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[0:01]
Okay.
[0:01]
Good evening ladies and gentlemen.
[0:03]
Welcome to the zoning Board of Adjustment for May 7th, 2026.
[0:06]
Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.
[0:11]
Allegiance, lives of the United States of America,
[0:15]
and two three Republic for which it stands.
[0:17]
One Nation under God, individual liberty
[0:21]
and justice for all.
[0:25]
Okay, good evening everybody,
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and welcome to the zoning board room for the evening.
[0:32]
And before we proceed, let's start
[0:35]
by introducing our members as we're hosts for the evening.
[0:38]
All the way to my far left, please. Anthony Henry Michael
[0:43]
Donlin.
[0:44]
A Richard Trip, I'd be Lynn Perkins. Acting chair
[0:48]
Brent Ow. Jim Dietzel.
[0:51]
Jason Ney. And all the way
[0:54]
to the far right we have code enforcement.
[0:57]
Carrie Owen with us and our clerk is Carrie Owen.
[1:01]
She's in the back. Before we proceed,
[1:04]
please shut off all cell phones.
[1:05]
I, Eileen. I'm sorry, Eileen, what did I say? Carrie
[1:08]
Owens?
[1:09]
I did, I said, didn't I say your name afterwards?
[1:11]
I was, oh, did I really? Oh, there it is.
[1:14]
I hit my quota for names tonight.
[1:16]
Everybody else is in trouble.
[1:19]
Just other announcements,
[1:21]
please shut off all your cell phones, iPhones,
[1:24]
any electronic gadgets
[1:26]
that could create distractions to the proceedings.
[1:28]
These scheduled are scheduled to terminate at 10:00 PM
[1:32]
and they are audio video recorded
[1:35]
and it seems like I'm forgetting another thing there, but
[1:40]
nonetheless, we can proceed.
[1:44]
Case of an emergency.
[1:46]
Oh yes. Thank you very much Mr. Dahlin. Case of emergency.
[1:49]
That's the most important thing is getting
[1:50]
everybody out of the building.
[1:52]
So don't use the elevator and please wait at the stairs
[1:54]
and someone will assist you and get you out of the building.
[1:57]
So anyway, moving forward.
[2:01]
First case up is
[2:04]
case number 26 dash 1 0 5.
[2:10]
As we have a lot of maneuvering in seats.
[2:14]
Bear with me as I put some other things together
[2:21]
to fill in for those who aren't with us right now.
[2:25]
Case number 26 dash 1 0 5 is a motion
[2:28]
for re-hearing tabled from April 2nd, 2026.
[2:32]
We have Daniel and Jennifer Lan re
[2:37]
requesting through their son
[2:41]
No motion for rehearing.
[2:43]
Mr. Trip, would you like to open with
[2:45]
that on some information?
[2:46]
Yes, I would. Okay.
[2:49]
Mr. Phelan's, motion for rehearing
[2:54]
pursuant to RSA 6 77 2,
[2:58]
that's basically three points.
[3:02]
The first point is Mr.
[3:06]
Lan says the board authorized a second
[3:08]
home business at the property.
[3:12]
I took the time to took contact
[3:17]
the code enforcement head to find out
[3:23]
how many special exceptions Mr.
[3:28]
Marian has, and she told me she had none,
[3:33]
which means that the
[3:38]
special exception that we
[3:42]
authorized his is first
[3:43]
and only, so that bullet is rebutted.
[4:06]
The second point is that
[4:11]
the firearm visit does not fall
[4:14]
within any of the categories.
[4:15]
The home business permitted
[4:20]
the, this
[4:25]
is the odd part about this whole discussion is that
[4:29]
he only wanted to be permitted to have a business,
[4:32]
but he was not going to actually run a business.
[4:36]
And so I consider
[4:42]
that will it rebutted to,
[4:47]
It was pertaining to the FFL itself, correct?
[4:50]
Yes. Okay, thank you.
[4:54]
The final bullet was that
[4:58]
the board exceeded its jurisdiction in attempting
[5:01]
to regulate firearm discharge.
[5:03]
Well, there's a, one of the things
[5:07]
that the board does a lot is we set conditions
[5:11]
that the applicant must follow in order to
[5:19]
get his variance or or special exception approved.
[5:23]
And Mr. Lan, well he is a lawyer, obviously,
[5:28]
does not practice law in
[5:32]
the great state of New Hampshire.
[5:36]
I will read the,
[5:43]
a zoning board of adjustment has the ability
[5:45]
to attach conditions to any relief
[5:48]
that is within the jurisdiction, which means that we,
[5:52]
as a matter of practice set conditions that the
[5:56]
applicant must comply with in order
[6:00]
to have the variance and the basis for our being able
[6:05]
to set conditions is
[6:10]
Michael J. Robinson versus, oops, excuse me,
[6:20]
Town of Hudson.
[6:22]
The, the only condition is that the, the Condit, the
[6:28]
conditions must be real relatable, reason, reasonable
[6:31]
and relate to the spirit of the ordinance in question
[6:34]
and the actual use of the land.
[6:36]
So in, in addition to
[6:41]
being able to, I don't know how many conditions we had on
[6:45]
that, but I think there were several, one of which was
[6:48]
that he was not going to
[6:51]
fire any weapons at his house.
[6:56]
Mr. LAN's con contention was that, that
[7:02]
we cannot require Mr.
[7:06]
Marin to comply with that.
[7:11]
And the thing is, he has
[7:15]
to comply if he wants to get approval
[7:17]
of his special exception, if he decides that he wasn't,
[7:21]
doesn't want to comply with the, the requirement
[7:25]
that he not fire weapons
[7:30]
at his house, then he won't get a special exception.
[7:34]
So three contentions or,
[7:40]
and I believe we have valid reasons
[7:43]
for enforcing those. Very good. So,
[7:47]
And Mr.
[7:48]
Tripp, thank you. Did you find any other information that,
[7:52]
that would justify rehearing in the failing application?
[7:57]
No. Okay. Very good.
[7:59]
Just for the record, I've appointed Mr.
[8:02]
Ani to this case and Mr. Donlin as well. Mr.
[8:06]
Donlin, do you find any new information in
[8:09]
this beyond what Mr.
[8:10]
Tripp has specified worth
[8:13]
that would suggest we should rehear this case
[8:16]
Beyond what Mr.
[8:17]
Tripp stated? No, sir.
[8:19]
Okay. Anything else there that's important to you?
[8:22]
No, sir. Okay. Mr.
[8:25]
Ani, anything that would stand out for you at this time
[8:29]
regarding this case to be reheard?
[8:32]
No, I think Mr. Tripp explained it perfectly. Thank
[8:34]
You.
[8:35]
Very good. Mr. Dietzel, any thoughts?
[8:38]
Y yeah, I'm gonna differ from Mr.
[8:41]
Trip on a, on a couple of matters here
[8:44]
on 0.1 about whether there are
[8:48]
two home businesses operating.
[8:52]
That was one I really wrestled with
[8:53]
and I tried to find a legal definition
[8:55]
or case law that actually defines what a home business is.
[9:02]
We have granted in the past an except special exemption, say
[9:06]
for a hairdresser where the woman actually wanted
[9:09]
to set up chairs in her home
[9:13]
and do hairstyling there
[9:16]
and run the business out of her home.
[9:21]
She could have easily,
[9:23]
and at the time she did, she was moving the business,
[9:25]
have a business downtown
[9:28]
and just do administrative duties in an office in her home.
[9:33]
Is that a home business?
[9:36]
Likewise, is
[9:39]
what this applicant proposing is
[9:42]
that a home business when he says
[9:44]
that he's not gonna engage in sales, whether
[9:47]
basically he's doing it just to get a license.
[9:53]
And if the answer is yes, then I think
[9:58]
whether or not the special exemption is on the construction
[10:01]
business or not, I think the construction business is more
[10:04]
of a home business than what he's proposing
[10:07]
with the gun business.
[10:09]
So that would be two home businesses.
[10:13]
I don't see why it can be
[10:16]
considered not a home business just
[10:18]
because he didn't get a special exemption
[10:21]
that he's required to.
[10:24]
So I think that either there are two home businesses
[10:29]
on the property or there are no home
[10:33]
businesses on the property.
[10:34]
If there are no home businesses on the property,
[10:37]
why are we giving him a special exemption other than
[10:40]
to allow him to get the gun permit?
[10:44]
The gun permit is really not
[10:47]
a con a zoning concern per se.
[10:50]
So that's, that's where I, I wrestle with, with that,
[10:55]
whether or not that's an error on the part of the board
[11:00]
or a matter of my opinion.
[11:01]
Differing. Well, that's debatable too.
[11:04]
I'm gonna say that we're, we made that board made an error
[11:08]
and that there would be two
[11:11]
businesses operating on that property. Second,
[11:15]
So, so Mr.
[11:17]
Okay. Dietzel,
[11:18]
I just wondered if you found anything here worthwhile to,
[11:22]
that has been presented to rehear this case,
[11:26]
if you can modify that a little bit or if you
[11:28]
See some points.
[11:29]
Yes. I, I found that this, this memo presenting the, the,
[11:34]
the five or the three objections in addition,
[11:43]
the, the, the more of the explanation
[11:48]
and my research, I,
[11:52]
that's what changed my mind.
[11:54]
I believe that his, his arguments are convincing that,
[11:57]
that we made an erroneous determination.
[12:00]
I'm gonna go down a different shoot here, Ms.
[12:02]
Oan, how do you typically establish a home use business?
[12:06]
So that's a, it's,
[12:11]
that's a great question.
[12:13]
It is a, it is a fine line definition.
[12:17]
So registering, simply registering a home business at a,
[12:20]
at a, at a residence without actually having operations,
[12:24]
whether it's meeting with clients at that residence
[12:28]
or conducting business deals, that is a, you know,
[12:32]
that is a legitimate business.
[12:34]
If you're working from home and you have a home office
[12:37]
and you're set up to be able to work remotely,
[12:39]
that's not necessarily a home business.
[12:41]
If you're parking a work vehicle,
[12:44]
'cause you're using it as transportation to
[12:46]
and from your residence to your place of business,
[12:50]
then I don't classify that as a home business.
[12:54]
It's more of a parking space
[12:56]
and I, it it, if we start seeing
[13:02]
commercial vehicles or lettered vehicles on a property,
[13:05]
one vehicle, okay, if it starts expanding beyond that,
[13:08]
then we start questioning what that operation may be.
[13:12]
Often whether or not you have clients coming in
[13:14]
and out of the property often applies to like dental
[13:19]
or hairdressers or,
[13:22]
or clergymen or attorneys.
[13:25]
And understanding in that light that you've sculpted
[13:28]
that if it's somebody with that's just commuting and,
[13:31]
and using it in
[13:32]
and out, they're not processing,
[13:34]
that's typically not someplace that you categorize as a,
[13:37]
as a home used business, right?
[13:39]
That's correct in this regard
[13:41]
and this board going in a little deeper into the weeds than
[13:44]
we normally do in these cases,
[13:47]
but often what we also find is that
[13:53]
that shipping and receiving
[13:56]
and whatnot can be a, a, a tip off.
[13:58]
The last point for me is that the applicant indicates
[14:03]
that he's receiving his mail outside of the state
[14:05]
and outside of that address.
[14:07]
So that's where I rebut there in this case.
[14:12]
We have a motion to read.
[14:13]
Anybody have any last comments before we move forward? Ms.
[14:17]
Dietzel? You all satisfied?
[14:18]
Well, the last point is whether
[14:22]
or not it meets the definition of an allowed
[14:27]
special exemption use
[14:28]
and I just don't see where
[14:33]
under the enumerated allowable businesses
[14:36]
where firearm sales falls.
[14:40]
It's not a clergy, it's not a doctor's office, it's not it,
[14:45]
I don't see where it falls in those categories.
[14:49]
Okay. Y'all set? I I I guess yeah,
[14:55]
I mean if you have any more you wanna say go ahead, but I
[14:57]
Well, I, I, I'll, I do rebut a couple of the,
[15:01]
I don't believe that we denied the council his ability
[15:06]
to represent his client.
[15:07]
In fact, you, Mr. Chair questioned him about his
[15:12]
authority to represent, he satisfied your question.
[15:15]
You allowed him to represent the applicants remotely.
[15:20]
So we certainly are allowing him
[15:22]
to practice before this board.
[15:23]
So I I rebut that and as far as he's asserting that
[15:30]
we're suggesting that the applicant could
[15:33]
otherwise discharge firearms, I I don't see,
[15:39]
I don't read the ruling that way, so I'm, I'm, I wouldn't,
[15:43]
I would refute that assertion
[15:48]
we're allowed as Mr.
[15:49]
Chip put out to put on,
[15:51]
put reasonable restrictions on the operation
[15:53]
of the property in order to minimize well noise,
[15:57]
safety, odors, pollution and so forth.
[16:01]
So I think our restriction is, is fine.
