Planning Bd. Are first to board visioning vehicle
Published on July 8th, 1998
STONEHAM, MA - The Planning Board threw its support at the new Community Visioning project, on Wednesday night, while offering itself as host to the public meetings that lie at the heart of the project.
Planning Board member Frank Federico called his committee a "logical body" to listen to the wants of the community, particularly where the issues concern zoning.
Director of Community Development Steve Sadwick kicked off the Community Visioning Project last week, which is aimed at reaching out to the public regarding the direction and priorities of the town. As part of the project, Sadwick will be working alongside the Planning Board, Building Inspector and the public on zoning bylaw review.
In defining its role for the coming year, Planning Board Chairman Stephen Catalano advised that the board will review six months worth of zoning problems. He also requested Sadwick's and Town Administrator Jeffrey Nutting's lists of problems to ensure a comprehensive review.
In addition, Federico called for the Building Inspector's list of violations occurring over a six month period. He suggested that many violations occur due to confusion over what is required in the bylaws.
"As violations become public, the public will get an idea of what the bylaws require. Compliance will then become voluntary, resulting in a decrease of violations," he stated.
The board suggested that such a compilation would provide an accurate picture of "where we're seeing problems" in the bylaws.
Planning Board member August Niewenhous suggested categorizing the problems as follows:
* Interpretive problems - those that require board agreement or Building Inspector clarification. Niewenhous called for documentation of any interpretation of a bylaw to be used as a guideline.
* Near term problems - those that arise due to the inconsistency of a bylaw. Niewenhous suggested development of a laundry list of amendments to bylaws with explanations.
* Long term problems - those requiring more in-depth or ongoing review.
Distinguishing himself as "the only veteran of the 1985 recodification process," on the current board, Niewenhous welcomed Sadwick's role in helping the Planning Board with zoning bylaw review. He recalled that during the prior review, there was no in-house staff to manage the process and push for public input.
While many people did participate, Niewenhous asserted that it was not until late in the process, when most of that input was given to the board. He suggested Sadwick's push on "getting people in to express their opinions" throughout the process will be crucial.
"This visioning piece is a good idea," he stated and considered it the missing link in the earlier review.
Sadwick advised that he has been making notes since January on zoning problems. He recognized the Planning Board's request as consistent with his role in assisting the board.
While Catalano agreed on committing sufficient time for data collection, he requested that the board consider focusing on a couple of issues for October Town Meeting.
Niewenhous emphasized that the format for listening to the public would be in public meetings rather than public hearings. The latter, he stated, involves "the rigors and expense of legal notices" and any action would necessitate voting by which "we live and die."
Federico reminded the board of their mandate to be responsive to the needs of the public.
"Steve (Sadwick) is sensitive to that," he stated, reiterating the importance of the project's emphasis on reaching out to the whole community.
"We don't want a situation where (we hear from) only a few people with particular interests and a particular agenda," he stated.
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