[Music] Good evening and welcome to the Milton Planning Board. Uh the evening is September 22nd. Um and we can now call the meeting to order. Um at this time I
would like to now begin by introducing the members of our board and our staff. Um if you'd like to start Sean Sean Fehey member, Maggie Ofield, member, Jim Davis, member, and Meredith Hall serving as chair. Um Cheryl is out of the country so could
not be with us this evening. Um and tonight we have our staff joining us. Uh Nick, if you'd like to introduce yourself. Nick Connor is assistant administrator. Great. Thank you. Welcome. Um we can now
begin with our administrative items. Um we don't have any uh minutes to currently um approve. So we can move on to our next future meeting dates. Um those dates um currently the next
meeting that is scheduled is October 9th. Um we will be meeting at 7 p.m. And then again our second meeting will be October 23rd at 7 p.m. meeting uh here at town hall
and um so those will be the next um scheduled dates. Um Nick, is there a staff update that you might want to share? Uh the only update from me is that this will be my last week in Milton. Um
moving on to a new position in Swampscott as town administrator and I know that we have our uh planning director joining uh pretty much you know two shifts passing in tonight. So she will be there to to support you all uh going forward.
That's great. Nick, we thank you very much for all that you've done for the town and we just wish you the best of luck in your new position in Swansonat. They're very fortunate to have you. Thank Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Congratulations, Nick. Congratulations. Thank you.
Great. And yes, we are excited to have our new town planner um at our October 9th meeting um Liz Manning who will be joining us um that evening. Um anything else, Nick, or is that
That's all for now. Okay, great. Um, so we can now move um to the time where we have our public comment. Um, if there's anyone um on Zoom who would like to speak or anyone in the audience, feel free to um to either raise your hand if you're on
Zoom. There is no one on Zoom right now. Great. Okay. Thank you. So, um not seeing any hands at this time. Um we can now um move to our um our zoning bylaw
um amendments discussion. Um technically it is 7:05. This is a continuence of our public hearing on our um two zoning articles. Um they were the traffic mitigation uh article to see if the town
will vote to amend chapter 275 of the general bylaws known as the zoning bylaws by amending chapter 275-20 trafficked impact mitigation and the sign bylaw to see if the town will vote
to amend chapter 275 of the general bylaws known as the zoning bylaws by as by striking Section 275-3.2 C signs and billboards and section 275-3.3D
signs permitted in the business district and inserting a new section 275-3.25 signs. Um I thought if we would like um just to begin actually I'm gonna move he
uh Nick has put the traffic mitigation first but I thought if we could just discuss the sign bylaw um there was an email that Nick had sent around to the board members and I agreed with him. Um given that we are um that we are between
town councils, we've just hired KP Law, which is a wonderful new law firm, who really has just begun. Um I think it would be makes sense to give them time to review our signed bylaw. It is um it's really putting into law a lot of
the practices that we currently that currently exist, but there are some things that are new and some of the language that's new that we just want to give um our our I would think that we would want to give our new town council time and also um having a new town
planner just beginning who has great experience in different communities to maybe share her experience and and her input on this article as Well, so I given, you know, Nick's comments and what what we've heard and questions from the warrant committee, I would propose
that we move this uh move the sign bylaw to the spring where we have more time for review and and discussion. And I just wanted to um be able to um have that voted on and and decided by the whole board. Yeah. No, I agree. I think it's a great
idea. um especially because we're not under any pressure to get it done, you know, for this town meeting. I'd rather give it a little more time and get it right. So, I think it's a great idea and I'm glad that we It's nice to have two different attorneys looking at it, but you know, twice the feedback we have to to
process. So, right, I think it's a great idea. Yep. And I support u moving it to the spring as well. Um so, no questions or comments other than that. Yeah, I feel the same way and I, you know, um the for the reasons that you mentioned, but I
also think it's something that's um there there's some complexity to it. You know, as we as we went through it ourselves, we could see how there's potential for contradiction from one area to another area and we need a cohesiveness to the entire article and I think time will allow, you know,
will allow that to happen. So, um I I also support moving it to the spring. Yeah. And you know, we've had so much that we've been working on that to rush anything is just doesn't seem um that that's the best use of our time and and
we have always wanted to allow as much public input as possible and get feedback from the residents. So um this will allow that. So if I could um ask for a motion to move the the article for the signed bylaw um to Springtown
meeting. There's an I'll make a motion to move the signed bylaw to the Springtown meeting. Second. Second. All in favor? I I. Great. Thank you. I um I think that's a good decision. So
now um we have our um we can move to this discussion of the traffic impact mitigation. Um KP Law did have a chance to review this. Uh we have really just a very um
small comment um as Nick had had mentioned that they they really didn't have a lot um that they were concerned about. This is a bylaw that currently already exists. Um after it was passed a town meeting, I think the planning board at the time felt that there were things
that they had missed and that could have made it a little bit better. So, um, Cheryl Dias had worked on this and just, um, corrected some of the language and, you know, added some things and, um, made it a little bit more clear. I have
not gotten feedback um, from the warrant committee on any questions on this. I know I'm sure they will have some. I did tell the chair of the warrant committee, let them know that um, Cheryl is out of the country. She might be a good liaison to be the one the contact. I know they
have a couple warrant committee members who are looking at this. Julia Maxwell being one of them. Um but I have not heard from Julia. So um at this time um I certainly would want to hear if there are any members of the public um who
would like to speak on this uh specific article. Are we seeing any? There is no one that has Nick. Are you seeing anybody? No. Who would like to speak to this article? Can you hear me? Yes.