[16:03]
So it's those two points, having two,
[16:05]
two home businesses on one property
[16:07]
and the fact that it doesn't meet the definition
[16:10]
of a approved use.
[16:13]
Approved use. Okay. Thank
[16:14]
You Mr.
[16:15]
Chairman. You good now? Yes. Thank you.
[16:16]
All right, very good. Thank you very much.
[16:19]
That being said, we've heard from all five
[16:21]
members deciding on this.
[16:23]
With that we can take a motion.
[16:26]
We don't need to go into deliberation,
[16:28]
but I could take a motion to
[16:32]
move forward for a vote on this.
[16:35]
Okay, Ms. Chair, I, I I move that
[16:39]
we approve the for a vote. The
[16:43]
What?
[16:44]
We make a motion for a vote.
[16:46]
Oh, alright. What is the motion?
[16:49]
Well, we need to read the motion, so, okay.
[16:52]
In understanding that when we do special request
[16:55]
for rehearing, it breaks us out
[16:57]
and we've already deliberated out loud here.
[17:00]
So if you'd like Mr.
[17:02]
Trip, would you like to read the motion?
[17:04]
Aye, fair enough. I make a motion on case number 26 dash
[17:08]
1 0 5 for Daniel
[17:09]
and Jennifer Phelan to grant the request for rehearing
[17:12]
for the January 19th, 2026 decision by the town
[17:16]
of Jerry Zoning Board of Adjustment granting the request
[17:19]
for a variance to permit a type
[17:21]
oh one federal firearms license at the residence
[17:25]
of 38 Ves Drive
[17:28]
That motion's made by Mr. Trip. I have a second,
[17:31]
Second.
[17:32]
Mr. Donlin has a second on that.
[17:35]
Mr. Chair, may I Yes, you may
[17:37]
Ask a question just
[17:39]
'cause this one's a little bit different than normal.
[17:42]
Yep. So a, a no vote for this would be to deny the request
[17:47]
for hearing and a yes vote would be
[17:49]
that you would request a rehearing,
[17:51]
Correct?
[17:52]
That is correct. Yep. Yes.
[17:55]
Again, yes means you motion for approve for a rehearing
[18:00]
and no means you deny that.
[18:03]
All right, Mr. Donlin, you wanna lead forward?
[18:05]
I vote no. Mr. Dietzel,
[18:09]
I'm gonna vote yes because not
[18:12]
because of the two businesses on the property,
[18:15]
because I believe that was in a, a matter of opinion
[18:18]
of this board and I don't, I can't say conclusively
[18:21]
that that would be an error.
[18:22]
However, I am gonna vote yes
[18:25]
because I believe this board made an error in its
[18:28]
interpretation of allowed uses Permi permissible uses
[18:32]
as a special exception.
[18:33]
Very good. Thank you. Mr. Trip?
[18:39]
I'm gonna vote no because I believe that the three reasons
[18:44]
that Attorney Lan presented to
[18:49]
justify having a re-hearing were rebutted by the board
[18:53]
and that there's,
[18:55]
and subsequently there's no reason to have a re-hearing.
[18:58]
Very good. Mr. Dani? I vote no o
[19:04]
For reason, specified for
[19:06]
Reason specified that I think we,
[19:11]
I think that we disputed all those,
[19:16]
all about all of his comments.
[19:17]
Okay.
[19:22]
Chair votes No on that as well.
[19:23]
Making a four to one decision to deny
[19:27]
that the rehearing request from the LAN's son,
[19:31]
and I think Mr.
[19:34]
Dietzel, you made a a point there to emphasized a point,
[19:37]
which was that we established that he could speak
[19:40]
as their son even though he didn't have certification to
[19:45]
or authorization to do that.
[19:47]
But we gave him his, his time to speak.
[19:49]
So at any rate, I concur with the comments that Mr.
[19:53]
Trip laid out as well as I rebutted Mr.
[19:57]
Diet's comments regarding whether
[19:59]
or not there was already an established use
[20:02]
as a business going on there.
[20:04]
And so the debate becomes the, the authorized use
[20:08]
that the board has granted and has granted
[20:11]
likewise in the past.
[20:12]
So, at any rate, Mr. Chairman Yes sir.
[20:17]
I don't believe that Attorney Phelan's
[20:21]
discussion on whether he has permission to
[20:26]
practice law in New Hampshire has any bearing
[20:30]
on our decision tonight.
[20:32]
I I agree. I I would concur. You know, did I
[20:35]
Get that from you Mr. Donlin?
[20:36]
I agree as well. Okay,
[20:38]
Very good.
[20:40]
Thank you Mr. Tripp for pointing that out
[20:42]
and also for your support, Mr.
[20:44]
Donlin. So at any rate, we have that decision
[20:47]
and just want to go through finding a fact real quick
[20:50]
for this, this,
[20:54]
this application was for Mr.
[20:59]
Marion and at, was it 37?
[21:04]
Reva? 38? 38. At 38 DVAs Drive.
[21:09]
And we, the board found that the,
[21:15]
as a majority found
[21:17]
that the applicant was not already doing an existing
[21:21]
business and,
[21:27]
and that he was just looking
[21:31]
for a location to establish for contact
[21:36]
and not for sales as the conditions that the board put on.
[21:39]
Anybody else have any rebuttals there?
[21:42]
I would like to point out that
[21:47]
whether he is running another business
[21:53]
isn't really pertinent to the finding of facts.
[21:57]
I think what is pertinent is
[21:59]
that the zoning board has not granted him
[22:03]
a previous special exception to have a home business.
[22:07]
Okay. You know, and since that's the case,
[22:12]
there can be no double
[22:17]
home business permitted by the zoning board.
[22:21]
You know, the one that we granted
[22:26]
at the previous hearing is the only home business that
[22:31]
is permitted at 38 vets
[22:37]
At 38?
[22:38]
Yep. Okay.
[22:40]
Does that mean you wanna retract, you'd like
[22:43]
to retract the comment I made earlier
[22:47]
on the second business?
[22:49]
The comment to that or not?
[22:52]
Well that's, I, I would say yes. Okay.
[22:56]
You know, 'cause the other thing I did is I went to the
[23:00]
Department of Secretary of State's
[23:04]
business website.
[23:05]
Yep. And Mr.
[23:07]
Marion does not have a business registered there either, so.
[23:12]
Alright, so it sounds like he's just parking
[23:15]
a vehicle or equipment.
[23:16]
Yes. Very good. Alright. Noted.
[23:19]
We will strike, we'll, I'll withdraw the comment on the,
[23:23]
on the double business
[23:24]
and we can, we'll stick with your comments Mr.
[23:28]
Trip. Mr. Donlin, you all set there?
[23:30]
Anything you want to add or change?
[23:32]
I'm good Mr. Chair. Mr. Dietl?
[23:34]
All set, Mr. Chair? Thank you Mr. Ghani. Sounds good.
[23:38]
Thank you. Very good. We'll, con con we will conclude
[23:42]
that case is completed and we're all set.
[23:47]
All right. Next case up. I would ask Mr.
[23:51]
Donald and Msca to sit,
[23:54]
we have 24 dash one 15, this is a request
[23:58]
for extension
[24:04]
24 dash one 15 is the parcel
[24:09]
down at the bottom of the hill here at 19 Elm Street.
[24:15]
The board heard,
[24:20]
was it two years ago now?
[24:22]
Yeah, June the 24th.
[24:24]
Okay. Anyway, there's,
[24:29]
apparently there's extension extenuating circumstances
[24:33]
regarding testing of the soil.
[24:37]
This is a town owned property
[24:39]
and the request was to put multi-family housing there
[24:46]
and, and they are looking for an extension until all those
[24:51]
that testing and all the other analysis can be done.
[24:57]
Mr. Donlin, any thoughts here?
[25:02]
It's not completely unheard of in a project of this scope
[25:06]
to meet delays, especially with
[25:10]
environmental testing.
[25:13]
And, and I believe there's mitigation on this property
[25:17]
if memory serves as well.
[25:19]
So not surprising that it's delayed, it's,
[25:23]
it's not unprecedented for us to meet the extension either.
[25:27]
Okay. Mr. Trip?
[25:30]
I agree. If, if the environmental testing
[25:33]
or mitigation hasn't been completed,
[25:38]
then there's no way that they could comply with
[25:43]
building the, what is it,
[25:46]
26 unit multifamily workforce housing.
[25:51]
Oh, Mr. Sca, I know you're fairly new to this process.
[25:56]
Any thoughts from you?
[25:58]
No, that I agree as well.
[26:01]
I would like to see everything be accomplished, so
[26:04]
therefore I believe that this would be justifiable.
[26:08]
Very good. Yeah.
[26:11]
This, this property is similar to the Abbott Court.
[26:15]
It's a property that the town has taken over
[26:18]
and needs to get back on its tax rolls.
[26:21]
It's a complicated lot and,
[26:27]
and so the extension again, is warranted just
[26:30]
to the complexities of trying
[26:31]
to find a use for this property.
[26:35]
Similarly, just the hardship of it alone to find, try
[26:39]
and find a proper use for it is, is a challenge.
[26:43]
So in this
[26:45]
regard, Mr.
[26:49]
Dietzel, would you like to read the motion on this?
[26:53]
Well, yeah. Would you not like
[26:57]
Well, I, I just wanted to say that I concur
[26:59]
with the other people and Okay.
[27:02]
I would've actually have been surprised if they had gotten
[27:04]
it completed in two years.
[27:06]
So I'm, I'm for the extension and therefore
[27:11]
Okay.
[27:12]
Thank you.
[27:14]
I make a motion on case number 24 dash one 15 for the town
[27:18]
of DER to grant the request for extension.
[27:22]
That concludes the reading of the motion.
[27:23]
May I have a second please?
[27:26]
I'll second the motion. Mr. Lusca has a second,
[27:29]
Mr. Chair.
[27:30]
Mr. Donlin, I believe there's multiple,
[27:37]
multiple variances associated with this case.
[27:39]
Should we put it in the motion
[27:41]
that we're voting on all four?
[27:46]
Yes. Good point.
[27:48]
Let's, let's add that Mr.
[27:53]
Dietzel would, can you amend that on the fly?
[27:56]
Yes. That it's applying to
[28:02]
You have the cover sheet from the, the administration here.
[28:06]
Mr. Dietzel? Mr. Dietzel? Mr. Dietzel sir.
[28:11]
Thank you. Thank you Mr, let's go.
[28:18]
So if you would cite those articles
[28:20]
that we gave the extensions
[28:22]
To.
[28:23]
Oh, okay. I'll make a motion on the case
[28:27]
number 24 dash one 15 for the town of Derry
[28:30]
to grant the request for extension parcel ID number
[28:35]
2 9 1 2 8 zone MHR two is presented
[28:39]
with the following conditions
[28:41]
and this variance will grant relief as follows.
[28:45]
Article three, section 1 65 dash one zero Article
[28:50]
six and sections 1 65 dash 45
[28:56]
B2 little D article
[29:00]
six sections 1 65 dash 45 B
[29:06]
two little a article
[29:10]
six sections 1 65 dash 45
[29:14]
B2 E
[29:16]
and article nine sections 1 65 dash 73.
[29:22]
And the variance is subject
[29:24]
to the following conditions obtaining all state
[29:27]
and town permits and inspections subject
[29:30]
to the technical review committee approval
[29:32]
and subject to planning board approval.
[29:36]
That concludes the reading
[29:37]
of the motion. May I have a second please?
[29:40]
I'll Second that.
[29:41]
Mr. Dani has the, sorry Mr. SCA has the thanks.
[29:46]
Second on that. Thank you.
[29:47]
And thank you for the amendment
[29:49]
and the attention to that Mr.
[29:51]
Donlin. That's seconded.
[29:53]
Let me do the finding of fact real quick.
[29:56]
This parcel is at, this
[30:01]
parcel is at 19 Elm Street in Derry.
[30:04]
This parcel is owned by the town of Derry.
[30:07]
This was previously approved for construction
[30:11]
of multi-family par housing
[30:15]
and the property has had environmental
[30:19]
testing done to make sure that it's properly,
[30:23]
properly remedied for that residential purpose.
[30:28]
Are there any amendments to the finding of fact
[30:32]
seeing no gestures there?
[30:34]
All in favor of moving the motion for a votes Say aye. Aye.
[30:38]
Aye. Any opposed? All right, Mr. Sca?
[30:42]
I vote yes. Okay. Mr. Donlin?
[30:46]
Yes. Mr. Tripp?
[30:48]
Yes. Mr.
[30:51]
Dietzel? Dietzel.
[30:54]
I got it. Dietzel, I'm looking for his name on the sheet.
[30:56]
I thought they took it off. Mr. Dietzel? Yes.
[30:59]
Alright, very good.
[31:01]
And the chair will vote yes as well, making it unanimous
[31:04]
by a vote of five to zero.
[31:06]
Thank you.
