New Swampscott Zoning Subcommittee to be Formed

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The Town of is looking for interested residents and professionals to join its Zoning Bylaw Review Subcommittee. As one of its core functions, the Planning Board oversees the evolution of the zoning by-law for the Town.

The by-law sets the foundation for what can and can’t happen within our community. This subcommittee will have the ability to look into and recommend revisions to the Planning Board those alterations they believe will benefit the community as a whole.

The subcommittee is not a new idea for the town. A similar committee was created in 2007 with the express mandate as a subcommittee to the Planning Board “to propose and champion through the Town Meeting statutory process updates to the zoning bylaw that ‘regulate(s) the use of land, buildings, and structures [...] to protect the health, safety and general welfare of its present and future inhabitants’.”

The role of that initial committee was to make significant changes throughout the zoning by-law at that time to make it more current and effective. The result was the successful adoption by Town Meeting of numerous changes to the zoning by-law in 2009.

The Zoning By-Law is a living and evolving regulatory document which reflects the changing needs and desires of a community. It is because of this reason that the Planning Board has decided to re-establish the subcommittee.

The subcommittee will be tasked with reviewing the current by-law, determining problem areas as well as listening to public input regarding issues with the current by-law, researching methods to update the by-law, and presenting these recommendations to the Planning Board who may then ultimately make the proposals to the Town and Town Meeting.

To allow for a well-rounded subcommittee, the Planning Board is seeking individuals with the following background: business owner, property owner/developer, realtor, and architect. Additionally, the subcommittee will include a Planning Board member and potentially a Zoning Board of Appeals member.

The Town Planner and Local Building Inspectors will also act as ex-officios to this subcommittee. Residents at large are also encouraged to take part in the subcommittee.

If you would like to be considered for the subcommittee, please mail or email your letter of interest to the Town Planner, S. Peter Kane (Planning Department, 22 Monument Avenue, Swampscott, MA 01907 or pkane@town.swampscott.ma.us). Subcommittee members should expect to meet once a month.

PLANNING BOARD Patrick Jones, Chair; Angela Ippolito, Vice Chair; Sylvia Belkin; Jeffrey Blonder; George Potts