Washington Planning Board
Washington Planning Board
Meeting Minutes
March 4, 2014
0.0 Assembly: 6:30PM
0.1 Members present: Cook, Crandall, Dagesse, Marshall, Schwartz
0.2 Alternates present: Kluk, Terani
0.3 Members and Alternates Absent:
0.4 Visitors: Lolly Gilbert and Carolyn Bullock
1.0 Minutes: Minutes from March 4, 2014, Crandall found 4 typos that needed to be corrected. Schwartz will make the corrections and repost. Crandall motioned to approve, Dagesse seconded and all voted in favor. Minutes from the March 20th Site Visit and Public Hearing, there were no changes to be made to these minutes, Dagesse motioned to approve the minutes, Crandall seconded, all voted in favor.
2.0 Old Business:
2.1 Master Plan Update Committee status report -
Kluk thanked MPUC members Gilbert and Bullock for coming this evening. She stated that the committee met on March 25th and set the major focus topics for the community workshop. There will be 6 focus topics; 1) Land Use and Zoning, 2) Economic Development, 3) Community Services and Facilities, 4) Historic Resources and Preservation, 5) Preservation of Rural Character and Sense of Community, 6) Recreation. She said that as per the recommendation of Dan Reidy (the facilitator from UNH Co-operative Extension) we will use high school students as facilitators for the focus groups. She and Gilbert talked to high school teacher Noah Denslow, who had students to recommend. The committee settled on the community workshop date, which is June 21st. They have arranged to use the elementary school for the workshop and one evening for facilitator training. They have some magnets to use for getting people out to the workshop, such as an exhibit of children’s artwork depicting what they like most about Washington and a drawing for the unclaimed prizes from the community survey. The committee is now working on educating itself about the topic issues and then they will be crafting the workshop questions. She presented the board with Dan Reidy’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and asked the board to approve payment of the $1000 fee for their scope of work. Marshall asked if there was money in the PB budget for this? Schwartz said yes, we budgeted for this when we were setting our budget for 2014, in December. Kluk asked if everyone thought the MOU was appropriate and whether she could bring it to the Selectmen for payment. Marshall asked what the plan is after the workshop? Kluk said the committee will receive a workshop report from Reidy and then start to work on Master Plan chapter content. The committee plans to talk to town boards and committees for input and information for the chapters. They will then draft the chapters and ultimately all the MP updates will go to a public hearing and adoption. Crandall said that the Planning Board would review as the committee goes along. Kluk foresees another year of work. Cook said she doesn’t have a problem with the MOU, Dagesse and Crandall agreed. Kluk said she talked to Mike McCrory from UVLSRPC about using Dan Reidy and he said that he was a good choice and he had worked with him previously. Schwartz made a motion to approve the MOU, Crandall seconded, all voted in favor. Cook signed the MOU and Kluk and Schwartz will bring it to the Selectmen on Thursday night for their signature for payment. Kluk talked about how we can raise visibility for the Master Plan update in the town. She said she and Schwarz and other committee members will do periodic updates at the Selectmen’s meetings to appear in the minutes. Crandall suggested some ”Did You Know?” items. Kluk said the committee is meeting next on April 15th at 2PM in the Town Hall.
2.2 2014 LUO Certification –
Schwartz passed out copies of the updated LUO to all PB members. The RV ordinance changes that passed at Town Meeting have been edited in. The board signed the updated LUO certification to make it official. Schwartz will give a copy of the LUO with the certification page to Town Clerk Sandy Poole.
3.0 New Business:
3.1 Election of Officers –
Marshall said that he had discussed the officers with Cook, who is the present chair of the board, and since she wants to step down as chair he made a motion to elect Crandall the Chair, Dagesse the Vice Chair and keep Schwartz as the Secretary. Cook seconded the motion and all voted in favor. The board thanked Cook for her years of service as the Chair and thanked her for staying on as a valued member. Crandall thanked Cook and Dagesse for both running for the board and said he appreciates their helping to keeping consistency on the board. Cook elected to run the rest of the meeting before passing the gavel to Crandall for next month.
3.2 New Application for Home Business for Site Plan Review -
Schwartz passed out a document she produced after the board decided to have a separate, shorter application for Home Businesses based on the Site Plan Review application used for larger businesses and Subdivisions. They have found that people are confused by the longer application because much of it is irrelevant to home businesses. She took the relevant questions and passages from the Site Plan Review application and put them together into a concise application. Kluk commented that we should reference the LUO section that applies to the application, adding this to the intro section of the application. Dagesse said that when people come in for a business permit application they don’t know what they need. Schwartz said that she added a line that says applicants need to also fill out a business permit application and a sign permit application, if needed. Schwartz will check the LUO sections that are applicable and reference them. Cook said we could lose the 1” to 20 foot scale for the map and just ask for an appropriate scale. Cook asked about the need for a north arrow on the map. Schwartz said it helps orient things. Schwartz said that everyone should go over the application and we can approve it at our next meeting.
3.3 Discuss Warrant article #29, PB responsibilities -
Kluk said that the article was amended to include the Planning Board working with the Selectmen. The article was amended to $5000 for investigation and communication of the issues pertaining to Town Buildings, etc. She said there is an opportunity to do something at the community workshop if appropriate. Marshall said that at this time the Selectmen have nothing for us to do. They are looking at statistics and how to involve EOC, Fire, Police, Rescue and it is too early to task anyone. The Selectmen are doing R&D and gathering statistics. They are meeting in Hancock on Thursday, about the Town Hall siding. They are looking at alternative exhaust systems with the Fire Department. They are not reaching out to us yet but will be in the future, they are gathering information at this time. Kluk asked if the Planning Board could help as a sounding board for their thoughts on plans. Marshall said as ex-officio he will bring us updates and guidance as things go along. They may ask us for help looking into things.
3.4 20th Annual OEP Spring Planning and Zoning conference –
takes place on May 3rd at the Mountain View Hotel in Whitefield. Registration is open until April 25th and you can sign up online at: http://www.nh.gov/oep/planning/resources/conferences/spring-2014/index.htm
3.5 Rules of Procedure –
Schwartz passed out an updated version of our Rules of Procedure incorporating the changes we agreed on at our February meeting. Crandall asked about the wording and Schwartz explained what was added. We reviewed the new Email section as well. Marshall made a motion to approve the changes, Dagesse seconded, all voted in favor. Schwartz will post the revised rules.
3.6 Business Permit –
We received a business permit application and an application for exemption from the Site Plan Review from Jennifer Little for a cottage business at her home in Ashuelot. The business is a phone-based psychological consulting and healing. Kluk asked about restrictions in Ashuelot for businesses. Dagesse said that they are allowed if there is no outward appearance of a business (no signs or storage). Jennifer stated that she is living at the Thompson residence on Ashuelot Drive, Edward Thompson signed the application as the property owner. We went through the application and the list of exemption requirements for the Site Plan Review. A. yes, B. yes, C. yes, D. yes, E. yes, F. yes, G. yes, I. yes, J. yes. Since she met all the requirements for an exemption, Crandall motion to approve her permit as a home business with an exemption to the Site Plan Review, Marshall seconded the motion and all voted in favor.
Dagesse commented that she thinks Section III 5. C is a gray area in the site plan Regulations, it says that “the home occupation is carried on only by family member(s) residing at the principal residence”, she thinks that we need to add that if you are renting the residence you need to have permission of the owner to have a business there. Schwartz will revise this section and pointed out that the Business Permit application does ask for the property owner’s signature, as well as the business applicant’s.
4.0 Driveway permits: None
5.0 Mergers:
5.1 Raymond Tutino, Stowell Rd., TM14-081, LAE lots Q10A and Q23, deed provided, fee waived. These lots are on the tax map as one lot but the deeds reference them as two lots. The Assessors requested that the owner merge the lots. Cook and Schwartz checked the paperwork and Cook determined the new lot number would be TM14-81. Schwartz motioned to approve, Dagesse seconded, all voted in favor.
5.2 Michael Berry and Bill Procter, Valley Road, TM25-54 and TM 25-54-01, HLS lots 170 and 171, deed provided, fee waived. Cook checked to see if there was a house on either lot but there was not, she determined the new lot number would be TM25-54. Marshall made a motion to approve the merger, Crandall seconded the motion, all voted in favor.
5.3 Don and Doreen Carron, Stowell Road, TM14-62 and TM14-61, LAE lots T14 and T15, deeds provided, fee waived. This merger was straight-forward and Cook determined that the new lot number will be TM14-61. Schwartz motioned to approve, Marshall seconded, all voted in favor.
5.4 Dean Danforth and Erin Ford, 507 Halfmoon Pond Road, TM12-010, TM12-210, deeds provided, fee paid. Schwartz said she had confusion as to whether these are abutting lots. Cook explained that an abutting property survey was done recently, which turned up the lot (12-210), which was not previously shown on the existing tax maps. When Danforth and Ford brought the property they didn’t realize it was part of their property, they are now merging the two properties. Cook determined the new lot number would be TM12-10. Schwartz motioned to approve the merger, Crandall seconded the motion, all voted in favor.
5.5 Donna Lanni, Monroe Circle, TM14-258 and TM14-259, this merger is pending. The owner is having new deeds drawn up and they will be sent to us as soon as they are registered. The Assessors will honor this merger for 2014 as soon as we get it done because the process was started last November.
Schwartz will send the approved mergers to the Registry of Deeds.
6.0 Communications:
6.1 Memo from Master Plan Update Committee, status report
6.2 UVLSRPC – copy of the Proposed Regional Broadband (High Speed Internet) Plan, public hearing planned for April 23rd at 6PM in Lebanon office.
6.3 DES invitation to their Annual Drinking Water Source Protection conference, April 30th in Concord
7.0 Date for next Planning Board meeting, May 6, 2014, at 6:30PM.
8.0 Adjournment: Time 8:01 PM
Motioned by Crandall, seconded by Marshall, all voted in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Nan Schwartz