[31:18]
Next case up is case number
[31:21]
24 dash 1 0 9.
[31:25]
Mr.
[31:29]
Get this up. Mr. Dani, would you sit on this for us?
[31:34]
Yes sir. And Mr. Henry,
[31:39]
would you sit on this for us?
[31:41]
Yes. Mr. Chair. Very good.
[31:42]
Mr. Henry, you've seen
[31:43]
how the two processes before this went along.
[31:46]
You comfortable with that?
[31:48]
Yes, I am. Thank you. Okay.
[31:57]
This, this request is 24 dash 1 0 9 submitted
[32:02]
by promised land survey on behalf
[32:05]
of Comos Beach Redevelopment LLC.
[32:08]
It's at 74 Beaver Lake Ave.
[32:17]
Ms. Owen, can you help us with where this case is at? Yes.
[32:26]
I don't know if it's in planning or what the status is.
[32:30]
Sure. So we actually had our third TRC meeting on
[32:33]
April 10th, 2026.
[32:35]
And this project had kind of evolved over time
[32:37]
with conservation with the wetlands.
[32:42]
So they have a west wetlands restoration plan, a permit
[32:45]
by notification as well with a wetland.
[32:50]
And it's gone through three rounds of TRC most recently,
[32:53]
like I mentioned, April 10th.
[32:56]
And they are working towards planning board
[32:59]
submission after this evening.
[33:03]
And there's two sections that the variance was granted on.
[33:06]
This was granted May 16th, 2024.
[33:10]
It was to article three, section 1 65 dash nine
[33:14]
and article six, section 1 65 dash 46
[33:20]
C2 to allow the property to be subdivided into two lots.
[33:25]
One with frontage on a private road,
[33:27]
which is Jenny Dickey way.
[33:30]
It is subject to technical review committee approval
[33:35]
as well as planning board approval
[33:39]
and state shoreland permits
[33:42]
and municipal waiver of liability is also required
[33:45]
to be recorded with the deed.
[33:48]
So this is an honest effort
[33:49]
to continue on working with this.
[33:51]
Is that what I'm seeing here? Correct.
[33:54]
And per statute we can grant the
[33:55]
extension to two years, correct?
[33:58]
Correct. All right, very good.
[34:01]
Anybody have any comments on that Mr. Trip?
[34:07]
No. Okay. This is
[34:08]
how things happen when you're on a late front.
[34:11]
Alright, very good. And we have DES to contend with.
[34:14]
Alright, Mr. Ani, any thoughts?
[34:18]
I agree with Mr. Trip.
[34:20]
Oh, when you're dealing with wetlands
[34:21]
and many hands in the pot,
[34:23]
sometimes it does takes a little bit longer.
[34:26]
Very good. Mr. Henry, I have nothing further to add.
[34:30]
Thank you. Very good. And did I,
[34:33]
who did I forget? Mr. Dietzel?
[34:36]
Yeah, I agree with what's been said.
[34:38]
They're moving the, moving it forward.
[34:42]
I don't see a problem.
[34:48]
Okay. Very good. All right.
[34:51]
I have no f nothing further. Mr.
[34:54]
Dietzel, would you like to read the motion?
[34:58]
I make a motion on case 24 dash zero nine for the town
[35:02]
of Derry to grant the request for extension on parcel ID
[35:07]
5 1 0 8 4 zoned MDR has presented
[35:11]
with the following conditions, one subject
[35:13]
to obtaining Allstate and town permits and inspections.
[35:17]
Two. Technical review committee review.
[35:21]
Three, planning, view board committee review
[35:25]
and seven municipal waiver of liability.
[35:29]
That concludes the reading
[35:30]
of this motion. May I have a second please?
[35:32]
Second, Would we also add the,
[35:37]
the two variances like we did with the other
[35:39]
One?
[35:40]
Oh, I didn't know there were two
[35:41]
If you would like to amend that.
[35:43]
Mr. May I also make a quick comment? I apologize.
[35:46]
I I would like to refute an i a comment
[35:49]
that I made no further.
[35:51]
TRC is required,
[35:52]
but planning board approval is required as well
[35:56]
as the state shoreland permit
[35:58]
and the municipal waiver of liability.
[36:01]
Very good. So on on the motion, just
[36:04]
as a learning lesson here, we wanna just stick
[36:06]
to what's on the motion, Mr.
[36:08]
Dietzel. Okay. Thank.
[36:09]
And, and then we do want to amend the, the variance articles
[36:14]
that, that are part of it,
[36:16]
but the other developments that
[36:20]
code enforcement has recommended will add to our finding
[36:23]
of fact and leave off the motion
[36:26]
Very well then.
[36:27]
Thank you.
[36:29]
Shoot for it again. So we, we have just one
[36:34]
variance that
[36:35]
Were, we have two variances.
[36:37]
Two variances so I can, I'll recite the sections.
[36:40]
Article three, section 1 65 dash nine
[36:45]
and article six,
[36:46]
section 1 65 dash 46 C two,
[36:53]
Article six or article five, article
[36:56]
Six.
[36:57]
I have six. I have the
[37:01]
original motion right here.
[37:06]
I make the motion on case number 24 dash 1 0 9
[37:10]
for the town of Derry to grant the request
[37:11]
for extension parcel ID 510 84 zoned
[37:17]
MDR as presented with the following conditions subject
[37:21]
to obtaining all state and town permits and inspections.
[37:26]
And this is for
[37:31]
variance grant grants relief in the terms of article
[37:37]
Article three, section 1 65 dash nine
[37:41]
and article six, section 1 16 5 dash four six C
[37:47]
two of the Tom Dairy zoning ordinance.
[37:51]
That concludes the reading of the motion.
[37:53]
Very good, thank You. Second,
[37:55]
I'll second Who?
[37:57]
Who had the second? Oh Mr. Dani? Yes. Okay. Good enough.
[38:01]
Didn't recognize the, the voice. Okay.
[38:03]
Yep that puts that motion on the floor finding
[38:08]
of fact this parcel is at, is asking
[38:12]
for an extension.
[38:14]
It is in the MDR zone.
[38:17]
It has currently been through technical review committee
[38:21]
dealing with conservation
[38:24]
and issues
[38:28]
and still has to go through planning.
[38:32]
But progress has been made on the parcel, moving it,
[38:37]
advancing it towards approval.
[38:40]
Any other amendments to finding a fact,
[38:43]
seeing no gestures there.
[38:46]
This is for two years, right?
[38:47]
This is for two years. Yep.
[38:52]
Seeing no amendments
[38:53]
or gestures there all in favor of moving this for a votes.
[38:57]
Say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Mr. Dani? Yes. Mr. Henry?
[39:02]
Yes. Mr. Tripp? Yes. Mr. Dietzel? Yes.
[39:06]
And the chair will make it unanimous. Five to zero.
[39:08]
So that has been approved.
[39:31]
Oh my god. Okay,
[39:37]
Next case up is case number 26 dash 1 0 9
[39:45]
and that is presented by Edward
[39:48]
and Herbert Associations on behalf of Craig
[39:52]
and Snow Bono.
[40:02]
Oops. How are you tonight? Very
[40:04]
Well. Good.
[40:06]
Alright, here to identify yourselves
[40:09]
For the record.
[40:10]
My name is Shane Jen and I'm employed with Herb Associates
[40:12]
and with me this evening I have Craig Bono
[40:14]
who is the property owner
[40:31]
Folks, a lot of moving pieces tonight.
[40:35]
Yeah. And we're missing our secretary.
[40:37]
Yes, we're missing our secretary
[40:39]
So That too.
[40:42]
All right. I think you recall Mr.
[40:45]
Gendron being here with us
[40:46]
before, we just ask you to read your application
[40:49]
for the record and then we'll bounce questions
[40:52]
off of you and so on and
[40:53]
So forth.
[40:54]
Sounds good. Okay. Okay.
[40:57]
Variance is not contrary to public interest
[40:59]
because it's an area of Central street
[41:01]
that is predominantly residential multifamily use.
[41:04]
Therefore the proposed use would be in keeping with the area
[41:07]
construction of town homes is an appropriate for the area
[41:11]
and the in increase front setback is appropriate
[41:14]
for this residential use.
[41:16]
Surrounding lots have pure purely residential uses and
[41:18]
therefore a variance on the commercial requirement
[41:20]
for this lot is appropriate.
[41:21]
The applicant has been working closely
[41:23]
with town planning engineering
[41:24]
and DPW departments to design a desirable project
[41:27]
that provides the most benefit to this neighborhood.
[41:30]
Two, the spirit of the ordinance is observed
[41:32]
because the ordinance allows
[41:34]
for residential usage on the upper floors
[41:36]
and the residential usage is in keeping with the area.
[41:39]
None of the surrounding lots will be negatively impacted
[41:42]
by the increase of the front setback and the rear
[41:44]
and side setbacks will be met.
[41:46]
There'll be no impact to any of the floodplain
[41:49]
three substantial justices done.
[41:52]
The use being proposed would allow the property owner
[41:54]
reasonable use of the property consistent
[41:56]
with other properties in the area increasing the front
[41:58]
setback, better separation from surrounding properties.
[42:02]
Four. The values of surrounding
[42:04]
properties are not diminished.
[42:05]
The area would be cleared of a dangerous unsightly,
[42:08]
fire damaged building and new construction of town homes.
[42:11]
Residential units would be in keeping with the area
[42:13]
and would raise the value on the subject property in turn.
[42:17]
Raising surrounding property values.
[42:19]
The applicant has been working closely
[42:21]
with town planning engineering
[42:22]
and DVW departments to design a desirable project
[42:25]
that provides the most benefit to this neighborhood.
[42:29]
Five. No fair and substantial relationship exists
[42:31]
between the general purpose and a specific
[42:34]
application to this property.
[42:35]
Because I'm trying to conform
[42:37]
to the zoning would be difficult
[42:38]
as the lock lot is unique in shape and configuration
[42:41]
and does not make it conducive for commercial use.
[42:43]
It is surrounded by residential properties
[42:45]
and makes this proposal in keeping
[42:47]
with the neighborhood limited area for parking
[42:50]
for the residential use with its small area
[42:53]
of garages is ideal for this lot in five
[42:58]
i, the property is located on a lot that's surrounded
[43:01]
by multi-family residential units which suits this proposal.
[43:04]
The proposal plan would allow revitalization of the area,
[43:08]
the proposal will not impact wetlands or floodplain
[43:10]
and will meet all the rear and side setbacks.
[43:13]
It will not pose any public health or safety
[43:15]
and will meet all other building codes.
[43:19]
Okay. So hold on just a second there. Mr. Sca and Mr.
[43:23]
Donlin, would you sit on this case please? Yes sir. Yes.
[43:27]
Yes. Okay, thank you. Alright, so
[43:32]
you've been here before,
[43:34]
had a bigger approval. Did you go through planning?
[43:37]
We have been through A TRC, we been through several
[43:42]
iterations of the plan with TDPW,
[43:47]
with planning, we've gone back
[43:49]
and forth with four different proposals as far as
[43:52]
where the building's gonna be placed, trying
[43:54]
to meet the zone and make this lot work.
[43:56]
And what we're finding is that we're trying
[43:57]
to put a square peg in a round hole.
[44:01]
That's why you're here. We basically met most recently
[44:05]
on March 3rd with planning staff, DPW Mark LaRue,
[44:09]
your town engineer and the building department.
[44:13]
And Mr. LaRue was the one that pushed us really to come in
[44:17]
and asked to push the buildings back.
[44:19]
What happens with this lot is
[44:21]
that we only have about 68 feet
[44:22]
of frontage on Central Street.
[44:24]
It's very narrow because
[44:26]
of the building setback requirements.
[44:28]
In this new zone, we're supposed
[44:29]
to be eight feet from the street or frontline.
[44:32]
We're allowed to be five feet off the side property line.
[44:35]
Elizabeth Du felt that we were crowding some
[44:38]
of the existing pre-existing non-conforming uses,
[44:41]
which are basically tenant houses.
[44:43]
There's some larger homes that have multiple units in them.
[44:47]
And so they basically asked us, look, what could you do?
[44:50]
Could you go back to zoning board, see what kind
[44:52]
of relief you could get.
[44:54]
What we felt was
[44:55]
that if we're gonna push the building back 130 feet
[44:58]
and we're gonna create, you know,
[45:00]
residential town home style units,
[45:01]
it really doesn't make sense
[45:02]
to have a commercial component to it.
[45:04]
It's just, it's too far off the road.
[45:06]
There's no other commercial
[45:08]
that would be in, in keeping with that.
[45:11]
It just didn't make sense for the property.
[45:13]
We presented this to the staff, they agreed,
[45:15]
they thought this was the best use of the property.
[45:17]
They thought this was the best layout
[45:19]
that my office had proposed as far
[45:21]
as this property is concerned and,
[45:23]
and that's why we're here this evening.
[45:26]
I think with the being able to push the building back into,
[45:30]
into the bigger area of the lot, we're able
[45:32]
to have better circulation.