Okay. There is no one that would like to speak. No one with hands up who would like to speak to this article. Okay. Um, did anyone else have any comments or anything that concerns? Um, I just had a question. And I just was wondering if um it makes sense at all to
send it to the traffic commission for their review and see if they encounter anything differently or um what problems they might see that might need fixing or prepare. Yeah. So, I don't I don't know if they ever
weigh in on anything, but they're the ones who hear from the neighbors and neighborhoods and requests for speed bumps. So I don't know if if it's appropriate for them or not. I think it's certainly you know as we send things to the building department
you know other articles you know it's I think as many eyes on it as as possible. Um we are Nick what what is the time frame for going to print? It's the end of this week. The end of this week. So, so the one the one thing with the
traffic commission, they're more and I will absolutely double check with Nick Milano um and uh Marina, but they're more focused on sort of traffic control measures as opposed to something like this that is more in the design phase where we're making sure that there's
funds that are put into it and um work that's done in advance of the construction. So, let me double check with Nick, but I'm not sure that they would have any um substantive feedback anyway, but I can I'll absolutely check with them tomorrow. Yeah, I just wasn't sure if they, you
know, come across a need, you know, if if a new project goes in and then down the line some residents have issues. Um, and and then maybe they might have input, oh yeah, we thought that speed might be a problem here, so maybe we
need a speed bump there. So, I don't know. Okay, great. And the only um I don't know, Nick, if you want to comment on KP laws, their only comment um and this was something I think that they mentioned
that we could consider in the future to see if the town will vote to amend the zoning bylaw changes 275 to the code of to the code of bylaws. So that was just a comment that they
made. But yeah, I think that to me is more of a drafting comment. Um as as is the large um the bit that is struck. Um so it it sort of you know their
best advice to us in in terms of drafting appropriately was to make that change obviously in the opening and then also rather than stating all the changes that we're making just make the changes so that people could see a track changes document. Um, and then those the list of
the 10 items that were adjusted or edited is something that could be discussed if needed um from the floor as part of a presentation as opposed to being listed in the article itself. So, are they suggesting that we do make that change um prior to going to print?
I'm I'd rather not do it on the floor if possible if Yeah. No, the changes as shared are what they would suggest that we do. I was just trying to give a little more background on you know that one through 10 part and sort of how they arrived
where they did. Um but yes, I think the hope would be that um you all would accept it uh if you agree with it um and it would go to print with those pieces struck um from the article itself. And as I said, it could be a part of any discussion that that highlights here are
the 10 changes that we made as opposed to um listing them in the article and then also having the the track changes document below. I'm sorry for confusing things. Okay. Because there are some other um
track changes. Um were those the only track changes that they made and the others were Cheryl's or were everything crossed out their track changes. I believe it's just the things at the beginning of the document.
Okay. That they that they made edits to. Okay. I think that's what I I think the remainder are the ones that are highlighting the things that you all have already looked at. Okay. Well, I would accept those changes if
they're c if our town council's recommending those. I um I would support approving those unless anyone has any other questions. Okay. So, all right. So, we can change that. And so, everything else, so no other track
changes will be shown on the on the warrant that's being printed. Nick, those are all accepted. Correct. Okay. Well, what will be in the printed document will be a final
version of the article. It does not so like this list of 1 to 10 to use that as example. Again, it's something that if there was a discussion and it's not something that you necessarily have to do, but you could use that as your starting point to describe the 10 changes that were made
as opposed to having that printed in the article. Does that am I don't know if I'm articulating clearly. I apologize. Yeah. No, I'm I'm following you. So, we would make those the the changes, but then we could explain at town meeting
what those changes what's included in those. Correct. Nick, could the could the warrant committee when they provide that comment include the list of the 10 changes in that section?
