##VIDEO ID:CCqLXg9HkGc## [Music] five on October 28 2024 calling the grandv planning board inter session okay the first item is minutes um I did mention to the chair and vice chair that I will be I had some issues with accessibility my files I'll send over there a couple of minutes to approve um and between now and the end of the year we'll get we'll be up to date both so I will say that um there was a request for the minutes from September 24th so what I will be doing is sending them draft minutes a request meaning there was a request from the public from the public from for September 24th so I did finish those um we did not have ramby media there so they are my minutes from the public hearing and the that was from September 24th yeah that was the last time the board met yeah okay that was a quick yeah that was yeah that was a quick meeting um so that's that's in regards to minut that's I'll send those soon get make make sure when you send them for um I'm assuming your son of M Cathy has a draft make sure there's draft l oh yeah I said I will send Cathy as a draft um because I was the request and we'll send that to the board as well the board will adopted it or approve that um correspondence if any um what I will say is that um you know there has been lots of conversation regarding High meetings Zoom I don't know I think the chair has mentioned his thought about Zoom meetings I know there are board members that have requested this I also know that it's easy to do all I need is computer maybe a camera um I'm sure there may be one lying around that I can utilize um so if that's something that the board wants to do I will follow up with the Town Administrator as to like what the requirements are typically if you have a hybrid meeting you have to post it as a hybrid meeting so people for the public would be able to join in on the call including your board there also is there also would be requirements that the town may have adopted as far as rules regarding how V would be taken at a at any sort of meeting when there is someone participating virtually as an example so instead of doing um where you usually do by Voice vote now you have to do a roll call vote for each item um if someone is participating virtually that's probably the biggest difference who decides whether or not that that's the board's going to do that a hybrid I don't know to be honest I think it it just was a it's been a conversation um I know that the Conservation Commission I think meets virtually I think maybe still um I don't know if they of Health Board of help um so it is something that could happen um I know the board likes meet in person I prefer meeting in person but at the same time there are lots it's pretty easy to support doing a hybrid meeting I've mentioned before I'm not in favorable for for a lot of reasons one technology you got people talking over each other because there's time delays yeah and and it gets confusing and it it it's uh it's not like there's three board members and and nobody else isn't we usually have a lot more going on including an audience they're a little bit more difficult to to run I'm just one I'm just one person on this board I'm not in favor of them I would I would concede that nights like tonight there's no real agenda why why is everybody driving down here um on light agendas that the board felt that it would be better to do that so be it but as far as when we're having a a public hearing um I think there's too much going on and and many times some of the things that we do especially in a public hearing can be controversial and I'd rather have everybody in the room yeah I think if the board remembers tried tried to public hearings regarding the zoning changes back in 2021 that was hard for it is it's hard but it's easy as a board board members to say let's sit home and do this because it's going to be controversial right right yeah but I don't want to do that I don't want to hide behind the camera I want to have Ken how does it work for a typical planning board meeting where you're on zoom and 5,000 Bry residents now want to join it raise their hand does it bog down the system no it doesn't that doesn't necess it really relies on the getting on your computer is that heck of a lot easier going down yeah or you know yeah in the public and typically doesn't go to Every and I think as chair mentioned it is one of those ideas where you could presume move it to a virtual meeting if you have light agenda If this means that you're going to get people to me the meeting um but if it's a light agenda we don't need it with with clericals clerical slash you know there might be some discussion of like Workshop would you rather have a workshop of zoning in person or virtually so I mean there there's obviously those that nuance as far as the time of meeting I think to answer your question um it really a zoom it requires one account I have one I would put the address on the public on the regular agenda notice people would log in um as they typically would um the board can do so um it would have to be no um public noticed as a hybrid meeting which means there would need to be a quorum present in this space so that also is Al you know you three of you here in order to have two people participate virtually Vice ver so wait so in order to have a hybrid meeting there has to be three present qu but but if it's a hearing the Quorum is for that's correct so quorum so you would yeah I mean the thing is obviously if you have a virtual meeting that doesn't have a public hearing you need to be at have at least three people in old library to convene a hybrid meeting okay that's a hybrid what's what's a regular virtual meeting you still need to have three people yeah yeah so it's just an added lever of you actually also need to have a quorum present in the space in addition to having the Quorum so the Quorum present you might not have two board members virtually in that you just have a virtual space that's open for the public basically um or I think if you were to