[45:33]
We're able to be a little bit
[45:34]
more creative with the drainage.
[45:36]
The lot is very, very flat
[45:37]
and getting water to move from one side of that parking area
[45:40]
to the other is a struggle.
[45:43]
And I just think that the layout we have, we agree
[45:46]
with the town staff, we think that this is a good layout
[45:48]
and that's why we're here before you.
[45:50]
So it looks like you're reducing the impact from
[45:53]
everything I can see here.
[45:54]
Yeah, so originally I think we were here back in February
[45:57]
of 2025 and we had requested, at
[45:59]
that time we were doing 11 units.
[46:02]
We were down to the five units,
[46:04]
but they would be purely residential.
[46:07]
Okay. Well in case I've taken you off your script, I yield
[46:11]
to you and go ahead and finish your presentation
[46:13]
and the board can ask you questions.
[46:16]
Yeah, I I think that, you know, I've,
[46:18]
ive gone over pretty much everything, you know,
[46:20]
between the five criteria.
[46:22]
We're looking at better circulation of traffic.
[46:24]
We're not having any turning movements going on within the
[46:27]
driveway access area.
[46:29]
By pushing that building back, we have more flexibility
[46:32]
with the drainage and utilities.
[46:33]
We're able to provide adequate snow storage, adequate area
[46:37]
for the dumpster and obviously clean up a site that's kind
[46:41]
of an eyesore that Mr.
[46:44]
Bono would like to get, you know, cleaned up and,
[46:46]
and get going on his project.
[46:48]
And I think that what we're proposing this evening is
[46:50]
something that town staff's gonna get behind
[46:52]
and that we can move this forward and and,
[46:55]
and come to some resolution on this property.
[46:57]
If there's any questions, I'm happy to answer them
[47:00]
Board open to the board for questions.
[47:04]
Alright. It appears you're asking for
[47:13]
to be allowed to have residential on
[47:14]
the ground floor. Is that correct?
[47:16]
Yes. We're actually asking
[47:17]
for all residential in this situation.
[47:20]
Yeah. So part of the requirement would be there'd be a
[47:22]
commercial component to this project.
[47:24]
We're asking there to be no
[47:26]
commercial component to this project.
[47:27]
It'd be purely residential.
[47:29]
Previously, back in February, 2025, we asked to allow not
[47:33]
to have commercial on the ground floor
[47:35]
because we were doing the town home style
[47:37]
units with the garages.
[47:38]
That's still the proposal,
[47:39]
but in this case this evening we're asking
[47:41]
for no commercial component to it.
[47:43]
Right. And the other variance you're asking for is that
[47:50]
the front yard depth is gonna be what, zero,
[47:54]
About 130 feet where it's required
[47:57]
to be eight feet from the street line.
[47:59]
Yeah. And in this case, because of the shape of that lot
[48:02]
and it being so narrow, I think it just makes more sense
[48:05]
to push the building back.
[48:06]
Yeah, that's, that's very true. Thank you
[48:11]
Mr.
[48:12]
Sca. Any questions?
[48:14]
I have none at this time. Mr. Chairman.
[48:16]
Mr. Donlin? I do roughly, you don't have
[48:20]
to gimme an exact number here,
[48:21]
but as far as like lot coverage is concerned,
[48:25]
where do we stand now with the five units
[48:27]
as opposed to the 10 prior?
[48:29]
I, I don't have an exact calculation
[48:31]
but we've cut it down in half.
[48:33]
As far as building coverage, driveway is similar
[48:37]
'cause we really haven't cut down on driveway
[48:38]
because we're still providing that same driveway width
[48:41]
and we're going down the length of the, the building,
[48:43]
but we can get the storm water to work.
[48:46]
We did a full mockup, full set of plans,
[48:48]
fully engineered on the 11 units and got that to work.
[48:52]
We don't, we won't have a problem with the five units.
[48:55]
Perfect. Thank you Mr. Dani.
[49:01]
I have no questions Mr.
[49:04]
Zel, I have no questions. Thank you Mr. Chair.
[49:06]
I got a question real quick Mr. Chair. Mr.
[49:08]
Sca, Just a question. How many floors are these?
[49:11]
Are they gonna be ground, garage floor,
[49:13]
first floor and a second floor?
[49:14]
Yeah, so there'll be garages on the ground level.
[49:17]
Walk up to first floor, second floor living and third floor.
[49:20]
Okay. Typical town, town, home style.
[49:25]
Are these by chance one or two bays?
[49:28]
Single, single bay garages.
[49:30]
But we have on the plan, as you notice,
[49:32]
offered some additional parking we're not required to
[49:36]
because the state has changed the parking regulations
[49:39]
for residential units down to one.
[49:41]
Yep. So we cover with the garage, but Mr.
[49:44]
Bono's planning on maintaining this property
[49:46]
and probably renting the units
[49:48]
and he would like to have an attractive project
[49:50]
that has ample parking for his residence.
[49:57]
Mr. Henry, you have any questions?
[50:00]
I'm all set, thank You. Okay, you're welcome.
[50:04]
All right, well let's go over to staff.
[50:06]
Mrs. Owen, any thoughts?
[50:11]
Thank you. There was a, a very well stated presentation.
[50:16]
As we as we know, the applicant's seeking approval
[50:19]
to raise the existing non-habit structure.
[50:22]
It was destroyed by a fire
[50:24]
and construct five residential townhouses on the property,
[50:27]
which will not include mixed use commercial component
[50:31]
and will be located greater than eight
[50:33]
feet from the property line.
[50:34]
So there's two variances being sought this evening.
[50:38]
Property is located in CBD district which requires an eight
[50:40]
foot maximum front yard setback
[50:43]
and proposed structure as we're aware, is being proposed
[50:47]
to be approximately 130 feet set back from the front
[50:50]
property line at its closest point.
[50:52]
So the first variance request is to article six,
[50:56]
section 1 65 dash three lowercase C do four.
[51:02]
The second variance being requested is to article six,
[51:05]
section 1 65 dash 33 B five,
[51:10]
lowercase B three I,
[51:14]
which permits multi-unit residential uses
[51:17]
as mixed use in conjunction
[51:18]
with permitted non-residential uses.
[51:21]
So it prohibits residential below the second floor
[51:25]
as the applicant stated in the presentation.
[51:27]
There will be residential living via garage
[51:30]
on that first floor level.
[51:31]
So variance is being requested to that provision.
[51:34]
The property is serviced by municipal water
[51:36]
and sewer if approved.
[51:39]
The proposal will require technical review committee as well
[51:43]
as planning board site plan approval.
[51:46]
They'll review items like lighting, parking, landscaping,
[51:49]
drainage and and architectural design review as well.
[51:54]
Beyond that, if it's approved this evening,
[51:56]
appropriate permits and inspections are required
[51:59]
and there's also pictures on file as well. Thank you.
[52:03]
Alright, anybody have any questions for code enforcement?
[52:08]
All set gentlemen.
[52:10]
Have anything else you wanna share with us?
[52:11]
There's any other questions from the board?
[52:13]
I'm happy to answer otherwise I think we're good.
[52:15]
Alright, well let's take, let's make a call
[52:18]
to public, alright?
[52:20]
And if anyone comes up,
[52:21]
you know you have an opportunity to rebut.
[52:23]
Okay? Anybody here wishes
[52:26]
to speak in favor of this application?
[52:28]
This would be your opportunity to come forward and be heard.
[52:31]
Seeing no gestures
[52:32]
or anyone in the room arising, anybody in opposition
[52:36]
to this application.
[52:37]
This would be your opportunity to be heard
[52:39]
and come forward Again, seeing no one come forward.
[52:45]
Mr. Chair, I would like to bring to your attention
[52:47]
that we do have attendees that are raising their hand.
[52:50]
We may wanna remind folks
[52:51]
of the zoning board's policy on remote participation.
[52:56]
Yeah. The board no longer provides a remote
[53:00]
presentation or input.
[53:08]
I can, whereas there are people there,
[53:12]
but we still have a URL on there and an enter meeting.
[53:18]
I suppose that's just for people
[53:20]
who wanna view, is that correct? It is.
[53:23]
Mr. Chair, there are other, other ways we can view
[53:27]
and perhaps we could discuss that inclusion
[53:30]
of offline sometime.
[53:31]
Alright.
[53:32]
Whereas the board no longer offers remote input,
[53:36]
we would have be obligated to take a motion to hear anybody
[53:41]
that is remote if anybody would like to make that motion.
[53:45]
I second Now. Somebody needs to make the motion first.
[53:48]
I'll make the motion to hear
[53:50]
remote testimony or questions.
[53:54]
Common mistake Mr.
[53:55]
Lusca, but you're welcome to second now.
[53:57]
Sorry, I second that.
[53:59]
Any discussion on remote input?
[54:03]
All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed?
[54:07]
I I say no. You say no. All right.
[54:10]
That's four to one Mr.
[54:15]
One of the things we'll have to realize here is that
[54:18]
sometimes we won't be able to verify
[54:21]
who the people are for sure.
[54:24]
And so we need to ascertain whether
[54:27]
or not the individuals speaking are truly
[54:33]
aggrieve by any decision this board would make versus just
[54:38]
after we take their commentary.
[54:40]
So Mr. Dietz, Mr.
[54:43]
If you'd like to guide these folks in,
[54:45]
we're welcome to hear 'em.
[54:47]
Yes. At this, at this time, the number is reduced to one.
[54:51]
This person is identified as James
[54:54]
and we can allow them to speak at this time.
[54:57]
Very good. They should be able to
[55:03]
unmute and speak at this time.
[55:15]
Hello? Hello. And it
[55:20]
appears they have lowered their hand.
[55:23]
Okay. And chose not to speak.
[55:27]
Alright, very good. Now they've raised their hand.
[55:36]
You know, this takes me back to one
[55:38]
of the cases we had once when we did remote
[55:40]
and I asked the individual, I asked him
[55:42]
to verify his address
[55:44]
and I said, are you at such and such an address?
[55:46]
And he said, no, I'm in my kitchen. So yeah,
[55:49]
Hence The complications of remote input.
[55:53]
Is this individual satisfied? Can we tell
[55:56]
Their hand is raised But we can't get
[55:59]
'em with, with it?
[56:00]
Likely that they might be be having some
[56:01]
technical difficulty.
[56:03]
Okay. We may want to guide them to dial into the
[56:06]
recording secretary's phone
[56:08]
and we can help guide them through what's
[56:11]
That phone number?
[56:12]
Eight four five
[56:15]
Should be right on there.
[56:16]
I don't recall it off the top.
[56:18]
No. Should be alright.
[56:21]
Nothing there, Ms. Boudreaux.
[56:26]
Okay, I don't know what that phone number is.
[56:41]
Do we wanna reconsider taking
[56:43]
Public?
[56:44]
We'll just let's square this up and we'll move
[56:47]
Along.
[56:58]
All right, nothing there. We got
[57:09]
3, 4, 5.
[57:12]
Thank you.
[57:14]
All right. Whereas the board has motioned
[57:16]
and made a decision to allow public input,
[57:19]
we'll give him one minute
[57:20]
and that is the gentleman online
[57:22]
that keeps raising his hand.
[57:25]
If you're having technical difficulties getting in,
[57:28]
you can call 8 4 5 5 5 8 5.
[57:33]
He's got his hand raised. Is it? It is number nine,
[57:36]
Currently raised at this time. Mr. Chair,
[57:38]
Was it number nine?
[57:39]
He presses to get in or I
[57:41]
Believe this individual's not dialed in by phone,
[57:44]
but if he were, that would be star nine to raise your hand.
[57:47]
I see. And star six to mute or unmute?
[57:49]
There should be a mute button at the bottom of his green.
[57:53]
Okay. Or, or it could be at the top, but either way.
[58:06]
Of course that number again was 8 4 5 5 5 8 5 8 5.
[58:11]
Yep.
[58:15]
There you go.
[58:18]
Go ahead and answer. Yeah,
[58:37]
Use that theme.
[58:38]
Music
[58:56]
Canal.
[59:03]
Let's,
[59:14]
hi, how you doing?
[59:17]
What's that?
[59:33]
You got copies of that? Do you have copies
[59:37]
of these or you need these?
[59:41]
Are we all set? Mr.
[59:59]
Mr. Chair? The, the gentleman's name is actually
[1:00:01]
Steve.
[1:00:02]
Okay. It
[1:00:03]
Seems to be a a butter.
[1:00:05]
We're gonna see if we can get it in through this style.
[1:00:07]
He's having problems with his computer at all.
[1:00:09]
Okay. Does his car
[1:00:41]
It's a better night curve.
[1:00:42]
Balls. How about for you?
[1:00:47]
Any curve balls?
[1:00:51]
Equipment.
[1:00:59]
Great. By any chance,
[1:01:03]
wanna just take your hat off?
[1:01:06]
You wouldn't by any chance. Wanna take your hat off?
