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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 2015 This Newsletter is formatted for use on all browsers.View this email in your browser From the Desk of Town Manager Libby Gibson Special Town Meeting 2015 Volume 6, Number 10 In early October, the Board of Selectmen scheduled a Special Town Meeting (STM) as a result of citizen petitions submitted by the Richmond/Great Point Development LLC (Richmond), for two zoning articles. The Board added 5 additional articles. The articles are explained in “laymen’s terms”, below. While there is no quorum required for the STM itself, there IS a quorum required (per the Town Code Chapter 44, section 8) for Articles 3-5; and, there are certain quantums of vote required for some of the articles (per Mass General Law), as follows: As of the voter registration deadline for the STM, the total number of voters in the Town is 8,722. A five percent quorum is 437 voters and a three percent quorum is 262. Should the STM not conclude on Monday, November 9th, it will in all likelihood be continued to Tuesday, November 10th. Article 1 1 (Zoning Map Change: R-20 to R-5 -- Daffodil Lane and Mayflower Circle; LUG-2 to CN -- Davkim Lane; LUG-2 to R-5 -- Evergreen Way) * At the October 26, 2015 joint hearing of the Planning Board and the Finance Committee, the Planning Board considered Zoning Map changes proposed for property owned by Richmond Great Point, LLC. The Planning Board approached the Zoning Map changes as a companion to the Zoning Bylaw text amendment contained within Article 2 of this Special Town Meeting. The Zoning Map changes (Article 1) combined with the Zoning Bylaw text amendments (Article 2) will create a local permitting option that provides benefits to the Town, including protection against inappropriate future applications for the production of income restricted dwelling units affordable to households earning less than 80% of area median income. Richmond Great Point, LLC is working with the Board of Selectmen to develop an agreement by which the two articles, if approved, can only be executed as a package and not utilized individually – meaning that the Zoning Map changes (Article 1) cannot be exercised unless the Zoning Bylaw text amendments (Article 2) containing provisions to create income restricted housing is also exercised. In the event that an agreement is not executed or that Article 2 is not approved, the Planning Board positive recommendation for this article will be withdrawn. The Planning Board supports retaining local permitting control. Voters should be aware that defeat of Articles 1 and 2 will eliminate local permitting opportunities and procedures, thereby shifting the application review to a state mandated process that prioritizes the lack of regional housing and over-rides local regulations and practices. Article 2 (Zoning Bylaw Amendment: Workforce Housing) * See comment for Article 1. In addition, the Planning Board notes that the provisions contained within this Zoning Bylaw text amendment would apply to other CN and R-5 zoning areas (together less than 1% of the island). However, by setting a minimum lot size of 1.38 acres (60,000 square feet), practical limitations reduce the number of potential development sites to 2 other R-5 zoned parcels and 6 other CN zoned parcels. Whether or not other eligible property owners will utilize these provisions remains speculative, as it would involve redevelopment of productive private land or public land. Providing incentives for the creation of affordable housing is consistent with other on-going initiatives to address the housing need. * Text for Articles 1 & 2 provided by the Planning office Article 3 (Appropriation: Brant Point Boat House Renovation/Shellfish Propagation Facility) At the October 7, 2015 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, there was an agenda item about the need for supplemental funds for the Brant Point Boat House/Shellfish Propagation facility renovation project. The attached memo was used as the basis for discussion. The Finance Committee’s motion on the Article is positive and recommends additional funding of $1,300,000 be appropriated from currently available certified Free Cash. Article 4 (Appropriation: Our Island Home Design of New Facility) At the Board of Selectmen’s meeting of October 7, 2015, Richard Webb of SMRT, the architect the Town has engaged to conduct a feasibility/needs assessment for a new Our Island Home facility presented the findings to date of the assessment. The assessment comes after recommendations made by a work group appointed by the Board of Selectmen, which presented its findings in a report provided to the Board in 2013. At the 2015 Annual Town Meeting, a vote was made to appropriate one million dollars ($1,000,000) for the feasibility/needs assessment and design of a new Our Island Home facility; however, that vote was later deemed invalid because the wording was not accurate. In order to secure the funds needed to proceed with planning for a new facility, this vote must be redone. The issue of the location of a new facility has been the topic of community discussion lately. Town Administration is currently working to address concerns about the location; although, the location itself is not part of this Article. The Finance Committee’s motion on the Article is positive and recommends that One Million Dollars be borrowed to fund the costs of professional services for design, permitting, architecture, construction supervision, and other related professional services for the construction of a new facility for Our Island Home. Article 5 (Appropriation: Fire Station) At the October 28, 2015 Board of Selectmen’s meeting, Fire Chief Paul Rhude and the Town’s Owner’s Project Manager (the person hired to oversee the project as required by state law for projects over $1,500,000) for the Fire Station project reviewed a recent rise in municipal construction costs, along with the particulars of the project, with a recommendation that an additional two million dollars ($2,000,000) be sought, in anticipation of bids coming in higher than the existing appropriation. The Finance Committee’s motion on the Article is positive and recommends that Two Million Dollars be appropriated to supplement the existing appropriation of $15,000,000: One Million Dollars to be funded through currently available certified Free Cash and One Million Dollars to be funded through the existing debt exclusion (that was approved earlier this year). Article 6 - Home Rule Petition Real Estate Conveyances from Nantucket Islands Land Bank to Town of Nantucket This Article seeks to transfer parcels of land from the Land Bank to the Town for School use specifically a temporary staging area for construction of the adjacent new schools and future playing field space once the staging area is no longer needed. The Finance Committee’s motion on the Article is positive. Article 7 (Correction to Article 7 - Compensation Schedule C of 2015 Annual Town Meeting) This Article corrects an inadvertent error made regarding the Town Clerk’s salary at the 2015 Annual Town Meeting. The salary was meant to be increased but was not. The Article will correct the salary to the proper figure. The Finance Committee’s motion on the Article is positive. Town of Nantucket 16 Broad Street Nantucket, MA 02554 P: (508) 228-7255 F: (508) 228-7272 Contact Us! Town of Nantucket Website Newsletter Archives Subscribe to Newsletter Copyright © 2015 Town of Nantucket, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences