leonard Street, it's a big lot. Can you can you have it worded to where if it's a business, it's
one dimension. If it's a resident, it's a different dimension. >> As long as it's written up that way. Yeah. Yeah. >> You know what I I don't want people who have a who have three acres, four acres, whatever the side, and they have one house here in the front to say, "Oh, now
I can cut this up into a bunch of 10,000 foot lots and put a bunch of houses on." >> That's what I was getting at. >> I don't that's not the intention of what >> I think we want to do. Um, but if somebody has, you know, two, three acres here with a house on it, but
yet has enough room to put, you know, two storefronts >> Mhm. >> on 20,000 square ft. As long as it's a business, that's what I'm trying to promote is a business. >> I don't want I don't want to increase I
know. I'm just don't know if I'm getting my the wording across right. I want to increase business. And if you happen to put an apartment above it, so be it. >> But I'm I'm I'm looking to help people put in small obviously, you know, you got to look at septic, you look at
setbacks, you got to look at everything, but I'm looking to try to promote more businesses on Main Street. >> Mhm. >> But without flooding it with residents of residential homes >> without being a business. >> Yep.
>> You know what I mean, Brian? >> Yeah. I'm just not I'm not in the 10,000 square foot thing, you know. I'm staying with the residential setbacks of the way they are and you're able to put a business on it. End of story. >> So, you need So, you need to have 150 ft
of frontage and 60,000 feet. >> Yeah. You're not changing any of that, you know. >> Pete. >> Yeah. I think that I agree with I agree with what Brian just said. I think that if you I think you're just going to open a can
of worms if you start letting people break if we don't wear it right and they start breaking up all these lots into you know I mean >> I don't want that to happen. Um, I'm just looking at I mean, if a builder
sees a way to put six six house lots on that lot, they'll buy the house and carve it up and put six six houses there. >> Yeah, that's not But this isn't for It's not mainly for housing. It's mainly No, no, I know. Okay. But but if it's if a
residence is allowed, >> you know, well then, you know, >> but if it has to be used >> so that you can't do that, that's fine, >> right? >> I mean, I understand what what Mark is getting at. And I mean, historically,
that end of town was somebody lived there and had a small business. I mean, that's you can go along North Main Street and whether it was a farm, you know, a gas station, you know, or whatever. Uh, that's that's a fair Well,
it there is development along North Main Street like that because that's the way it was. People have a farm and they'd have their house there. People would have a uh I think Harding had his garage there. I believe he lived next to it. I
don't remember being quite honest with you, but that's not uncommon and there's nothing wrong with that as long as it's we're not carving everything up into small lots to get businesses and residential usages. That's
>> if you make this mixed use or whatever you call it. Um is that going to be a problem? Like say if you have business business house in the middle business business is that
>> yeah if you're the house in the middle you might not be happy with that >> right >> I don't know if we have enough open lots open space on Main Street for even that to happen unless unless you know
residents were turning their houses into businesses um I don't think I see that happening Um, I just think of And again, when you look at a map like this and you see an open square, you don't know
what's on that open square, >> right? Right. >> You know what I mean? There could be a house on that square. Uh, uh, I know there's, you know, purple ones and non-purp ones. I'm You don't know what these are, right? Um, but I know when I drive down Main Street, I don't see a
bunch of open property for sale or or even farms that are, you know, I'm just I'm trying to think outside the box to try to bring in small businesses and Main Street because it's such a busy
road would be the ideal place. Now we our job is to word it in such a way that small businesses can come but yet we don't want to open it up to residents to just pop in houses everywhere either.
>> You could do an accessory business you know in a residential zone. You know you could do it that way. You know if somebody's got a house there now and they want to do a small business in the back. You know you you've got the lot the way it sits. You've got the
residential I'm a zoning. Uh but you allow an accessory business in a residential zone. Believe it or not, that's the way it used to be in town a long long time ago. >> Yeah. That's what that's and that's what
I see is when you you you drive down, you see like you know uh Country Hardware, you see all these businesses that are there now. >> Mhm. But you can't do that today. >> Yeah. And and again, if it's car as long as it's worded and you understand what
you're getting into with that wording. Yes, you certainly can do that. You know, I I'm I'm going to go on on the other in another direction here. Just quickly, uh next to my father's now my
mobile home park. Uh if you go to and look at the one of the adjacent properties, it used to be a CR Leonard uh welding shop, you know, now I don't know what it is, but it's packed with I
mean it's just packed right out to the street with vehicles parked there and different kinds of things parked there. So I you know, you got to think about whether you're going to you want to allow things like that. I know too on the north on the south south end of town
uh you know there's a couple of contractor's yards out there and uh some people aren't real happy about having that next door either. So and I used to hear we used to hear things from Bill Merritt at that time that you know he would get a lot of complaints about the
contractor yard on uh South Main Street. Um, >> I mean, this has to go in front of the town meeting anyways and I know I know we'd get a lot of questions and and I'm sure we get a lot of >> I'm just rambling too. >> Yeah. Yeah. No, I I mean
>> we have residents that complain about taxes being high, which our taxes are high. We have because we are how much what's percentage? >> You're speaking to the choir. I I agree with you. And the only reason I'm bringing these things Yeah. No, I'm glad you are. >> Just for discussion. >> I'm glad you are.
>> Absolutely. That's why we're we're having these roundt conversations to to try to >> You don't want to just open a free-for-all up there. >> Yeah. Exactly. Right. Yeah. You know, and if you're if you're the one that just bought that 3/4 of a million dollar house and all of a sudden a contractor's
yard goes in next to you, you're probably not going to be that happy. Well, that's why when you talk about, you know, as you get through working through the bylaw, what the vision is because I think, at least from what I'm understanding, I'm hearing a little bit different today than what our
conversations have been, at least my interpretation of it. So, I think we really need to decide on what the vision is for this bylaw. Like if we're promoting, for example, like you mentioned a contractor yard. If the idea is to promote a mixed use, having small business on the first floor and residential on the top, which is
typically how a mixeduse looks, then you wouldn't have t a contractor's yard. That's not something you would zone for. You would zone. >> No, no, I I understand. >> But that's what that's just what I'm trying to say is like that's not >> if that wasn't if we didn't put that as an allowed use, that wouldn't happen. Do you know what I mean? It would be a
small retail type store, maybe an office, that sort of thing. That's >> I mean I I would think that that's probably the best place to start is a table of allowed uses in that in that zone.
>> That's a good point. A table of uses. >> When when I used to try and do commercial developments, that was the first thing I looked at. What's allowed? And you know if it's not allowed well then you've got to get it and it's not allowed by special permit then you got
to try and get a variance which are very difficult to get especially for commercial use. So but allowed uses that's like number one in in the definition of the the zone. So I I I
would say let's start at least for discussion with a list of allowed uses. >> So just if we can almost take a step back from that real quick. So I just want to be clear as to what
we're looking for so I know what other bylaws to look for and what to uh information to bring toward to the board. >> So are we moving away from the mixeduse idea? cuz I also if I'm also hearing the to keep the >> to have an accessory business or something like that like somebody
mentioned business in the back >> and you know keeping the 60,000 ft lots like I'm just not quite sure >> the lot situation is I think where the the miscommunication was. I think I think
he Rick brings up a good point. If we can't you can't have the same 10,000 square foot, you know, 60,000 six 60 ft frontage and 10,000 square foot lots that we have in the village
continue all the way up because everybody's going to stop breaking up their lots to put residents on there. or unless we word it to where to get that frontage and size it has to be a business,
right? >> Do you mean so like typically with mixing you have like I'm just trying to understand >> No, because Okay, that's what it comes out. >> I think we're all thinking of like different things in our heads. It might
be helpful if maybe next time I kind of have some pictures of different of what these things look like from the zone to how it looks on the ground. I think some visioning would be helpful. Um but but what I'm thinking of is a business either on the first like we have a
couple on over here on self mean you kind of have a first floor business retail and then you have if somebody wants to add a mixed use component they can put a residence on top. I've seen that's sort of what I'm thinking of. I'm not sure what >> I agree with you as far as that
definition is concerned. Now it's what will the lot size be >> for that? So if somebody down on Main Street, let's just say they have >> two acres, >> yeah, >> round numbers, they got two acres on Main Street.
