The Harrisville Planning Board held its regular monthly meeting at the Town Office Building located on Chesham Road on Wednesday, November 9, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Members Present: Sherry Sims, Heri Tryba, Courtney Cox, Nick Colony alternate, Pete Thayer alternate, Noel Greiner alternate
Members Absent: Ned Hulbert
Members of the Public and Town Officials Present: Selectman Jonathan Miner, John Newcombe, Winston Sims, Anne Howe, Ryan Stone, Donna Stone, Patty Massey
Monthly Meeting
Mrs. Sims called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Attendance and Voting Members
Mrs. Sims stated that the voting members are herself, Mr. Maneval, Mrs. Cox, Mr. Tryba and Mr. Greiner.
Approval of Agenda
Motion advanced to approve the agenda and all voted in favor.
Minutes of previous meetings 9/14/16, 10/12/16 and 10/26/16
Mr. Greiner moved to approve September 14 Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. Mr. Tryba moved to approve October 12, Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. Mrs. Cox moved to approve Organizational Review Meeting Minutes of October 26, 2016. All voted in favor.
Receive paperwork: 3-lot minor subdivision, John Newcombe, Westside Rd, Map 70, Lot 3.
John Newcombe attended to present an application with a letter of intent, abutters list, and maps. Paperwork was received by the PB. PB members agreed to hold a work session on Monday, November 14 at 5:00 to review the application for completeness.
Discussion: Town Clerk request for clarification of domicile and residency definitions for vehicle registration.
Donna Stone and Patty Massey attended to follow up on their request to the PB and stated that they also had met with the Select Board. Mrs. Sims noted her conversation with attorney Steven Buckley from the New Hampshire Municipal Association who suggested that the Motor Vehicle RSAs 21:6-A and 259:88 were the authority on this issue for Town Clerks. He was not aware of any towns that relied on zoning ordinances for residency or domicile determination. Donna Stone explained that applicants for vehicle registration are living in seasonal residences, which does not seem right to her.
Mr. Maneval stated his belief that zoning ordinances apply to land use only and don’t pertain to vehicle registration, even if they should be reviewed for clarification. In an attempt to assist Mrs. Stone and Mrs. Massey with the processing of vehicle registration applications, he submitted a document to them that clarifies RSAs 21:6 and 259:88 as they define residency. Mr. Maneval offered further assistance if needed outside the auspices of the PB since the question is not related to land use.
Mrs. Massey asked about the relevance of a particular type of residence for vehicle registration purposes and Mr. Maneval responded that the type of structure is irrelevant for the purposes of determining residency.
Housing/Zoning proposed amendments: discussion and decisions
The Board reviewed the language, as currently drafted, of its proposal for a new ADU ordinance, including the section titled Purpose, the sections on applications for attached and detached ADUs, the section on duplexes and language related to By Right applications and Special Exception and Conditional Use Permit requirements. Mrs. Sims stated that a public hearing on the proposal could be held in either December or January. The group agreed to further review the proposed draft amendments in the coming weeks and to provide Mrs. Sims with feedback on language and proposed changes and additions by November 18.
Regarding discussion of Conditional Use Permits and discussion of a proposed Conservation Subdivision Ordinance, Ms. Sims distributed recommended language and asked Board members to respond with feedback on these topics as well. She will then distribute revised drafts to Board members for further discussion at the December 14 meeting.
Updates:
Aquifer/Water Protection Ordinance study group – Mr. Thayer stated that the working committee (consisting of representatives from the PB, the ConCom and citizens) is working to have recommendations by spring of 2017.
Complete Streets – Mrs. Sims noted that she and Mr. Tryba are now the lead representatives from the PB on this initiative. At the last meeting, they started on mapping and at the next meeting on November 22, the group will discuss ways to encourage public input. Mr. Maneval added that representatives from SWRP will meet with Mr. Maneval and the Road Agent in December.
Broadband – Mr. Colony stated that a meeting with Chesterfield feasibility study is being scheduled.
Regional Cooperation – School Board – Mr. Tryba noted that he, Mrs. Sims, Mr. Miner and Mr. Hulbert met briefly with the School Board to discuss longer-term issues and the goal of getting the Master Plan Committee and the School Board to work more cooperatively. Mr. Hulbert is setting up the next steps.
Meeting w Selectmen re: CIP – Mr. Tryba stated he and Ned Hulbert met with the Select Board to convey their interest in working with them on CIP initiatives. Mr. Tryba mentioned a phone call he and Mr. Hulbert had with an attorney from the NHMA who conveyed her opinion that Planning Boards have the right by statute to propose CIP initiatives for consideration to Select Boards but that PBs have no formal authority in this matter. Mr. Maneval added that the ideal time to bring any ideas forward is at the budget hearings, which the Select Board will hold in the new year, prior to Town Meeting.
Cucchi lawsuit – Mr. Maneval stated that an email was received from Mr. Cucchi suggesting he may meet with the Select Board on the pending litigation. Mr. Maneval further noted that an email was submitted by Mr. Cucchi to the PB and that Mr. Maneval recommends that no response be forthcoming until the Board has a chance to discuss it.
Town Website – Mr. Sims will talk to Gwen Ames about what her parameters are for any work on the website going forward.
Meeting adjourned: 9:30 pm
The next regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting is Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 7 p.m.