Susan R. Shea

The Commission discussed several strategic topics, including the Town Council Liaison report regarding advertising committee openings and the Design Standards Subcommittee's progress. Key discussions centered on commercial design standards, the importance of property maintenance ordinances, and the limitation of current zoning ordinances for prospective businesses. The Commission also explored its potential future role in the planning and zoning process, proposing workshops to review existing land-use tables.

The committee reviewed and discussed several proposed ballot questions concerning amendments to the Town Charter, including provisions for the incidental use of town property, procedures for the introduction of proposed ordinances, and purchasing policy adjustments linked to the Boston Regional Consumer Price Index. Members also deliberated on the drafting of a voter education publication to clarify proposed changes for the public and decided to schedule a public hearing for April to review these ballot questions before forwarding them to the Town Council.

The committee held a public hearing to review and finalize fifteen proposed amendments to the Town Charter. Key discussion topics included correcting scrivener's errors, clarifying purchasing policy thresholds, updating reporting requirements to remove references to defunct state entities, and debating potential changes to the composition and term lengths of the Planning Commission. The committee ultimately voted to forward all proposed amendments to the Town Council for further consideration, with the Council retaining the final authority on ballot language and presentation.

The Commission discussed adjusting the meeting start time to 6:30 p.m., which was subsequently approved. The Liaison Report highlighted potential opportunities for incorporating low and moderate income housing units at the Lucy Property and noted environmental site remediation challenges at the Kenyon site. The Chair initiated a discussion on defining commission goals and roles, and disclosed a potential conflict of interest regarding future development plans that may necessitate her resignation from her position or the committee.

The subcommittee discussed the fee structure for event usage at Ninigret Park, affirming that the Trembly formula remains the preferred model for determining charges. Ongoing development continues regarding processing fees based on event size, the creation of charts to differentiate fees between various organizational types such as Profit and 501c3 entities, and the analysis of resident versus non-resident fee structures.