>> If they are going to be allowed to cut that lot in half, they have a house on it now, but they have enough room to cut it in half to put up a business. M >> we have to state that that lot can be
smaller than the 60,000 square ft but it's has to be a business can't be a residence. >> No no that's >> can't be its own zone. So the residence part or the residence a district would
be almost irrelevant. This would have its own dimensional requirements. Now whether or not you know you're saying you want to keep them the same as residential a you know that's that's just the number part. It has nothing to do with the residence district. Do you know what I mean? So if you're saying
you want it to be 60,000 square ft it's 60,000 ft for the business for whatever the allowed uses are. It's 60,000 ft. you can't kind of pick like, you know, if it's if you wanted to do like an accessory business like like Rick had alluded to earlier in the residential a district that's different,
>> but this would be its own zone, its own frontage, its own dimensional requirements um that it would adhere to. So like if you said like let's say you wanted to be 20,000 square ft, it would be you know it would have to have 20,000 ft for the uses that are allowed in that district. It's not like a what I mean.
Is that am I explaining that well? How I wonder, you know, I I wonder how many vacant lots there are or or not, you know, or it just seems like we we've carved up so many form a lots virtually
everywhere in town that they could be carved out. a lot of there's quite a number of older structures that have more land in the back >> and and a lot of the historical uh business/residential
uses somebody had a house and then there was another building for the business or the farm or the welding shop or whatever it was. Uh you know, if you've got if you've got a lot with a house on it that's basically a one-story house.
There's not much of any way you're going to have a residence above unless you basically tear it down and start over again. Uh that that's that's kind of what I'm thinking. I'll be I'll be looking at that as I drive up and down
Main Street, you know, for for a little while now. I I mean not not to kind of move off but Victoria and I one day not long ago we were sitting in the planning board office and we were looking at this map uh regarding discussion of the next
one uh discussion on comprehensive zoning review which what is something that we've talked about regarding these shaded areas uh like if this is a 20,000 ft area house law area then these should be able
to be 20,000 square feet as well. And but then we're like, where do you draw the line? If this guy abuts this one and these are all 20,000 and this is 4 acres, can he cut these four acres into all 20,000?
It's like it's like you're opening up a can of worms. >> Oh, yeah. Absolutely. >> Oh, yeah. So, we quickly realized that there's so much more involved in this than we realized that Victoria had a good idea
that when what is it when the the the grant thing opens up, Victoria? >> About January the grant opens up for the onetop. So, did you want me to >> please? Okay. So, um similar to how we got the grant for the master plan. So it' be that same grant program through
uh the community one stop for growth which is state state program. Um you can apply for what's called a comprehensive zoning review. So you know um we mentioned like for example we don't have a table of use for any of our districts. So a lot of communities have one
singular table of use. You can look at everything in one page. Um there's a few inconsistencies throughout the zoning bylaw. There's ambiguities in there. So, this zoning review would sort of look at the entire picture, you know what I mean? And if we wanted to take a a
bigger look at our residents district or having potentially having subdists, that's something we could look at through that review. We would also be able to have an in um an uh consultant that would help with that. Um which would be really helpful cuz there's a lot of, you know, data driven stuff
that's involved that I personally don't have the software to use. Um so, really helpful. It's kind of beyond in-house capabilities, I guess you should, >> right? And and and that's what we were brought up before. If we could have like start off with a blank map of a cushion
and then we could have a plastic overlay, but now everything's done on computers. You have an overlay. This is the water where the water manes are. Then you have another overlay. This is where the sewer is. So we have a better general idea. >> Right. Exactly. And then you need Okay.
