At the forefront of the meeting was a presentation by Kyle Finel from the P-Valley Planning Commission. He introduced draft revisions to the town’s water supply protection zoning bylaw as part of a DLTA grant project. The proposed revisions aim to align the bylaw with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection regulations. Finel emphasized discrepancies in the delineation of water supply protection district boundaries, particularly the proposal that if any part of a parcel falls within the overlay district, the entire parcel would be subject to the district’s regulations. This sparked debate among the board members, as some expressed concerns over the practicality and implications for property owners.

Further discussion revealed potential administrative challenges, with suggestions for using GIS analysis to identify affected parcels. A broader review of the zoning bylaw was proposed, focusing on sections with implications for water supply, such as the Water Management Clause and Earth Removal provisions. The need for performance standards and a special permit process was highlighted, allowing for more nuanced evaluations rather than outright prohibitions of certain uses, like gas stations, in the water supply protection district.

Another topic was the town’s acquisition of property at 117 to 125 College Highway, facilitated by a donor’s contribution. The board is considering using the site for a senior center, a public safety building, and housing. However, the current zoning is not favorable for affordable housing, prompting the need for a land planner to assess zoning restrictions and potential site arrangements. Discussions also included the necessity of a municipal agreement with East Hampton officials to allocate sewer treatment capacity, alongside a feasibility study to estimate residential water flows.

The board also addressed the issue of site plan reviews for ground-mounted solar installations. A comparison with other communities revealed varying requirements, with some mandating site plan reviews due to concerns about tree removal and neighbor complaints. The board expressed a desire to streamline the process by exempting residential solar projects from legal notice requirements while ensuring abutters are informed.

Additionally, the meeting touched on the concept of a stormwater utility to manage impervious surface impacts, incentivizing compliance through charges based on property owners’ impervious surfaces. This would help address concerns about existing properties with extensive impervious surfaces that have previously bypassed regulatory scrutiny.

The board also considered potential amendments to the bylaw concerning impervious surfaces, noting that the current allowance exceeds state regulations. A proposal was made to require special permits for developments exceeding the 15% threshold, allowing for assessments of appropriateness and remediation strategies.

Lastly, the potential for intermunicipal cooperation was discussed, with a proposal to reconvene a group akin to the former Bay Area Advisory Council to address shared groundwater protection concerns. Plans for a roundtable discussion involving Southampton officials and neighboring municipalities aim to ensure consistent protection measures, particularly for shared resources like the Barnes aquifer.