[1:01:16]
No, you look fine.
[1:01:26]
We're trying to get someone in
[1:01:27]
that raise their hand and I don't want to
[1:01:36]
Hello?
[1:01:37]
Okay sir, can you hear me?
[1:01:39]
Can you hear? Can you hear me?
[1:01:42]
Hi, I'm gonna make it brief.
[1:01:45]
Oh, this is Steve PI own 21 Central
[1:01:48]
Street in dairy.
[1:01:51]
Are you a director? Property Mr. Ano.
[1:01:52]
And what he is planning to do will benefit the
[1:01:54]
neighborhood tremendously.
[1:01:58]
I've owned a property for over 50 years
[1:02:01]
and I never seen anyone take an interest like he has.
[1:02:04]
So I would, I would say that he would be the best guy
[1:02:06]
to vote in for his.
[1:02:10]
For his.
[1:02:14]
Okay, so you're in support? Yes.
[1:02:19]
Steve, you're in support. Steve,
[1:02:20]
You're in support.
[1:02:23]
I didn't hear you. Can you repeat please
[1:02:25]
Have anybody follow you?
[1:02:26]
Say you're in support of this, Steve.
[1:02:33]
Okay. All right.
[1:02:35]
Well, from what I detected he's in support of this.
[1:02:41]
I agree.
[1:02:46]
And
[1:02:53]
all right.
[1:02:54]
It sounded like he's in support of this.
[1:02:57]
That was my takeaway. Okay, good enough.
[1:02:59]
I think we've heard from all butters Are any
[1:03:02]
interested parties in this?
[1:03:05]
Gentlemen, you're welcome to come back up.
[1:03:11]
It's Gotta be something in the moon tonight.
[1:03:16]
Alright, Sony last comments before we move forward?
[1:03:21]
Nope. The board. Any questions?
[1:03:22]
We happy to try and answer 'em, but
[1:03:24]
otherwise I think we're good.
[1:03:29]
There's a difficulty with the zone
[1:03:31]
and in complying with what you're wanting to do,
[1:03:37]
you know, with not the non-conformity
[1:03:39]
and the time that e evolves.
[1:03:41]
How old was the house that's there? 200 years? Yeah.
[1:03:45]
Oh yeah. Victorian?
[1:03:47]
No, no, no.
[1:03:48]
Just a typical
[1:03:52]
colonial type of house.
[1:03:54]
Single, single story.
[1:03:55]
It's been there for 10 years in its condition?
[1:03:58]
No, no, we're probably on year three and a half.
[1:04:02]
Oh, it's, it has only been that long. Yeah.
[1:04:04]
Oh, seems like it's been there forever.
[1:04:07]
Burned out. It seems like that to me. Yeah.
[1:04:10]
Yeah. Well it's a, it's certainly a safety hazard
[1:04:13]
and the modification that I think that you've asked
[1:04:16]
for seems a little less impactful.
[1:04:20]
I was impressed with the first presentation a year ago,
[1:04:23]
you know, in the way you were trying to fit this in.
[1:04:26]
So, and I can relate to the
[1:04:29]
square peg in the round hole thing.
[1:04:31]
So I think all the board is all set. Yes sir. Okay.
[1:04:36]
We've heard from public we've satisfied that statute,
[1:04:39]
therefore we can take a motion to go into deliberation. So
[1:04:42]
Moved.
[1:04:43]
Second. Thank you.
[1:04:45]
All in favor of deliberation, say aye. Aye. Any opposed?
[1:04:49]
Okay, so
[1:04:58]
I'm on the wrong page, that's why I can't find
[1:05:01]
Who's sitting.
[1:05:03]
Anybody Wish to lead off in this? Mr. Dietzel?
[1:05:09]
I think this is pretty straightforward proposal.
[1:05:11]
I've reviewed the five criteria.
[1:05:13]
I believe that it fits in the current neighborhood.
[1:05:17]
I really don't see how a commercial enterprise would fit in.
[1:05:21]
Like the applicant council said, it's, it is a, a,
[1:05:25]
a square peg in a round hole as far as the hardship,
[1:05:29]
this is certainly this property has special conditions
[1:05:34]
which did not lend well to a commercial property
[1:05:38]
and it does lend well to a reasonable use of the property,
[1:05:43]
which is the, the, the town homes.
[1:05:46]
I do not see a problem with this applicant application.
[1:05:50]
Thank you Mr. Chair.
[1:05:52]
Mr. Don? Yeah, I agree.
[1:05:55]
And, and just to touch on the variance requested
[1:06:00]
for the setback, I,
[1:06:03]
I think the lot itself specifically calls
[1:06:06]
for these units to be setback.
[1:06:08]
I don't think it's in any way an egregious
[1:06:15]
footprint on the lot
[1:06:16]
and the setback gives them some flexibility
[1:06:20]
and extra parking, which is only gonna give relief
[1:06:23]
to the neighboring properties as far
[1:06:26]
as street is concerned.
[1:06:28]
So that's a a, a win in my book.
[1:06:32]
Okay. Mr. Tripp,
[1:06:39]
This is not what I would consider a perfect lot.
[1:06:44]
It's a lot of challenges, a lot of wetland
[1:06:50]
and apparently you have may have standing water issues,
[1:06:55]
but I'm sure you guys can figure that out.
[1:07:00]
I think that the housing being
[1:07:04]
what it is, five extra houses
[1:07:07]
or town condos would, would help.
[1:07:11]
And I think it's, I think it's a good idea.
[1:07:18]
Okay.
[1:07:27]
Mr. Swa,
[1:07:29]
I think this is a great idea.
[1:07:30]
I think it'll boost the area
[1:07:33]
and I think the way that they have it now designed is
[1:07:37]
well fit for what the lot entails.
[1:07:40]
So I'm, I'm all for this.
[1:07:45]
Yeah, I like the, for myself, I like the reduced impact
[1:07:49]
even though it's conflicting with the non-commercial use
[1:07:55]
requirement that that's established in this district,
[1:08:00]
I think it's, it's just difficult,
[1:08:02]
which is why this board is a, a relief valve
[1:08:06]
to be able to, you know, kind of see
[1:08:11]
in a more finite way aspects of the geography or,
[1:08:16]
or just the historic aspects that don't quite keep up
[1:08:20]
with the zoning requirements that we have.
[1:08:22]
So overall, I, I like the plan, I like the reduced impact
[1:08:27]
and, and I think it's a good fit in there.
[1:08:30]
It's, it's actually gonna be kind of concealed so
[1:08:34]
I don't see any conflicts with that.
[1:08:36]
I think greater than that is the fact
[1:08:37]
that staff has worked with the owner.
[1:08:40]
They understand the hardship that's there in trying
[1:08:43]
to make this parcel not just become a blighted piece
[1:08:47]
in the center of town
[1:08:48]
because it doesn't just comply with every ordinance
[1:08:51]
that's been established and that's why we're here.
[1:08:55]
Other than that I have no other commentary.
[1:08:57]
We have subject to obtaining all state
[1:09:02]
and town permits and inspections
[1:09:05]
and subject to technical review committee
[1:09:07]
and planning boards, site plan approval.
[1:09:12]
Mrs. Owen, are we, how far are they into,
[1:09:18]
into the planning board phase of this?
[1:09:21]
So this is a new concept
[1:09:23]
so we would still require technical review committee
[1:09:26]
approval first and then planning
[1:09:28]
board approval from there. Okay.
[1:09:29]
Alright. And so and so in that case, no extension
[1:09:32]
of the vari of a variance is gonna be necessary either?
[1:09:35]
Correct. Okay, very good. I'm good with where we're at.
[1:09:38]
If unless somebody has that something else to add,
[1:09:41]
we can take a motion to come out of deliberation. Mr. Dona,
[1:09:45]
Make a motion to come out of deliberative session.
[1:09:47]
Second. Thank you Mr. Trip has a second.
[1:09:51]
All in favor of coming outta deliberation, say aye. A Aye.
[1:09:55]
Aye. Any opposed? All right, Mr.
[1:09:57]
Tripp, you have a motion to read?
[1:09:59]
I make a motion on case number 26 dash 1 0 9
[1:10:02]
for Edward n Herbert Associates Inc.
[1:10:06]
To grant a variance is
[1:10:07]
provided in Article six, section 1 65 dash 33
[1:10:12]
B five B triple I
[1:10:16]
and section 1 65 33 C
[1:10:22]
four of the town of dairy zoning ordinance
[1:10:25]
to allow the construction of five
[1:10:28]
residential townhouses on the property,
[1:10:30]
which will not include a mixed commercial component
[1:10:33]
and which will be located greater than eight feet from the
[1:10:36]
front property line parcel ID 26 1 69 zone CBD
[1:10:42]
as presented with the following conditions, subject
[1:10:44]
to containing all state and town permits
[1:10:47]
and inspections subject to technical review committee
[1:10:50]
and planning board site plan approval
[1:10:55]
Completes the reading of the motion.
[1:10:57]
Second. Alright, thank you Mr.
[1:10:59]
Donlin Has that motion seconded. It's on the floor.
[1:11:06]
Mr. Corbett,
[1:11:08]
because of other obligations is good enough to be here
[1:11:11]
with us now and I'm gonna let him him
[1:11:13]
read the finding of fact.
[1:11:14]
Thank you Mr. Chair. On May 7th, 2026,
[1:11:18]
the ZBA heard the application of Edward
[1:11:21]
and Herbert Associates, Inc.
[1:11:22]
Concerning the property located at 23 Central Street.
[1:11:25]
Parcel ID 2 6 1 6 9 notice was
[1:11:29]
provided to the immediate abutters per statute.
[1:11:32]
The board received testimony from the applicant
[1:11:34]
and counsel, town staff and Abutters
[1:11:36]
and members of the public documentary evidence included,
[1:11:39]
but was not limited to site plans, photos,
[1:11:41]
records, and expert testimony.
[1:11:44]
The property is located in the central business district.
[1:11:46]
This is a different request than the prior variance
[1:11:49]
that was granted on February 20th, 2025, which was
[1:11:52]
to article six, section 1 65 dash 33
[1:11:55]
B five BI ii
[1:11:58]
and Article nine, section 1 65 dash 73
[1:12:02]
to allow the redevelopment of the property
[1:12:04]
as mixed use consisting
[1:12:05]
of 10 residential style townhouse condominium units
[1:12:08]
and three stories of commercial use facing Central Street.
[1:12:11]
Excuse me. The applicant is now seeking to approve approval
[1:12:14]
to raise the existing non-habit single family residential
[1:12:17]
structure that was destroyed by a fire
[1:12:19]
and cons construct five residential townhouses on the
[1:12:23]
property, which will not include a mixed commercial
[1:12:25]
component and which will be located greater than eight feet
[1:12:28]
from the front property line.
[1:12:29]
The proposed new structure appears
[1:12:31]
to be set back approximately 135 feet from the front
[1:12:34]
property line at its closest point.
[1:12:36]
Therefore, the first variance is being requested
[1:12:38]
to Article six, section 1 65 dash 33 C four.
[1:12:43]
Then because the five unit residential townhouse townhouses
[1:12:46]
proposed with residential living on the first floor,
[1:12:49]
a second variance is being requested to Article six,
[1:12:51]
section 1 65 dash 33 B five
[1:12:56]
BI ii, which permits multiple unit residential mix uses
[1:13:00]
as mixed use and conjunction
[1:13:02]
with permitted non-residential uses while prohibiting
[1:13:05]
residential use below the second floor.
[1:13:08]
The board weighed testimony for the proposal.
[1:13:11]
Now a change for this to the board.
[1:13:14]
I'm now gonna go through the five criteria
[1:13:16]
and I'm going to come to each of you to ask whether you feel
[1:13:19]
that the criteria has been met
[1:13:21]
or if it is not, feel free to elaborate as much
[1:13:25]
or as little as needed for this Mr.
[1:13:29]
Dietzel because you offered it during deliberative.
[1:13:33]
I'm gonna start with you on the first one,
[1:13:35]
the board's findings that the unnecessary hardship is
[1:13:37]
demonstrated because a hardship relates
[1:13:38]
to the unique characteristics of the property.
[1:13:41]
You had mentioned special conditions did not lend well
[1:13:44]
to the commercial property.
[1:13:47]
Is there anything else that you would like to add to this
[1:13:49]
or do I have that correctly for the unnecessary hardship?
[1:13:52]
That's accurate, Mr. Vice Chair.
[1:13:54]
Thank you Mr. Dietzel. Mr.
[1:13:56]
Trip, do you feel
[1:13:57]
that the unnecessary hardship is demonstrated due
[1:14:00]
to the unique characteristics of the property?
[1:14:04]
Yes, as I mentioned there previously, that
[1:14:08]
there's a substantial wetland on a lot
[1:14:12]
and the, the
[1:14:17]
which it reduces the what can be done with the lot.