What is open space? What is conservation? Like we could be looking at this and all of these are conservation. We can't build on any of them. Anyways, so it's like we we realized quite quickly that we don't have the capability in house to do this
that and then that's when Victoria brought up the one-stop grant. >> Certainly not on a part-time basis. That's >> I not on a part-time basis, a voluntary basis. Not at all. So, um, so after, you know, going we're going back and forth and we started drawing lines. Oh, maybe
we'll go here and maybe we'll go there. No, can't do it that way. So, um, as far as comprehensive zoning review, we're going to look into Victoria is going to look into that one-stop grant to see if we can get
>> that would be marvelous, >> you know, because that then that will somebody will have the the hours and the graphics capabilities to to do the overlays and say, "Here's what you've got. Now, you know, we understand you
want to, you know, encourage business in this area. >> This is what you >> Yeah. This is this is what's available to encourage uh the mixed use or whatever you want to call it. >> Right.
>> Right. and they may have some they they should have some very good ideas on >> different kinds of mixed use zonings that you can utilize so that you know it it's also driven by economics.
>> Absolutely. you know, it if >> I mean there's got to be a an economic benefit to somebody to locate a business out on North Main Street. Uh, and
it's without that, you can put all the zonings together you want and it's not going to make any difference. >> But I mean, ju just think of this. We we we I was at the town meeting on Monday night. Um and the they voted on putting a clubhouse on the golf course. So now
that that's going to go through and they're going to go ahead and put a clubhouse on that golf course. One, we get a lot of traffic going to the golf course. >> Two, we're going to get more traffic going to the golf course if if there's events there, if there's restaurant
there and and and and there's weddings there. I don't know what exactly they're going to do, but now somebody can put a little business right outside with golf store with, you know, selling golf equipment and golf this and golf that.
And, you know, people would want to open up smaller businesses with the amount of traffic that I mean, we have a lot of traffic on Main Street as it is, but I mean, the increased traffic that we're going to get on Main Street, this I think this would encourage it. So, yes, I I think >> No, I think it's a great it's a it's a
good idea. And >> I just think you're right. It's just now remember what we were you and I were talking about these and it started getting really >> Mhm. >> I think this one is becoming the exact same way. I think it's becoming over
with a lot of open questions that >> you know what I mean. So, let me ask you, if we do apply for this onetop grant, could we encompass both of these, the amending of the business village and the zoning review? Is that something that they could do together and all in
one or is it >> But wouldn't you be getting the information from the one that's going to be >> Well, one is for like zoning review is for like residential zoning. Well, no, it's it's zoning as a whole. Look at our
typically the zoning bylaws itself, finding consistencies, you know, things like that, things that aren't clear. >> Um, I can take a look at some other ones of what other communities have done. I've never been through one myself. Um, but I don't know if you'd get as indepth
as you wanted. Like, I feel like that's almost like a separate >> thing, you know, for a new zoning bylaw. M >> u but I can look and see what what other communities >> I just like a lot's been brought up and questions now like in my head like yeah
I think of what you're saying of like >> bringing the the the the zoning requirement down and then I listen to Brian and then Rick and right we don't want to do this because we want to keep it 60,000 ft. It's like now there's a lot more.
>> Yeah. Well, I think like I said, I think maybe if if you want to wait and try and see if we can do that through the one stop, that's fine. But I think we need to kind of have a clear vision of what we're looking for, >> right? And I think we're also looking at too many things at once. >> Okay.
>> Yeah. I think other things are kind of getting involved in >> Exactly. I mean, this all started out with let's turn, you know, commercial or business along Main Street, then we're moving over here there. we should right now. Let's just concentrate on let's move that along >> and not anything else.
>> That's Yeah. And that's that's what we are going to do cuz now we're going to kind of put the zoning review on hold until we can look into the onetop and let them kind of if we can get the grant, let them do that. But yeah, let's
let's concentrate on commercial on Main Street to Lake Street and what we all kind of want to see, >> right? And so that we're not jumping around town trying to, >> you know, let's get one place squared
away first and move on after that. >> I agree. I agree. Well, let's let's try to accomplish one thing today, which is renaming. >> Okay. That's one of the issues that we have to do is so I think we've all come to the
conclusion that we're going to need another district, right? >> So two separate >> two separate district. >> See, it's the cleanest way to do it. >> Okay. So let's stay with what we have now as the business village district. What would we like to name it when it it
leaves the business village district and it goes from here to lake? Well, I like this other one that you have here. The greater village mixed Use District. I like that one. The Greater Village mixed Use District.
