Four changes to the town zoning code will head to the Town Council on the recommendation of the Planning Board, which held public hearings last week that drew no public input.
The proposed changes to town ordinances would allow food trucks downtown, protect wetlands, change minimum parking requirements, and allow the Planning Board to waive minor site plan reviews under certain circumstances.
The four public hearings on Sept. 25 were opened and closed within six minutes. The hearings attracted interest from three people, but two of them joined on zoom after the unexpectedly brief hearings were over.
Laura Eaton, a member of the Conservation Commission, attended the meeting and was prepared to speak in favor of the wetlands ordinance if there was opposition.
“Fortunately, there does not appear to be any controversy around it,” Eaton said in an email after the meeting.
In a discussion among board members after the hearings, the recommendation for the outdoor food sales ordinance was revised so it would limit to one hour the time an ice cream truck can remain in a residential neighborhood. The change was suggested by a resident who wrote to the Planning Department before the meeting.
The board also recommended changing the parking ordinance to prohibit two vehicle curb cuts to a parking area on the same street in growth areas, a measure that would reduce the number of times bicyclists and pedestrians have to cross in front of traffic.
The board also read into the minutes a change in the Planning Board’s bylaws that allows written communications from residents to be published in the board’s meeting packet if requested by the letter writer. A second reading, expected at the next meeting, is required for the change to become official.