[1:14:25]
I do appreciate the applicant I
[1:14:29]
making use of the, the property to build
[1:14:34]
housing because of the housing crisis
[1:14:37]
that the state is in right now.
[1:14:39]
So I think it'll be a, a, a, a good solution to
[1:14:44]
a lot that is somewhat marginal.
[1:14:49]
Thank you, Mr. Trip. Mr.
[1:14:51]
Donlin, do you find that the unnecessary hardship is
[1:14:54]
demonstrated due
[1:14:56]
to the unique characteristics of the property?
[1:14:59]
I do for reasons stated.
[1:15:03]
Thank you Mr. Lusca. I also do
[1:15:08]
Thank you. And Mr. Chair?
[1:15:11]
Yes. I feel that the hardship exists
[1:15:13]
because of the non-conformity
[1:15:16]
of the lots in those districts to begin with.
[1:15:19]
And restoration,
[1:15:20]
the needed restoration without abandonment is
[1:15:24]
necessary for this approval.
[1:15:26]
Thank you.
[1:15:34]
All right. That takes us to number two.
[1:15:37]
I'll now, I'll start to my far left foot. Mr. Donlin. Mr.
[1:15:40]
Donlin, do you find, or do you feel the board's findings is
[1:15:44]
that this is not contrary to the public interest?
[1:15:49]
I find that it is not contrary to the public interest for
[1:15:54]
what we discussed during deliberation
[1:15:56]
and elsewise, that this is a very unique property.
[1:15:59]
I think it's a good use of the property in the neighboring
[1:16:03]
areas as well as the need
[1:16:07]
for housing writ lodge in the community.
[1:16:10]
Thank you. Mr. Chirp.
[1:16:14]
I believe that the spirit of the ordinance is observed
[1:16:18]
because the, oh,
[1:16:20]
I'm, I'm gonna, sorry, I'm gonna skip to that one.
[1:16:21]
This one is just public interest.
[1:16:23]
Oh, public interest. Do you feel
[1:16:25]
that this is not contrary to the public interest?
[1:16:28]
Yes. I think that any more housing that we can,
[1:16:32]
we can have is definitely in the public interest.
[1:16:36]
Perfect. Mr. Perkins?
[1:16:39]
Yeah, I find that the public interest is served here
[1:16:43]
and there's no, there's no lack of public interest
[1:16:48]
by granting this application.
[1:16:50]
Thank you Mr. Lusca.
[1:16:53]
I think this would be great. The fact
[1:16:55]
that their townhouses gives it a little more square footage
[1:16:57]
for the people buying or renting.
[1:16:59]
And I think it's a, it's a great, it's a great idea.
[1:17:03]
Thank you. And Mr.
[1:17:05]
Dietzel, do you feel that this is
[1:17:06]
not contrary to the public interest?
[1:17:08]
Yes, I agree with everything that's been said.
[1:17:10]
In fact, not only will it not be contrary
[1:17:14]
to the public interest, I believe it is in
[1:17:17]
the public interest.
[1:17:18]
So yes, I agree that criteria one has been met.
[1:17:21]
Thank you. And then I will stay with you for this one.
[1:17:26]
Mr. Dietzel, do you find that this application is consistent
[1:17:30]
with the spirit of the ordinance?
[1:17:31]
Yes. For a reason. Stated, Thank you Mr. Awa.
[1:17:35]
Yes, Mr. Perkins.
[1:17:39]
I find it satisfactory to the spirit of the ordinance.
[1:17:45]
One second before we go to Mr. Trip.
[1:17:51]
I find it in the spirit of the ordinance.
[1:17:54]
The, i I think having to make this
[1:18:01]
dual use would be actually a, a detriment
[1:18:06]
to the property.
[1:18:09]
Thank you. And Mr.
[1:18:13]
Donlin?
[1:18:15]
Yes, I do feel it meets
[1:18:20]
for the spirit of the OR ordinance for a reason. Stated
[1:18:24]
Thank you.
[1:18:26]
And I'll leave it with you and we'll come back down.
[1:18:33]
So, Mr. Donlin, do you feel
[1:18:35]
that substantial justice would be served
[1:18:37]
by denying this variance request.
[1:18:42]
I feel like substantial justice is served
[1:18:46]
by granting this request.
[1:18:48]
Thank you. Mr. Trip.
[1:18:51]
The i
[1:18:56]
I believe that subj substantial justice.
[1:19:01]
It would be done by granting the ordinance as
[1:19:06]
it takes a piece of property that has been
[1:19:10]
at a burned out hawk for a year
[1:19:14]
and replacing it with five condos.
[1:19:17]
Is it condos? Townhouse townhouses. Alright.
[1:19:23]
Thank you. And Mr. Chair?
[1:19:25]
Yes. Substantial justice is being served here.
[1:19:28]
It allows the reasonable use of the, of the parcel
[1:19:34]
in the same community
[1:19:35]
that there's already similar properties existing in.
[1:19:40]
Thank you. And Mr. Awa? I, I agree.
[1:19:43]
Thank you. And Mr. Dietzel?
[1:19:47]
I agree. I believe there's very little
[1:19:49]
or no loss of the public,
[1:19:51]
but there would be a significant gain for
[1:19:55]
allowing the applicant reasonable use of this property.
[1:19:58]
Thank you. All right.
[1:20:02]
And then Mr. Dietzel, I'm gonna
[1:20:03]
stay with you for the last question.
[1:20:05]
I do you feel that the applicant has adequately demonstrated
[1:20:08]
that surrounding property values will not be diminished?
[1:20:10]
Yes. I see no evidence whatsoever
[1:20:13]
that surrounding properties will not.
[1:20:17]
In Fact, if anything, they'd
[1:20:19]
be enhanced, in my opinion.
[1:20:20]
Thank you.
[1:20:22]
Swa? Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing is,
[1:20:24]
if anything, it's gonna bring 'em up.
[1:20:26]
Thank you,
[1:20:30]
Mr. Chair.
[1:20:31]
Never thought I'd be the one to say this
[1:20:34]
as someone else on this board said it,
[1:20:36]
but rising tides lift all boats.
[1:20:38]
And I think that's certainly the case here.
[1:20:41]
That's a nice homage there. Mr. Trip?
[1:20:46]
The, I believe it's,
[1:20:51]
like I said previously, anything
[1:20:54]
that replaces the burned out Hulk is
[1:20:57]
probably better than nothing.
[1:20:59]
You
[1:21:01]
Thank you. And Mr. Donlin?
[1:21:03]
I believe the surrounding properties
[1:21:06]
will not be diminished.
[1:21:08]
In fact, I believe they will be.
[1:21:10]
The values will go up for reasons stated
[1:21:14]
specifically the fire damage building as removal
[1:21:18]
and in new houses or townhouses being built.
[1:21:23]
Excellent. Thank you all. And that
[1:21:25]
concludes the finding of fact.
[1:21:26]
Does anybody have any additions that they would like
[1:21:29]
to make prior?
[1:21:32]
Nope. See no gestures there.
[1:21:35]
All in favor of moving this motion for a vote? Say aye. Aye.
[1:21:39]
Aye. Any opposed? Seeing none, Mr.
[1:21:44]
Dietzel? Yes. What? Say you Yes. Mr. Trip?
[1:21:49]
Yes. Mr. Donlin? Yes. Mr. Sca? Yes.
[1:21:53]
And the chair will make you unanimous
[1:21:54]
by a vote of five to zero.
[1:21:56]
So, congratulations, gentlemen, on your modification.
[1:21:59]
Sorry to take you through the painful steps,
[1:22:02]
but those authorities above us, this is what they'd like
[1:22:05]
to see us try and do. Thank
[1:22:08]
You very much. Thank
[1:22:09]
You.
[1:22:10]
Alright. Very good. Have a good evening. You too. You too.
[1:22:11]
Thank you. Good luck.
[1:22:22]
Okay. You
[1:22:25]
Need a few minutes?
[1:22:26]
What's that? You need a few minutes or you all set?
[1:22:29]
I think I'm alright. You need a few minutes?
[1:22:33]
Sure. We're gonna take five. Okay. Gentlemen, Mr.
[1:22:38]
Venter, let's give us five minutes.
[1:22:40]
Yes, Mr. Chair.
[1:28:27]
Okay. Very good. We're moving on again, folks.
[1:28:30]
Who is here for case number 26? One 12?
[1:28:36]
That would be under Jeffrey Molton. Okay.
[1:28:40]
I don't think we're gonna get to you tonight.
[1:28:42]
You're welcome to stick it out if you'd like.
[1:28:44]
Or we can motion to table you to the next meeting,
[1:28:48]
Whatever the board's.
[1:28:49]
Pleasure. I've been asked to come here
[1:28:53]
and we were told ahead
[1:28:57]
of time to it.
[1:29:00]
Okay. All right.
[1:29:02]
Well let's, let's motion and get you, give you excused
[1:29:05]
and then we can get you back on the next meeting.
[1:29:07]
Okay. Instead of having you sit around
[1:29:10]
for another hour and a half.
[1:29:11]
Mr. Chair, Mr.
[1:29:13]
Chair, I'll make a motion to table case two six dash
[1:29:15]
1 1 12 to our next meeting. Very good. Thank
[1:29:17]
You.
[1:29:18]
Second. Second by Mr. Trip. All in favor of that say aye.
[1:29:21]
Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Very good. You're excused.
[1:29:23]
Guys can take off.
[1:29:29]
Mr. Landon, are you here?
[1:29:33]
I can give you the same courtesy if you'd like.
[1:29:35]
It'll be cutting, but I don't,
[1:29:37]
IM thinking you won't get heard tonight.
[1:29:39]
If you'd like us to give you the extension now we can.
[1:29:42]
And you can be dismissed to the next meeting.
[1:29:47]
Your call
[1:29:49]
That, is it two weeks?
[1:29:51]
Yes. Yeah, David. Alright,
[1:29:53]
Very good.
[1:29:54]
So case number 26 1 11. Mr.
[1:29:56]
Corbett, I'll make motion
[1:29:58]
to table case 26 dash 1 1 1 till the next meeting.
[1:30:01]
Very good. Second. Second by Mr. Tripp.
[1:30:03]
All in favor of tabling that case. Say aye. Aye. Aye.
[1:30:06]
Opposed? Very good. We'll see you folks in two weeks.
[1:30:10]
All right. Let's get back to our,
[1:30:12]
our regularly scheduled program.
[1:30:14]
We've got case number 26 dash 1 0 7.
[1:30:18]
We have some housekeeping rule stuff to take care of.
[1:30:23]
Before we go any further with this,
[1:30:27]
all board members had the prior application before Mr.
[1:30:31]
Donlin. You'll are sitting on this with us. Yes, sir.
[1:30:35]
And we had the prior application from,
[1:30:39]
I think almost a year ago.
[1:30:41]
And we need to review
[1:30:46]
to make sure that the board is, how the board feels
[1:30:51]
relative to the material information
[1:30:54]
of this case versus the prior.
[1:31:01]
The prior application was stated for
[1:31:07]
a wall cabinet channel letters,
[1:31:14]
Della Hunte channel letters,
[1:31:17]
pylon sign 156 inches by 60 inches
[1:31:22]
and an inclusive three by five full color.
[1:31:26]
LED, electronic Messaging Center.
[1:31:34]
Lemme grab that other application
[1:31:36]
here. Do you
[1:31:39]
Have their face page, Mr.
[1:31:42]
Corbet? I believe so.
[1:32:06]
Hang on a second.
[1:32:10]
I was looking for the face page on that.
[1:32:13]
On this current application, do you have,
[1:32:15]
does anybody happen to have a, what's the face page?
[1:32:17]
The face page would look like this.
[1:32:23]
The, yeah. Do you have that right there?
[1:32:29]
Yeah. Right there. That's it. Perfect. Thank you.
[1:32:41]
This does not spell out as succinctly
[1:32:44]
as the prior
[1:32:45]
application. All right. I'll
[1:32:49]
Bring this Back to you Mr.
[1:32:50]
Trip. Thank you.
[1:32:56]
This application that we are currently hearing
[1:33:03]
is asking for the similar post
[1:33:09]
to remain in place.
[1:33:13]
And it is asking for two
[1:33:22]
wall cabinets.
[1:33:26]
Mr.
[1:33:31]
Yanko, sorry, too many names tonight. And I see Mr.
[1:33:35]
Cronin is with you as well.
[1:33:37]
We'll come back around to you shortly.
[1:33:40]
Why don't you gentlemen come up to the dais.
[1:33:53]
I am reading from the original application,
[1:33:55]
however that would be inaccurate
[1:33:57]
because I believe in the prior case you had,
[1:34:01]
you had made some amendments
[1:34:03]
to your application during the hearing.
[1:34:05]
This goes back to last July, right?
[1:34:09]
That is correct. Okay.
[1:34:11]
Can you refresh my memory as to your revisions
[1:34:15]
that you had that the board finally decided on
[1:34:19]
In it last July?