plan virtual meetings which I think you could presumably do agenda by agenda just have a virtual address it would be open to the public and the expectation is that all members would be or you would have at least the three present in the virtual space you still have to have three to have a meeting yeah but do they have to be physically you're confused confus with me so I that one I was referencing if you were just to have a strictly virtual meeting if you're so virtual meeting 100% virtual meeting no one is going to be at all Library means that youd have to have three members as an be meeting and vote to be able to vote on things but virtually virtually okay yeah I get hybrid which means in person and virtually you will still need three people present in the person's present in the space to convene a hybrid meeting so if there's two people that can't be present they can they can do it virtually but they're has to be three present for a virt for a hybrid for a virtual meeting everybody can be wherever the hell they want yes sry yeah I guess my question do they don't typically get bombarded with a hundred public questions oh I mean it can be depends on like the content the the the items on the agenda um there would typically be a process the chair we would probably help you get aware of what how you should run your meetings virtually there might be a time limit I and I can do all the administrative I can send a time you have three minutes to talk and the or five minutes or whatever um for each item um if it's a member of the public wanting to respond to something um but it also sounds as if the you know the board is open to that the board would want inperson meetings anyway in those types of items so I I think what I wanted to do was gauge and you know understand I think some some people's Thoughts with regards to this but also identify the other boards and how they may be navigating either 100% virtual or hybrid I think you know if it is sometimes you meet in person then you can do that but sometimes I mean virtually you can do that but I think for for this board's purpose I think it might be helpful just that like inventory what other boards are doing and then present to you they're doing but and that's okay I'd be more con I'd be more interested in what other towns are doing our board does things that I'm not downplaying anybody else but sometimes we're doing site plan review it's good to have the plans in front of you that's right right physically in front of you to review them even an anr to understand it um I know the Board of Health reviews septic systems virtually everything they do is virtual yeah I mean the thing yeah the thing with virtual meetings is you have me as your consultant to like navigate what that process okay want to talk I'll say someone raised their hand you could address them um you would see them on the TV presumably I know the select board had a meeting a couple months ago and that hybrid yeah I it was and it kept cut cutting up because there was too many people on it so what's I mean I think it's it can be it can be challenging so to me if that's if that happens even once during a meeting the whole meeting's yeah then yeah you got to start all over again like if something you get um people are still you know Zoom bombing that still happens um if you haven't have have a contingency plan in your public hearing say if something happens isn't going to be continued to this date you don't talk about it lost that meeting you have to re read vertise and start over yep um it all but I think the benefits of hybrid and the benefits of of being able to do that obviously is with public hearings if if you miss one public hearing you cannot vote on it you have a board of five and you need a four votes yes votes for any approval for any special tourament you can miss up to one me yes you can miss up you no more than one but yeah I mean they're you know with regards to the the board we have had only up to four at a given time so you know just discussing how to address that or changing the day of the meeting as another option which wow I know when I ran I signed up for inperson sure I know it's not always convenient but that's what I signed up the per the the main the main purpose of having these virtual meetings was a cat whether he agreed with that or not that's what started I don't see a reason why people they signed up for this why they can't show up at a meeting so I think you know if there was an if we had a hearing coming up and we we're having problems scheduling it around everybody's schedule and we wanted to make sure there was five five present for the meeting for the hearing and two of them were on vacation but still on it then we could schedule a virtual or hybrid meeting on right on on an as needed basis so that the the applicant wasn't being you know delayed that's how I feel about it I'm again I'm only one person on this board so it's not like we're D it's not like I got to go from here to Springfield twice a week or every other week or whatever it is this is right here in our neighborhood it only takes you any of us 5 10 minutes to get here and I think we've discussed this before too as far as having the material in front of us when we working at something I just think going back and forth and going online it's going to be so much harder to get all that material across it's just going to be a huge learning curve I think and and to your point we all vote to approve the anr okay it'll be down at the office we all got to go down there anyway to sign off on it right for the for the so you still got to go out and sign just for an anr you still it needs three signatures yes I think the three of us always make the meetings we all are in favor being in person I think it's more efficient we'll get more done May hybrid might be good option for certain certain scenarios for the other FS maybe it is worthwhile just like you said seeing what other communities are doing I know it's a mix all over the board some planning boards