At the meeting, a key agenda item was the review of proposed changes to the zoning bylaws. Assistant Engineer Field Coordinator Mark Nan introduced the topic, highlighting the town’s obligations under the MS4 permit. This permit mandates that all municipalities in Massachusetts follow specific guidelines regarding stormwater discharge. Consultants Peter Varga and Elise Thompson elaborated on how these changes seek to improve stormwater management through revised street design and parking lot guidelines aimed at reducing impervious surfaces. These modifications are intended to enhance stormwater quality and ensure regulatory compliance.

The discussion on zoning bylaws was thorough, with a representative from Kleinfelder explaining the process that led to the current recommendations. Meetings over the past few years have gathered feedback and prioritized the proposed changes, focusing on minimizing impervious areas without introducing overly prescriptive language. The proposed revisions were designed to integrate seamlessly with existing town documents, avoiding any conflicting recommendations.

Elise Thompson detailed specific proposed changes, including adjustments to general parking requirements. These adjustments would allow a decrease in parking space requirements if a development is near public parking lots, on-street parking, or supports multimodal transportation, such as bus routes and bike lanes. This reduction would require a special permit from the board of appeals. Additionally, the proposal includes incorporating green infrastructure features into parking lots, such as rain gardens and bio-retention areas, to facilitate stormwater infiltration and prevent flooding.

Further changes were suggested for the smart growth zoning overlay district and the Glover multifamily overlay district. These included decreasing the size of parking stalls and permitting up to 30% of required parking to be designated for compact cars, as defined by the US EPA. The revisions also proposed using permeable pavers in parking lots, provided they do not present significant maintenance or accessibility challenges.

The next steps involve presenting these changes to the planning board on May 11, followed by a presentation to the select board for adoption.

Alongside the discussion on zoning bylaws, the board reviewed a petition from Scott Miller. This petition requested a special permit to replace a hip roof with a gabled roof, resulting in an addition of 754 square feet, and a dimensional special permit to adjust a deck’s setback. The board emphasized that its focus was narrow, addressing only the dimensional relief for the deck’s setback. The proposed changes required the deck to move three inches inward to comply with zoning regulations, maintaining a six-foot setback from the property line.

The board unanimously approved the motion to grant the requested dimensional special permit, while making it clear that any additional compliance or review processes with the planning board were outside their jurisdiction.

The meeting also covered logistical issues, including the scheduling of future meetings. A recommendation was made to reschedule the May 19 meeting due to the potential for the town meeting to extend over multiple nights. After confirming availability, the meeting was rescheduled to May 26.