[1:34:20]
Yes. Maybe.
[1:34:22]
Maybe. Yeah. So the revisions, I think we made at
[1:34:27]
that point where if, if memory serves correct,
[1:34:30]
the electronic reader board at the time, the town
[1:34:35]
town ordinance or the state ordinance,
[1:34:37]
whatever it's referred to, had it changing no more
[1:34:41]
frequently than seven seconds. I'm going to, yep.
[1:34:44]
Plea 7, 8, 6. I don't know the answer to that.
[1:34:47]
I had made an offer at that point, or,
[1:34:49]
or a vision at that point that I wouldn't change it.
[1:34:52]
I, I made a concession
[1:34:54]
that I would change it no less than five minutes.
[1:34:58]
That was a major change. I believe at that point.
[1:35:01]
I believe I made a change
[1:35:02]
that the electronic reader board would
[1:35:04]
shut off at nine o'clock.
[1:35:05]
At that time I had a,
[1:35:10]
I believe there was a stipulation at that point
[1:35:12]
that I was gonna put that, that sign on a time clock
[1:35:15]
that was also gonna be shutting off at a particular
[1:35:17]
time, nine or 10 o'clock.
[1:35:19]
Again, have to go back and read that.
[1:35:21]
I, I don't know, it's so long ago at this point.
[1:35:23]
And there's been a lot that's changed since then.
[1:35:28]
I do believe from the initial application to
[1:35:30]
what was approved by the board,
[1:35:32]
there was a reduction in size for some extent
[1:35:35]
because there was a third tenant sign
[1:35:38]
that we just had put in there originally that was removed.
[1:35:41]
Again, I can't tell you how many square feet
[1:35:43]
or inches was removed, but that was conceded.
[1:35:46]
I believe those were the generic concessions
[1:35:50]
or changes at that time.
[1:35:52]
Since that time, we've also come back
[1:35:54]
with some additional concessions
[1:35:55]
and I have some additional tonight,
[1:35:57]
but I believe on the original case, that was
[1:36:01]
what my memory serves best.
[1:36:03]
I think I recall you correct, there was,
[1:36:05]
there was a third tenant sign
[1:36:06]
that you had originally entered with
[1:36:10]
and you had the electronic messaging sign,
[1:36:12]
which is indicated on the former application.
[1:36:16]
The pile on this, which I guess would be the pole
[1:36:19]
that all this is mounted on, was 1 56 by 60 inches.
[1:36:24]
But those two primary changes from the original application
[1:36:29]
now that we're discussing it, stand out for, for me.
[1:36:33]
Anybody else have on the board have any recollections
[1:36:37]
that they wish to characterize here? So I
[1:36:39]
Re I reviewed this in depth
[1:36:40]
after our last meeting, so I requested more time to be able
[1:36:43]
to go through the minutes and those were all the concessions
[1:36:45]
that I noted as well between the original hearing
[1:36:48]
and the second day that we heard the case.
[1:36:51]
In addition to that, where it went through, you know,
[1:36:54]
what I found was,
[1:36:57]
What I found was murky last meeting was whether
[1:37:00]
or not we separated the sign from the electronic messaging.
[1:37:03]
And we know that we kept it all as one,
[1:37:06]
but all, I don't wanna say all,
[1:37:07]
but the heavy majority of all
[1:37:10]
of our discussions surrounding the hours, the strength
[1:37:13]
of the lights and safety, the timing, yeah,
[1:37:18]
the safety of, the timing of was all towards the electronic
[1:37:20]
messaging portion, not the entirety of the sign.
[1:37:23]
I think in, in, you know, by saying that,
[1:37:27]
I do think there was oversight on our behalf with that.
[1:37:29]
You know, we should have kind of realized
[1:37:32]
that we were just focused on one of three portions of it.
[1:37:35]
But because of that, I do feel that this is now, you know,
[1:37:38]
again, because of our error, I do feel
[1:37:39]
that this is a materialistic change
[1:37:42]
Material different. Yeah.
[1:37:43]
Yes. And also now, sorry, last piece.
[1:37:47]
As I measured it, it appears the sign itself now is also
[1:37:50]
42 and a half square feet.
[1:37:51]
Granted, I'm, my math isn't the greatest. Okay.
[1:37:54]
But it looks like we have a slight reduction
[1:37:56]
as overall from the 50 that was proposed.
[1:38:01]
Got it. And, and Mr.
[1:38:03]
Yako, was that a modification that you made at that time?
[1:38:07]
Do you recall? Mr. Corbet?
[1:38:09]
I went off the math on the, the drawing
[1:38:11]
Where I size again, Mr.
[1:38:13]
Chair, I, I'm not a hundred percent sure of Yep.
[1:38:15]
That change, I do know that the third tenant portion
[1:38:19]
of the sign that I originally had there, if I, again,
[1:38:22]
if you recall, my explanation for that was that, you know,
[1:38:25]
my family is, has had this happen over time
[1:38:27]
and we made the mistake of not having an extra space.
[1:38:29]
Right. I had no tenant. It was just to have the extra space.
[1:38:32]
Sure. And it was gonna be blank, you know, whatever.
[1:38:35]
So I think that reduction probably brought you down
[1:38:37]
to the square footage that Mr.
[1:38:39]
Corbett said 60
[1:38:41]
By 1 0 2 is now what's Yeah.
[1:38:42]
Remaining just of that. And, and,
[1:38:44]
and also with the reduction
[1:38:45]
of the electronic reader board portion,
[1:38:47]
that reduces the sign again as well.
[1:38:57]
So, to answer your question, in general terms,
[1:38:59]
since the initial application till today, it's significantly
[1:39:03]
changed in sizing. Smaller.
[1:39:04]
Right. 'cause the, the electronic
[1:39:06]
reader board is now gone.
[1:39:07]
It is gone, yeah. Okay.
[1:39:12]
Mr. Trip to what we've been discussing,
[1:39:16]
how do you feel on this current application
[1:39:20]
and the testimony has been given so far?
[1:39:24]
It's, there are material substantial difference here,
[1:39:28]
in your view for this application presented versus the one
[1:39:33]
last, last year.
[1:39:35]
The, as Mr.
[1:39:39]
Corbit said, the, the original meeting, we,
[1:39:43]
we definitely got sidetracked on the electric
[1:39:49]
messaging sign
[1:39:51]
and there's hardly any discussion on the remainder
[1:39:56]
of the application.
[1:39:59]
You know, the, I believe that
[1:40:04]
since the, the sign the electric messaging sign is, is,
[1:40:08]
is no longer part of the application, you know, that
[1:40:14]
should, you know, if we accept the application,
[1:40:18]
should make it a lot easier to,
[1:40:23]
to go through the, the
[1:40:27]
Five criteria.
[1:40:28]
Yep. The five criteria.
[1:40:29]
Okay. Mr.
[1:40:31]
Donlin, as you sat on this, on its first evening,
[1:40:34]
this current application,
[1:40:36]
and I think you were here for, for the prior
[1:40:38]
or have seen the original face page of the application.
[1:40:43]
What are your view, your viewpoints on the, on this matter?
[1:40:47]
I, I agree that the lack
[1:40:49]
of the electronic reader board makes
[1:40:51]
this substantially different.
[1:40:52]
This application tonight
[1:40:55]
in substantially different relative
[1:40:57]
to the prior request from a year ago.
[1:40:59]
Okay. Mr. Dietzel, your thoughts here?
[1:41:03]
You asked for recollections as I recall.
[1:41:06]
You asked, I I think you asked me, you asked all the members
[1:41:10]
whether you objected to just the electronic portion
[1:41:13]
of the sign or the sign altogether.
[1:41:16]
And I, I think I kind of, I was wishy-washy
[1:41:20]
'cause I wanted to discuss it more
[1:41:22]
and I, I said the whole sign, but then, like Mr.
[1:41:25]
Corbitt said, we sort of focused on the electronic portion
[1:41:29]
and I don't think we really deliberated
[1:41:32]
or focused on the sign as its entirety.
[1:41:36]
So I agree with what the others said.
[1:41:38]
This is different in
[1:41:40]
that it does not include the electronic messaging portion.
[1:41:43]
It's just the sign itself.
[1:41:44]
And I, I think this is, this warrants a new hearing.
[1:41:49]
Okay. And,
[1:41:51]
and I will say that, you know, I think I recall asking
[1:41:54]
specifically to one of the abutters, you know,
[1:41:57]
their objection to this.
[1:41:58]
And, and I even, we tabled the meeting specifically to,
[1:42:03]
to have information rel relative to the impact
[1:42:07]
of the electronic messaging sign.
[1:42:10]
And that became a primary focus that out outside of that,
[1:42:16]
you know, the questions that went on in that hearing
[1:42:20]
in 2025, I think the,
[1:42:23]
and my feeling is that the initial application
[1:42:25]
that's being asked for now honors
[1:42:28]
and respects the higher court's rulings on the matter.
[1:42:32]
And, and this is substantially different
[1:42:38]
and similar but,
[1:42:39]
but substantially different to warrant the process
[1:42:43]
and the testimony that we've allowed to
[1:42:47]
be presented at this point.
[1:42:50]
So I'll just ask for a quick motion on that, that the board,
[1:42:54]
Mr, that the board approves this application as,
[1:42:59]
as different from the prior application in 2025.
[1:43:05]
You wanna move that Mr. Trip?
[1:43:06]
So move. I'll Second Mr. Corbett. All in favor say aye.
[1:43:11]
A Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Very good. No one opposed.
[1:43:15]
All right. So let's proceed on
[1:43:17]
with this hearing on this, on this case.
[1:43:23]
Gentlemen, do you have anything that you'd like to,
[1:43:25]
we heard some good ideas we heard
[1:43:28]
and good dialogue at our last meeting.
[1:43:31]
Do you have anything that you'd like to
[1:43:34]
suggest or open up with?
[1:43:35]
Y Yes, I would. And for, for the record,
[1:43:37]
I'm Chris Drescher, counsel for the applicant with me as,
[1:43:41]
as well as you saw in the audience is John Cronin.
[1:43:45]
Yes, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
[1:43:46]
I think when we tabled the meeting last time,
[1:43:48]
and I'm not gonna belabor any
[1:43:49]
of the testimony we've already put in.
[1:43:51]
I'll simply say I defer to
[1:43:52]
the testimony that's already on record.
[1:43:54]
But the, I think the biggest discussion was lighting
[1:43:57]
as we were sort of ending the, the last meeting
[1:44:00]
specifically, you know, the, the Abutters address or,
[1:44:03]
or you know, put forward concerns about
[1:44:05]
certain lights, specifically.
[1:44:07]
One that's off the top of my head were the lights
[1:44:09]
that were shining up at, I guess
[1:44:10]
what was once a a church people.
[1:44:12]
Yeah, we'll just say those lights have been there
[1:44:14]
for 27 years, but my client went ahead and removed those.
[1:44:18]
He's turned off the lights at night.
[1:44:20]
He's doing his best working with code to try
[1:44:22]
to strip the sign down until we can hopefully legitimize
[1:44:25]
what we're trying to do here tonight.
[1:44:27]
But something that my client showed up with here tonight
[1:44:30]
that I thought was very helpful I think would be very
[1:44:32]
helpful for the board is I have,
[1:44:34]
these are just multiple copies,
[1:44:35]
but just two single pieces of paper
[1:44:38]
and I'll be happy to hand them to you.
[1:44:40]
Or is that the process? I'm gonna, do you accept those Ms.
[1:44:43]
Hand 'em campaign? Alright, so I'm gonna take one from each
[1:44:47]
of these just to, so I can talk about 'em.
[1:44:49]
Thank you so much. So what's being handed
[1:44:52]
out are two pieces of paper.
[1:44:54]
This first one here, they don't have titles at the top,
[1:44:57]
but you'll just see that there's some instructions about
[1:45:00]
turn on and turn off.
[1:45:01]
And what this is, is he has reached out to, I guess,
[1:45:04]
an electrician who has provided us with some technology
[1:45:08]
and evidence of that technology that can demonstrate
[1:45:10]
that these lights can be on a timer
[1:45:12]
and they can be turned off.
[1:45:14]
The second page here, which offers up a grid
[1:45:19]
of times of the day, is when is sunrise, sunset.
[1:45:24]
Thank you. That kind of thing.
[1:45:27]
And it gives it during the winter, the spring,
[1:45:29]
the summer in the autumn.
[1:45:30]
What my client is proposing is
[1:45:32]
that this sign would not be turned on until
[1:45:36]
essentially dusk or sundown.
[1:45:38]
And then at 9:00 PM they would be shut off.
[1:45:41]
And what very interesting fact I think
[1:45:44]
that would be in here is this, you'll see right up here at
[1:45:46]
the top of this one, it says, on average
[1:45:47]
for the entire year, there are approximately one hour
[1:45:50]
and 55 minutes of darkness between sunset
[1:45:53]
and 9:00 PM in dairy.