are still meeting 100% virtually um and they can you know that the remote participation is now allowed everywhere how many of those boards have how many of those communities have a full-time planner the town of Hatley means one % they do not have yeah that's one that's one right I'm surprised first bus must be there the city of Northampton I think I have vir I don't but we can take inventory we can we can take inventory we can take an inventory of the other community and maybe it's coming up with a policy maybe it's something that I just shared with the board as far as these are what other communities are doing um and this is what grany is doing for these boards and these boards are meeting 100% virtually or they're meeting in hybrid and then you know it's the conversation but I I don't know so like to know how efficient they are sure yeah that makes sense mean they show we show up here once we can sign off on an anr done with it what whatever it may be we can can vote and and sign off and move the process and and go to the next item where excuse me doing it virtually Again by we meet on Tuesday or Monday and by the following Friday everybody's got to get down the town hall to sign sign off on plans yeah and how do we receive checks we got to we got to we'd have to change the process on that before we sign off before we vote do we have a check in place Kathy would have to make sure that we have all that place before we even vote on there's things there's things like that we got to make sure yeah we a processing place okay and then grabbing the plans we need and put and having somebody come back and put them away is that going to be you now I am coming to the town all like not off to but that not you know what I'm saying just forget on a regular housekeeping yeah I mean I still don't know where the pling board spals are so I have to find out where they are CU there is research too that you know we determine sometimes with permitting that I don't know if we've ever maybe there was one where I was like I don't even know how to I would need to go wherever these these files are stored and kind of navigate from there um and it's likely now that there is more of a budget to support my you know contribution to doing stuff like that um yeah I find myself here maybe once every other week for a couple of hours but I'll do that research and I think it would be very helpful um I I don't want to make it I want to full board when we make a decision virtual or otherwise I agree just agree yeah yeah stupid question let's say a simple anr comes through these Lan Consultants stuff to do they submit to you and yes they do typically typically well and what I've asked Kathy was like sometimes I haven't yet engaged with the con the developers um and I'm slowly starting to respond um but Kathy has typically asked for those documents that she can share with you as you've seen in those anrs you see the scanned copy which includes a PDF um the presumption is in a hybrid setting too um we will hope that um the applicant would be able to bring up that electronic file it could be presented on the TV that people could see it in addition to a paper copy that for you this wellth in my art um so it you know it would be for everyone to just have access to including the public so I I know when we were doing these virtual meetings during Co I don't so I think how did that work the administrator Town Administrator had the mute button you know that's that's another thing we're going to run them that way the mute button needs to happen from chair or co-chair whatever if you're going to run a meeting you're going to run a meeting these some of these meetings can get you yeah I mean contentious that and it would be the chair uh typically um you obviously can create a setting where um you have the the access to the meeting and really the only people that are shown on the screen until you elevate a person would be the board so technology to their hand yes they have to raise their hand to talk and so you would all in the identify that from there um usually it's up to 300 people you know but I could like provide the zoom link for every meeting see the the other thing is too now sometimes people aren't here because they're they're wherever they're on the road or whatever they're calling in so if you're call if you're a call in you're present but you're not seeing any you're right so how do you vote when you're looking at an anr the presumption could be that because they have received the anr in advance which should be the case you shouldn't this would require a look at what the board's policies are with regards to when application items come before the board you can't expect someone to just roll in with an anr and expect that board to act then and there it would be submit by Friday or submit by Wednesday of the week before and we'll put on you got know because we have to post on Thursdays great customer service just like every other business put bonus I get what you're saying but because we're not being convenient you the applicant has to take more steps to get approval for something that it's I I think it's I mean for the purposes of a public the requirements of anrs is that they need to be reviewed within 21 days or else they're constructively improved and I think you know some communities that I've worked with because they meet once a month or they forget that they have a meeting and then cancel the meeting then all of a sudden they have a conly approved anr because their develop their applicant is very smart so um it is working with the applicant to understand that there typically is a process by which you post there's no appeal period on that that don't be so can they could an inard be virtually signed that legal no no you have to approve it and then you have to go to theic I know if a digital signature um yeah you need to F because those need to be recorded at the to North to so it is one of those all there's no way old you old Massachusetts law sure yeah we're not changing though