GV GV MUD G. >> No more acronyms. Two letters. Two letters. It's all after two letters. You'll lose me. Do we like that name? Is that something we want to kind of keep going with? >> I think that's fine.
>> I kind of like it. >> I'm good with that. >> Okay, that at least we accomplished that today. >> Uh and then yes, we need to really uh and maybe I need to kind of reconfigure exactly what I was thinking uh regarding
this. Um, >> I I would I would honestly really start with allowed uses >> because that that's allowed uses, you know, what uses do you want to allow in that zone period? You know, like I the
contract I I brought up the contractor's yard just because I know the building inspector had some problems in the south end of Yeah. with that and that that It's not going to generate a lot of tax revenue. No. >> And uh >> no I mean I don't know if you can
consider that a business but yeah uh yeah uh >> well and and again that's why you have a list of allowed uses and and it's only the allowed uses that you can do in that zone and contractors you just wouldn't be
>> it's got to be a generator a generator of of monies. I mean, typically you're you're talking about a retail operation of some kind, >> right? >> Country hardware, which is no more well, it's only a couple days a week now. That
would be a retail use, >> right? Um, you know, retail, uh, you know, and and restaurants. I mean, those are those are the two that come to the top of my head. >> And even like what would you call a service base like a hair salon or a dog
groomer? I mean that's that goes right in that goes right in the list. >> That's kind of those are the things that you know I started my brain working on little things like that. If somebody wants to open up a little hair salon place or or a dog groomering place or a golf shop you know two doors
>> down the golf course. We got an auto body. We have a place that does the portage John. We have you know >> there's a lot of different uses out there right now. >> Right. Exactly. rep weld which used to be a concrete plant at one time. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah. A lot of the cement in in came from there >> was Campanelli and Cardi I think. >> Yeah. Campanelli. Not Kabanelli. Campanelli. >> That was a long time ago. >> But yeah. So I mean so those are more
but those are more industrial uses and that's again why >> you you have the list of use allowed uses period you know and concrete plant and things like that aren't aren't >> not permitted.
>> All right. So >> I mean you've got you've got you've got a small out in front of the Brookside mobile home park. you've got a a small group of buildings that are basically used for for uh for commercial purposes, you know, so it's not it's it's not
uncommon in that part of town. >> So, let me throw something at you. So, let's just keep Repel as an example. So, Repel's a decent sized piece of property. Uh if Repo wanted to sell his lot, some
contractor came in, bought that lot, and they put a road smack dab down the middle of it. >> Mhm. >> And wanted to put businesses all along that thing. >> Mhm. >> I mean, obviously, you would have to septic and all that, you know, I know all the all the all the things that go with it, but let's just say somebody
came in and say, I'm going to put a road smack dab down the middle and have a strip mall, whatever. just business business business. How would we how would you make the >> Yeah, but when you say strip mall, it's
not like the strip mall is divided into lots. I mean, you're just putting up this one building that's going to have five whatever >> five storefronts, so to speak. >> So, it's not like you're cutting up the lot in order to do that. >> You could do that. I mean, but and and
you would just and that would be one way to accomplish smaller lot sizes that if it's just a business and not a residential zone, not a residence also, then you know that would be one way to encourage more commercial property. >> That's those are the the things that
kind of in my head is some something like Repwell. I'm not saying it would ever happen. That's just an example. But something like Repwell that has a decent piece of property, has frontage on Main Street. What if some he or somebody else wanted to put a blow a road in here
>> and have businesses that so you could go in and you would have, you know, it could be office space, it could be a salon, could be a lawyer's office, it could be a dog groomer, it could be >> Yep. There's no it's it's easy. I mean, it's just lot size, frontage, and
allowed usage. >> That's kind of what I got in my head as far as what I'm thinking for this. You know, we don't have very many rep wells on Main Street. Uh but I mean, we have Keith's Farm, which is a monstrosity,
