A public hearing on two proposed ordinances, one concerning subdivisions and another on site plan review, has been scheduled by the Somerville Planning Board for Thursday, Jan.
15 at 6 p.m. at the town office.
According to planning board Chair Jim Grenier, the town has neither a site plan review ordinance nor a subdivision ordinance in place.
A subdivision ordinance had been proposed to the voters some time ago, but was never adopted, Grenier said. “We realized that not having one, we should,” he said.
The planning board brought a new subdivision ordinance before the voters at annual town meeting last year, but it was voted down over concerns with the property
numbering process and the definition of a subdivision.
The ordinance has since been reworded and reviewed by an attorney, and should be ready for acceptance, Grenier said. “Right now we feel we have a good subdivision
ordinance we don’t feel will affect anyone adversely,” he said.
In addition to outlining the application process for a subdivision, the ordinance includes 16 pages of standards addressing stormwater management, groundwater
considerations, and provisions regarding open spaces, among other issues.
Over 25 percent of the 34-page ordinance pertains to traffic and road-related standards.
Regarding the site plan review ordinance, Grenier said it would allow the planning board and code enforcement officer review any plans for commercial buildings, such
as restaurants or offices.
“There’s a review process so it meets basic requirements. You don’t want someone putting a concrete plant right on the roadway so all you’re looking at is silos and
conveyor belts and other things that would look unsightly,” he said.
The 13-page site plan review ordinance touches on areas such as landscaping, vehicular access and parking, and water and sewage, and also outlines the required
components of and procedure for an application.
The ordinance would not affect homes, he said.
The hope is to bring the ordinances before the voters at a special town meeting in February, Grenier said.
Access the draft ordinances online: the draft subdivision ordinance and the draft site plan review ordinance. There is one caveat: A paragraph in the site
plan review ordinance, highlighted in yellow, was determined by the planning board to need rewording, according to First Selectman Susan Greer. Greer anticipated the new wording
would be available prior to the public hearing.
The Somerville Board of Selectmen have scheduled a special meeting for Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the town office to approve a warrant for the special town
meeting.
According to Greer, the warrant will likely include the ordinances, articles to transfer some town funds into reserve accounts, and a revised article which failed to
pass at annual town meeting last year.
The article, which would have allowed the selectmen to receive and expend funds from grants or other sources as long as they required less than $10,000 in matching
funds from the town, was passed over by an unanimous vote since it contained incorrect dates, according to The Lincoln County News archives.
Greer said the special town meeting will likely be scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7.