either so I think with regards to hybrid meetings is maybe understanding what other communities and planning boards do as far as a policy Le know understand what other boards in Bry are doing before has the meeting presenting it to the board having the board talk through it and you see for to go from there I think it's at the very least as as I've mentioned in the past two um um as I told the board we are working on rules and regulations for the board this is basically so when someone comes before the board this is how many applications they're going to do your fee schedule will be in that document because sometimes we're asking what's the get or where is it like where is it in town to yeah yeah and so this document will have that um and that does not need to be approved at Tom meeting is approved by the hearing so that'll break down different scenarios yeah and changing multiple laws that's well there's very yeah it's very specific as to what you can put in those rules and regulations um and that's where you set your policies to so if if the board were ever to explore any sort of let's say um you know the board wants to do something with regard or the town wants to do something with regards to affordable housing trust like you have CPA and not saying that the town is CPA but if there is a funding source or if there is a mechanism for funds to come into the town that is supposed to support affordable housing development planning board May typically be the entity that convenes that um and your rules and regulations lets kind of spelled out you know that or affordable I didn't think the town had any any of the zoning had anything to do with with affordable housing it if the board if the town approved any a new zoning by something like inclusionary zoning which is yeah so if there was a a a way for you're saying something else affordable housing can go in town without the without approval but if we're designating Zoning for that that's that's different is that what you're saying yes and no if there is a if there is a zoning bylaw which says that a certain amount if you have in your zoning bylaw which states that 15% of anything over 20 units needs to have an affordable unit either built on built or included as a fee and well that's very separate and that's what would fun you know something like that somebody wanted to come in and build affordable housing the town has nothing to do with it other than the building departments unless it's a 40b which is then it's aing Bo comprehensive permit which is affordable housing in nature but removes all of the other regulations of the town and the and the zpas is the entity that approves the comprehensive permit this is going to be a conversation for whether or not it's coming yeah it's coming um the you know my suggestion to the Town Administrator is looking we're obviously waiting for this grant for the zoning Grant to see if we can work on the zoning changes um we can still chip away at zoning changes that's not a big deal but any wholesale like review of the document and trying to figure out if it makes sense to reorganize the grant was going to support that I hope that the to that Grant um but there may be other planning things that the town may want to you know pursue things like housing production um you have a master plan it's now 8 years old about um so that could be something that the planning board would have a paron um yeah so they they usually SP at usually spearhead but the planning board you know doesn't necessarily need to be the committee that oversees the entire process they can putting a lot of bonus on the planning board for that um and I've seen the planning board offer two members of the planning board serving on that committee Etc but that's you know a future conversation regarding Master planing um but yeah I don't know how we got to M what what our the conversation ended there um so it was the next item was appr proven sign site plan approval decision for 47 Amor Street I did mention to the chair that also due to the weirdness of accessibility it is complete and the there in here no because I can't get can't you still can't yeah I yeah it's in my computer all so we can't vote on it you haven't typically voted on if you want to continue to do that then yeah you need to vot on it it's the it's the special permit the special permit obviously the decision was written that's important for it to move forward the site plan approval met all of the zoning criteria it you know it is a part of the process um but if the board typically has I don't know if it's been consistent if the board has typically allowed through vote to have the chair sign it or know that they can review it and the chair still signs it that's so we we discuss things you dictate and you go back and and craft the the decision then it comes back for review and then it's voted on for the chair so it is you do want you leave something out and I sign it I don't want to be responsible for it's fair I mean it I'm just it's happened before you know prior to you we should all make sure it has the content that we discussed nothing got left out or anything got inadvertently cut and pasted or whatever okay so then what I will suggest is um we'll use the next meeting to do do that obviously um can we talk about the future meetings cuz we're now like entering the holidays November is you got vacations coming up I my I have a vacation you can go virtual I have a vacation but it's not typically a week that you meet um my vacation is the first week of December and you don't typically meet on the first Monday so what are you thinking so I'm thinking that we meet on the 11 oh that's Veterans Day can't can't on 11 can't so here's here's my thoughts on that so we meet on the 12th if we have something I know there's there's things that we could be working on like amending some of the the bylaws that doesn't that that can wait until after to holidays I I think it can I mean based on the town meeting schedule just making sure that you will