but that's, you know, going is does the town own that now? >> No, it's the Kushnik Fair Haven Land Trust. >> Okay. So, that but that's locked up. I mean, if it's >> really protected. >> Yeah. So, there's nothing you can do with that. >> No, no, that'll stay protected in perpetuity. I mean that's uh that's one
of the bigger pieces of land. It's u actually the last biggest farm in in the cushion. That's it. >> You got Peter's orchard. There's I mean there's a bigger there's some land there. You know whether it's Burkville or not, I have I have no idea. Um most
of Ashley's is carved up, >> right? Um the uh I mean you bet that that intersection between Perry Hill and Main Street, you know, you've still got you've got farms there that uh you know,
where there's land available uh if if they want to carve it up for business kind of a thing. I mean, granted, you know, septic and all that, that's part that's that becomes another part of the constraints, right? But uh but certainly there's no reason why you couldn't pick
>> like the lot that um Country Hardware sits on or the lot across the street. I don't know who owns that now. Uh across Perry Hill, you know, you could you could uh word it so that you could do
more businesses there by right >> Country Highway owns that whole farmland behind I I don't I don't know the limits of what that you know what is owned by that >> but there is all I can tell you is there is farmland out on the back of Country Hardware and there is farmland across
from Country Hardware on the other side of Kerry Hill Road. Uh you know that that's a block of land also that's uh that's available. >> Well, let's start with I guess a list of usages like like you had suggested >> Yeah. What kind of uses do you want to
allow? Is it helpful if maybe I look at other communities who have this sort of similar business district and kind of pull their table of uses? >> Absolutely. >> Absolutely. >> Okay. >> I'm always It's always easier to find something that you like rather than
trying to if you create something from new, you always make mistakes. >> Yeah. No, it's doesn't matter what it is. >> Piggy back on somebody else's why you made the mistakes. Okay, sounds good. Um, we don't want to beat this one up. It's going to be a
continued conversation. I think we got a lot of good things out of this one. >> Um, is it okay? I'm just not going to be here for the next meeting. Can I have this prepared for the December meeting? >> Sure. Next meeting. Uh,
yeah. Um, okay. Good. Uh, and I already discussed the discussion on the comprehensive zoning that we're going to try to go for that one-stop grant to help us out with that one as well. >> That would be a good that as a separate issue would be a good idea.
>> Yeah. Because I think I think it just opens up a lot of a lot of questions and a lot of issues. >> I I think what I I I'm going to make some work for myself. But what I would like to do certainly I can drive along Main Street
and just list what businesses are there. Now, that will be a place to start about, you know, whether that's something you want to encourage or whether it isn't. You know, uh again, a place that's
completely covered with parked vehicles, whether it's the auto body place across from uh Mr. Cespool or not. I mean, that's that's something that's got to be considered and uh that's something that you would work into the table or until
the uh the coverage requirements, the parking requirements, etc., etc., etc. When I say coverage, you can say total impervious coverage, no more than 50%. I'm just pulling that out. You know, that's one way to prevent
the whole thing from becoming a parking area, which uh it doesn't generate any revenue and is probably something that I wouldn't want to live right next to if I just built bought my 3/4 of a million dollar house, you know, my 60,000 square
foot lot. So, let me just go make a list and I'll do it for the next meeting. It's not like it's not going to be huge of the different businesses that are along Main Street. Uh and I will concentrate from >> uh Hamlin Street
down to Lake Street. >> Lake Street. Yeah. Okay. Great. >> That I mean that's kind of area we're talking about, isn't it? >> Absolutely. >> I I'll do that for the next meeting. >> Perfect. That'd be great. That'd be great. >> Trying to write some discussion.
>> Perfect. Okay. Um, our next meeting is Thursday, November 20th. Uh, anything else anybody wants to discuss or bring up or talk about? >> I'll entertain a motion. I make a motion to close.
>> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. 658. [Music] [Music] Hey [Music]