Planning Board Minutes
Wellfleet Planning Board
Minutes of Meeting on Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Wellfleet Senior Center, 7:00 p.m.
Present: Gerald Parent, Chair; Andrew Freeman, Janet Morrissey, R. Dennis O’Connell, Janet Reinhart; Planner Patrice Carson
Regrets: Eric Larsen, Alfred Pickard
Chair Gerald Parent called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Minutes
O’Connell moved to approve the amended minutes of April 2, 2014. Freeman seconded, and the motion carried 5-0.
Jan Morrissey distributed the Mail Log of April 16, 2014. 1
Annual Town Meeting
Chair Gerald Parent and the Board planned the presentations of the bylaw Warrant Articles for Pre-Town Meeting and Annual Town Meeting.
Home Occupation & Service Trades Bylaws
The Planning Board and Patrice Carson discussed revising the Home Occupation and Service Trades Bylaws. First they reviewed spreadsheets on Home Occupation and Service Trades2 prepared by Patrice Carson for the meeting. Jan Morrissey distributed a second version of the spreadsheet with corrections3 which she had made. The Board discussed differences in the two versions and the nature of home occupation businesses and service trades. Patrice Carson distributed a sample by-right Home Occupation bylaw from the Town of Wellesley. 4 Board members debated whether or not a listing of allowed home occupations should remain in the Wellfleet bylaws. The Board was split on what constitutes retail trade. Retail business could be controlled by parking limits, members said. Antique shops would need some special consideration either through exemptions or by time and/or parking limits.
Jan Morrissey had provided a comparison of Home Occupation bylaws from other Cape Towns. 5 Parent cautioned that revisions of the Home Occupation and Service Trade bylaws should be undertaken with an eye towards acceptance at Town Meeting.
Other matters need attention for a revision of the bylaws. The word business, if added to the Service Trades definition, needs to be added to several other sections of the bylaws. Businesses such as kennels, animal hospitals and riding stables were also discussed.
For the next meeting, Patrice Carson and Andrew Freeman will work on a draft revision that eliminates the listings, addresses employee allowances, parking and safety regulations and keeps limit numbers consistent. Jan Morrissey asked that, when formulating their draft, Carson and Freeman consider the previous draft that she had prepared for the April 2, 2014 meeting.
Cluster Development
The Smart Growth or Cluster Design Development is another bylaw idea that the Planning Board intends to examine. The Model Open Space Design/Natural Resource Protection Zoning information sheets from the Massachusetts Smart Growth/Smart Energy Toolkit Bylaw will be printed out for discussion at the next meeting.
Future Concerns
The Statehouse petition by Stephen Kulik and Senator Dan Wolf regarding municipal zoning, subdivision control and master planning is a new matter of interest. Storage pods, which are included on the Planning Board list of priorities, need to be considered since they are appearing more frequently in Wellfleet.
Agenda for Next Meeting
Agenda for the May 7, 2014 meeting will include: Home Occupation Business Bylaws; Smart Growth; Town Meeting Results; and Storage Pods.
Adjournment
O’Connell moved to adjourn. Reinhart seconded, and the motion carried 5-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
____________________________ ____________________________
Mary Rogers, Committee Secretary Gerald Parent, Chair
________________________ Date
Public Records Material of April 16, 2014
1.) Mail Log of 4/16/14
2.) Home Occupation & Service Trades worksheets
3.) Home Occupation & Service Trades worksheets with corrections
4.) Town of Wellesley Home Occupation bylaw
5.) Home Occupation Bylaws from Other Cape Towns