probably get drafts and I think it's a matter of ensuring that the draft you would have to obviously something to comment upon drafts drafts of anything right if we were to think about workshopping a certain bylaw the idea would be okay you're sharing with me sentiments regarding looking at this bylaw so can as will prepare something can see we'll prepare something and we schedule a workshop as we did years ago when we looked at some of the zoning after the holidays it's a good time to do it's usually kind of slow but um yeah I don't no let me see as far as anything that that comes up you know an anr we can we can I don't want I hate having applicants you know how hard it is to get stuff done as it is right and well they're not meeting this month they're not meeting for another two weeks it bogs things down I and we can always meet you know for an an anr or something that we can always schedule a meeting as long as we we give it ample yeah right yeah I mean two days before that's how you typically do it but then there's a suggestion that I've given too if I have it by a certain date L on a regularly scheduled meeting that's what I think um so maybe if we put down meeting on the 12th I will that's a Tuesday that's the day I am don't have anything um on the 12th in the evening where we could schedule that for regular 5:30 we would have the 47 Hammer Street approve the sets of minutes and maybe discuss you know the work plan I did want to bring up to the board that my understanding based on talking to one of my colleagues who has worked with the town before on storm water this is the ms4 permit which is a requirement through the EPA is that the town has an order against it with regards to compliance with ms4 permit so the board pdpc will be working with the town in some capacity probably through like a tech iCal assistance request to navigate how to get the board comping but what that also means or not the board sorry the town what that also means is that there are some components of the zoning bylaw that probably will need to be addressed to add to align with well the site plan approval that's what you're saying that'll have to be if if if we adopt it site plan approval requirements will have to change to to reflect alignment with the storm water yes bylaw that the town will pass so really it is just conforming to whatever the storm water guidelines that t passes and it's in language only there's no content within the zoning bylaw the gist of the bylaw is all in the um General bylaw which is going to be happening to the select board the select board also is going to be this storm water authority which means that they're going to be issuing the storm water permits um and those regulations are forun this the L Bo pretty stringent too so resal um it will be so I think in the next meeting on the 12th what I will is probably share with the board work that was done a couple of years ago when we attempted to work with the town and adopting this the storm water bylaw um share technical memos with you I I think it's clear that in some of those planning meetings this was during the pandemic too so was like all weird um during those planning meetings there was con conversations regarding certain type of site plan criteria that Jim is referring to um that you know may or may not be something that that the Tom wants I think some of it's mandated St some of it is but I think things like low impact development green development things that would meet the storm water criteria however um maybe a departure of certain types of development that you've approved in the past but now require that as the floor that obviously is a change um so it's bringing but you know just refreshing the board's memory with regards to that technical memo identifying some things but at the end of the day the minimum that we have to do is align the zoning bylaw to what the town byw will be you know it will need to happen at the same time so what's the process for adting it zoning by it's public hearing no you said the so board oh they have to go through a public hearing for their bylaw and then it has to put to town meeting so the zoning bylaw would follow in the same well obviously through chapter 48 zoning act you have the planning boce has specific actions they have to have a public hearing and also go toally um St subdivision regulations that may be something that is something you want to be addressing anything subdivision regulation that they want so it may be worthwhile to take look and identify any additional changes well I know there have been recommendations and we've we've given waivers on on what Pioneer Valley has been recommend on their recommendations about going from a 30 foot to a 20 foot wide Street yeah I mean those are types of things yes and the board has every right to wave certain standards um um obviously you work with the other um department heads to you know if there was something specific to fire or DW with regards to some of those requirements but I can spell out identify what happened during that regulatory review for the um ms4 permit and the identified propos changes for this regation I was on that I think yes and he's the one that you know I that my colleague has been in contact with including this um to identify a process for the town to comply with that for but I just wanted to you know inform the board that with even all of the things that need to be adopted by the town that the SL will be leaving I'll be working with the planning board to ensure that there's alignment with those new adopted um so if anything we know that there's going to be amendments before the town in um yeah I think that might be my only update I'm not I haven't received any notification yet regarding the planning assistance grant that we applied for or The Zing viot review um that should be forthcoming like I should be hearing like any day yeah anybody El all right well no further discussion I'll entertain motion to adjourn I'll make a motion to adjourn second second all in favor I I