Living in Dryden

Good job, Simon. Thank you! No wonder the zoning proposal didn't help with your insomnia.

Simon,
Thank you for summing this up. I've been trying to explain this to people for some time.

In many ways, the use table is much more permissive. It does match current policy. Unfortunately current policy is often scribbled in the margins of Henry's paper copy, kind of hard to deal with. I made the decision a while ago that I, and the Planning Board, will have to work with people on a parcel by parcel basis, which actually has a lot of side benefits. A nice and informative conversation in the office with a landowner has been much more beneficial than torturing myself creating some complicated table (as you now know) that won't really tell the whole story anyway.

But now you've done it for me!

One of the things I don't think people understand is that vagueness is built into the law on purpose. This is why a Zoning Board of Appeals exists, and why it is relatively easy to make incremental changes to a law. One of the things that has not happened over the years is a systematic tracking of complaints, variances, issues in subdivision review etc. that could be used to regularly update the law. I wish I had those numbers, because just in the time I've been in the office that type of exposure is massively informative. But, through that process of tracking, things that seemed important may not anymore. Also, as the law becomes more specific, it can be administered more directly without board review. We certainly aren't there yet, and I could elaborate.

As for the other areas you haven't gotten to yet, the big change is that all subdivisions (not lot line adjustments) must go to the Planning Board from the first lot created, however they can authorize the CEO to administratively approve future lots as long as they follow the plan the PB approved. Parking was left pretty much the same, although I wanted to do more, and we put some flexibility provisions that allowed people to reduce the parking requirement during review. Another thing you'll notice is that the pre-PB process will change. The PB nor TB are supposed to design projects, they are supposed to approve or disapprove them. This is a little trick developers sometimes try to play. My goal is to have much better sketch plans come to them, so that they can focus on the things that they actually want to, and be more comfortable approving projects. And also to think a little bigger instead of being bogged down in little things.

Elder Cottage language is weird. I can only assume that was the suggested language when the program started and I don't think anything changed.

Signage, only a couple of tweaks. One was a amendment that I didn't know existed, another was based upon a recent ZBA decision regarding LED signs, as well as a problem with the table that was unclear. This could use more work, but serves its purpose for now, well except that it isn't enforced.

Thanks for your efforts! I'll look into the MA zone comment as well.

I'm going to put a link to this on the zoning Facebook page.

Yes, the ZBA exists, but when does it EVER turn anyone down? Laws are just one piece of the puzzle; enforcement is the other. If enforcement doesn't exist, why bother with the laws?