Absolutely. If they wanted to and within the recommendation, you mean? Yeah. Yeah. just just so that the members could recognize the 10 changes as as you said it's beneficial that people can read the 10 changes that KP law recommend recommended making. So if
the warrant committee could include within their comment the list the articulation of the 10 changes that KP Law made. I think it'd be really helpful for the members. Um yeah and and this is where I think I may have confused things Sean I apologize. So in the original draft it says article
9 it describes it and then it within the original draft it says one the first paragraph first line reword the first clause to insert or site site plan approval granting authority the suggestion of KP law was to remove that from this document that would be the printed article because it is
unnecessary uh from a drafting standpoint for an article that's becoming part of a zoning bylaw. They wanted to sort of pull that part out and then that would be information that as you're saying the the warrant committee could use within the recommendation to
articulate the changes above include you know these copy edits or these substantive edits. Okay. Uh or you all as the planning board could, you know, decide to get up and speak for five or 10 minutes and just explain. You know, you don't necessarily have to walk through in line one. We did this in line, but you could
work, if you chose to, you could work through the list of 10 just so folks see that you're cleaning up things like inhabitants by using the word residence, you know, site plan approval versus SPGA. Uh so it's it's that type of thing. they they were looking for the cleanest article that would be um
you know the replacement for the zoning by itself. So that was why they taken it out and I apologize for further confusing things if I have just now. No, no, no, you haven't. Not at all. I you know I I you know sometimes in town meeting if an article looks like we've experienced
this with with um Springtown meeting with the uh um site plan the site plan approval. Yeah. By law and and it just appeared to the members that the changes that were being discussed at town meeting were too complex
to to move to vote and pass it, you know. So, anything we can do to make it not appear that way, I think is helpful. So, if what Nick described happens and the warrant committee includes in that comment, um, so what's above it is
clean, right? And what's below explains that KP law, right? That's what you're saying, Nick, isn't it? Yeah. That they they wanted to take what had been drafted in town prior to them coming and make it as clean and concise as possible. And I think what you're suggesting if the warrant committee is
open to it makes a lot of sense because then it has a clean document that's easy to follow as the article with a description of the the they're really in almost every c I'm trying to read through it quickly. They're they're really focused on copy edits and sort of improving the document overall. It's not
so much that we're making significant substantive changes to this bylaw. So, you know, it I think and again that's something I'll raise for for Nick and and Jay and and you all can communicate as well, but that might be a really good way to keep people focused on what is
actually changing the article and keep any debate focused on the changes versus what you're saying. uh that you all are coming to a town meeting with something very complex or it has you know big impacts when in reality you're trying to do the best work possible to make it easier both on the town side and any
future development side to do right by the community. So I'll make sure I talk to Nick about it. That's great. I think what we find is if it's printed in a document rather than us having to articulate it, you or any of the members, it's just it's just more
comprehensible for the for the for the members. And they also have the weeks in advance to read it, right? And as long as it they're um you know they it's stated that this these are the changes
uh expressly provided by town council. Yeah. Um not necessarily the planning board's um changes, but town council's suggestions. Yep. Right. Great. But I think town meeting members will want to know what were the changes. They
don't just want to say they'll they would ask. So I think having it presented from the warrant committee. These are the these are the changes so they can read it in advance. Then they will be able to go through themselves and great understand it. Perfect. Um fully.
Okay. So, if that's the um I would entertain a motion to approve those changes suggested by KP Law on the uh traffic mitigation article uh nine. Is there a motion?
Sure. I'll make a motion to approve KP Law's uh edits to the traffic impact mitigation bylaw. Second. All right. All in favor? I. Great. Then I will um speak to the chair
of the warrant committee, let them know these changes and Nick, you can also maybe share that with Nick Milano and that we would hope that these comments would be incorporated in the warrant committee's um comments to fully understand. Okay. Okay.
So I think with that being um the significant change, everything else I thought looked good and very clear and um so I think this is ready to to move forward um and go to print for the
warrant committee as the planning board's article for the fall town meeting. So um with that and is any um Nick, are you seeing any other hands up? Anyone who want like to speak to this? No, there is no one else.
Okay. All right. Um, so I think at this time, um, if I could have a motion, we can close the public hearing for the, uh, zoning articles, the traffic mitigation and the signed bylaw. I'll make a motion to close the public
meeting for both the traffic mitigation and the signed bylaws. Okay. Is there a second? All in favor? Hi. Hi. Okay, great. All right, so that really does conclude our work for
this evening. Um, I did just want to um wish everybody a good Rasha Shana who will be celebrating that. Um, that's why our meeting was moved. We typically meet on Thursdays, but there was a conflict and um so we decided to move it up from
uh instead of tomorrow evening. And then we did get a um there was one other thing that I remembered. Um the AG's office has approved our site plan approval article. Um they just wanted to caution that when we're reviewing it
with Dover amendments or by write that it's the scope is limited which as we know and they've asked for an extension. um they're still reviewing just the ADU article, but um that was great news that the site plan approval, which is a great improvement um on on what we've had in
the past, is going to make everyone's, you know, it's going to make our job, you know, applicants job much more easy and we'll wait to hear on that ADU approval of that article as well. So, um, if there's not anything else, um,
Nick, is there anything else that you would like to add? No, nothing for me. Thank you. Okay, then. Um, that concludes, Nick. Oh, yeah. Nick, when when, uh, when will you be transitioning out of your role here in Milton? At the end of this week, I will
be done here, but Nick and I think most people know where to find me. And uh I'll be starting um not next Monday, but a week from Monday or so, two weeks from today in small scope. Okay. That's great. Thank you.
That's great. Good. Um well, thank you, Nick. Um and thank you for everyone who's attended this evening. Um, if there's nothing further, um, I would entertain a motion to adjurnn. I'll make a motion to adjurnn the
planning wood meeting. Is there a second? All in favor? I. Great. Thank you. Thanks again, Nick. Thank you. Best wish. Yes. Good luck. Have a good night. Thank you. [Music]