[1:45:55]
So on average that the sign, if, if per missed
[1:46:00]
that we can have it, we'll only be on for an average
[1:46:02]
of approximately two hours a day.
[1:46:06]
And if I can just add in, go ahead. By all means.
[1:46:08]
So if I can just add in the, the first sheet of paper is,
[1:46:10]
is a new technology that's, I say new technology.
[1:46:13]
It's been around for eight or 10 years now,
[1:46:15]
but it is called the Lutron device rather than just the old
[1:46:19]
school timer clock.
[1:46:21]
It is actually an app. It's programmable, it's smart.
[1:46:24]
So it come, it, it is gonna be set
[1:46:26]
that this ti this sign will actually turn on based on the,
[1:46:30]
the zip code of Dairy New Hampshire at sunset every day
[1:46:33]
and go off at 9:00 PM in Dairy New Hampshire every day.
[1:46:36]
So it changes daily based on the sundown.
[1:46:40]
That's how I, that's how it comes up with the time of,
[1:46:44]
you know, the average time throughout the course
[1:46:46]
of 365 days a year in the town of Derry.
[1:46:49]
They're between the, between sundown
[1:46:52]
and 9:00 PM is an hour and 55 minutes.
[1:46:55]
Fortunately for us folks that are getting a little older,
[1:46:58]
that is a chat GPT
[1:47:00]
or a Gemini search that gives you the smart search
[1:47:02]
of what's happens in every zip code in the country
[1:47:05]
and tells you exactly how many hours of darkness
[1:47:08]
between sunset and 9:00 PM You will see monthly.
[1:47:12]
Daily if you wanna go into a further search.
[1:47:15]
But it'll be on average of an hour and 55 minutes.
[1:47:17]
That sign will be on a day
[1:47:19]
and it will be on a smart timer that will go on at sunset
[1:47:22]
and go off at 9:00 PM
[1:47:26]
You want to ask a question?
[1:47:27]
I have a quick one. Just go ahead.
[1:47:28]
The app, a quick question on the app.
[1:47:29]
Right now at work we've got what we call bots that go
[1:47:32]
through, they make everything
[1:47:33]
automated, supposed to make life awesome.
[1:47:35]
It's the kind of the bane of my existence to be honest.
[1:47:37]
'cause they don't always work in this scenario.
[1:47:40]
Lutron doesn't turn off when it was supposed to.
[1:47:42]
You get notified, you're,
[1:47:44]
you're wherever you're in Massachusetts sort of reason.
[1:47:46]
Can you override through the
[1:47:47]
App?
[1:47:48]
I I don't know the answer if I get notified. Okay.
[1:47:50]
I'd be surprised if I didn't.
[1:47:51]
Just with today's technology,
[1:47:53]
I already have the Lutron device on some of my home things.
[1:47:56]
So if I'm, if if I'm coming home
[1:47:58]
and, you know, my daughter's coming home at 10 o'clock,
[1:48:00]
I can go on my app and hit on
[1:48:01]
and it turns the lights on it, it's an automated app,
[1:48:03]
so yes, you can do it manually as well.
[1:48:06]
But I was actually unknown, unbeknownst to me this,
[1:48:10]
it actually has the feature that it can go on at sunset
[1:48:13]
and go off at 9:00 PM so that's just an added feature.
[1:48:16]
I can also manually go in like an old school time clock
[1:48:18]
and say, I want it to go on at 7:00 PM every day
[1:48:22]
and go off at 9:00 PM Oh,
[1:48:23]
That's good. I I
[1:48:24]
But then it's on during the daylight. I don't need that.
[1:48:26]
Oh, it works. I just wanna make sure
[1:48:27]
there was some type of Yes,
[1:48:28]
There is a manual.
[1:48:29]
Manual of course. Yeah. There's actually a switch in the
[1:48:31]
building too that you can actually turn on and off.
[1:48:33]
It's just, it has the smart features.
[1:48:36]
I think one of the things I'd like to look at is in,
[1:48:40]
in some of the considerations in the discussions
[1:48:43]
that have gone back and forth is in, in your own testimony,
[1:48:49]
you know, your, your importance or your understanding
[1:48:55]
or our understanding of the legitimacy of a business
[1:48:58]
that's in a location that needs advertising.
[1:49:02]
And I think in all of this,
[1:49:03]
and hearing the arguments going back
[1:49:05]
and forth, it's how much is required
[1:49:10]
or significant or necessary in that area or, or in any area.
[1:49:14]
Right. I think this has caused me
[1:49:17]
to look at the ordinances overall.
[1:49:19]
And I think one of the abutters is, you know, his,
[1:49:21]
his commentary at the last meeting really opened my eyes a
[1:49:26]
bit more to three pages of ordinances relative
[1:49:29]
to signs in our, in our community.
[1:49:31]
And even with churches that are in non-residential
[1:49:36]
or in residential areas, there's restrictions with the ideas
[1:49:40]
of lighting and what that, what a sign for
[1:49:43]
that would be would, would what's necessary there.
[1:49:47]
And, and relating to your own testimony
[1:49:50]
and your drive to have a sign there,
[1:49:53]
which I think is a legitimate requirement here.
[1:49:57]
It's just how far does that legitimacy go
[1:50:00]
and do, what is the necessity of lighting for this
[1:50:05]
parcel or for these signs, you know, in, at, at all
[1:50:11]
if your operations are limited to daytime hours to begin
[1:50:15]
with in understanding the corridor that you're operating in.
[1:50:20]
You know, that's, that's one of the areas that I'm wrestling
[1:50:23]
with is in, in reviewing our own ordinances.
[1:50:27]
What's, what's really truly necessary here
[1:50:30]
for lighting in at all for the signs?
[1:50:33]
Well, I think if I, I could comment
[1:50:35]
and then I'll let my client speak
[1:50:36]
because he has taken down the sign
[1:50:38]
and it's already had an impact on his business.
[1:50:40]
Yeah. To his detriment, which he can speak to.
[1:50:43]
But I I will say that, you know, driving around that area,
[1:50:46]
once it gets dark, there needs to be some kind
[1:50:48]
of light to see the sign.
[1:50:49]
I mean, the business is going to be open at, at least
[1:50:52]
for a period of time when it is dark out,
[1:50:56]
as you just heard him say, the sun, the sign wouldn't be lit
[1:50:58]
until, until it's nighttime.
[1:51:01]
And I agree with you at least
[1:51:03]
why would you need the lighting
[1:51:04]
when it's broad daylight, right?
[1:51:05]
Yeah. So I think I could, I could totally understand that.
[1:51:08]
But what he's suggesting is that it just needs
[1:51:10]
to be lit once it's dark.
[1:51:12]
And as he can speak to the, the kind
[1:51:14]
of hit he's been taking in the past couple
[1:51:15]
of weeks at his business, just 'cause
[1:51:16]
of people literally calling him
[1:51:17]
and saying, Hey, what's going on?
[1:51:19]
I, you know, and it's Mother's Day
[1:51:20]
and he has got a landscaping business there.
[1:51:22]
So I dunno if you wanna comment on
[1:51:23]
That.
[1:51:24]
Yeah, I mean certainly I, you know, I,
[1:51:25]
I don't have enough history there to tell you what my,
[1:51:27]
you know, what, what my loss
[1:51:28]
of business is from year over year.
[1:51:30]
But what I can tell you is that I have a significant,
[1:51:32]
you know, impact at this point.
[1:51:34]
People think I'm outta business. That's been certainly the
[1:51:36]
first thing that happened when I had to remove the sign.
[1:51:39]
Right? People don't believe I'm there now.
[1:51:41]
They call and see if we're still
[1:51:43]
in business, if we're still around.
[1:51:44]
So certainly it's been a huge impact on that.
[1:51:47]
As far as, you know, speaking to the, the timings
[1:51:50]
or the, the necessity for myself
[1:51:52]
and my businesses at that location to have a sign
[1:51:57]
and a sign that is illuminated for a period of time,
[1:52:00]
which I believe that the concessions
[1:52:01]
that I'm offering are the bare minimums.
[1:52:04]
What I'm, I, I really need from my requirement
[1:52:07]
to operate a viable business there.
[1:52:09]
I think that the, that in the past, the, you know,
[1:52:11]
my buyers have come up with several other signs from
[1:52:13]
landscape companies
[1:52:15]
or landscapers that don't do retail businesses
[1:52:17]
and have signs and so forth
[1:52:19]
and shown those that, you know, the, the, the thing that's,
[1:52:22]
that's lost here is I own a,
[1:52:23]
I own a sports business there as well.
[1:52:26]
That the impact is crucial on the nighttime business.
[1:52:30]
You know, I'm approved to be
[1:52:31]
open till nine o'clock at night.
[1:52:32]
We do have, we, we, we, you know, people are there
[1:52:35]
until at nine o'clock and then they leave, you know,
[1:52:38]
or thereafter until they get out.
[1:52:41]
You know, that is a business that is open in the wintertime
[1:52:44]
where it is, is longer, darker hours.
[1:52:47]
My commercial slash residential
[1:52:50]
landscape business really does
[1:52:52]
virtually no business in the winter.
[1:52:54]
We don't need to turn the sign on in the morning.
[1:52:57]
I almost don't need the sign at all lit ever
[1:52:59]
for my commercial landscape business.
[1:53:01]
And my, my sale of products we're closed
[1:53:04]
before the darkness.
[1:53:05]
That, that has no bearing on that.
[1:53:07]
What it does have a huge bearing on is my sports business,
[1:53:10]
people coming from outside of the town
[1:53:12]
or even within the town,
[1:53:13]
driving down a very busy road in the dark,
[1:53:16]
could be four 30 in the
[1:53:17]
afternoon, in the middle of the winter.
[1:53:19]
And I have no advertising
[1:53:20]
that can be seen if it isn't illuminated at that time.
[1:53:23]
So the impact for me, for the, for the allowed business for
[1:53:27]
that area is a massive impact without any
[1:53:30]
illumination on that sign.
[1:53:32]
And I think that the concessions that I'm offering or
[1:53:35]
or asking for are, I think they're very fair.
[1:53:39]
I really do. I think they're very
[1:53:41]
fair for what I'm offering.
[1:53:42]
I'm not looking to have the sign on all night.
[1:53:44]
I'm not looking for the electronic reader board anymore.
[1:53:46]
I'm not looking to turn the sign on in the morning.
[1:53:49]
I'm looking for the sign to be on so people
[1:53:51]
after dark know where I am.
[1:53:54]
And just to embellish on a point,
[1:53:56]
he just made a little bit of, when you talk about a,
[1:53:57]
like a baseball camp or a school
[1:53:59]
or whatever you wanna call it,
[1:54:01]
that's gonna be an after school thing.
[1:54:02]
That's gonna be something that's going on after school
[1:54:04]
and into the evenings that, you know, kids are going from,
[1:54:07]
you know, high school or wherever and coming there.
[1:54:08]
So it's gonna be a little dark at times.
[1:54:11]
So that substantiates the need for, for at least one
[1:54:14]
of the signs after dark.
[1:54:17]
Well, They're the same cabinet, but yes.
[1:54:20]
Okay. Mr. Mr. Corbit.
[1:54:22]
So I have a, I have a question regarding that kind of,
[1:54:26]
not necessarily just the light as Mr.
[1:54:27]
Chairman's going to, but the overall size
[1:54:30]
as we discussed concessions.
[1:54:34]
So I drove by a few times when the sign was up.
[1:54:38]
And admittedly, I think the sign is very,
[1:54:42]
it was done very tastefully, I will say that.
[1:54:45]
And I thought the size of the overall sign, I didn't find
[1:54:48]
to be egregious personally.
[1:54:50]
I thought that coming down the road, it actually jumped out.
[1:54:53]
It, it was actually in my opinion, necessary to find it.
[1:54:56]
But what really jumped out at me was the almost 16 foot
[1:55:00]
pylon that we're now attached to that I think was designed,
[1:55:03]
or I know was designed,
[1:55:04]
but we had, when you guys had the electronic messaging sign
[1:55:07]
attached to it, that depiction, it looked like
[1:55:12]
the sign started roughly four.
[1:55:14]
The bottom of the electronic messaging started
[1:55:15]
about four feet off the ground.
[1:55:17]
And then the D honey sign went all the way to the top.
[1:55:20]
Now, especially with the electronic messaging sign down,
[1:55:22]
does the opportunity exist to cut the pylon portion
[1:55:25]
of this, you know, almost in half.
[1:55:27]
Could we look, could you look
[1:55:28]
to almost reduce the overall size?
[1:55:31]
You know, that maybe it's
[1:55:32]
only coming up a little bit higher?
[1:55:36]
I'm Not sure. I, I don't, I I,
[1:55:37]
to be quite frank, I don't know the answer to that.
[1:55:39]
I mean, in my limited knowledge of signage and,
[1:55:42]
and you know, steel, yes, I think it's very possible,
[1:55:47]
but I can't, I'm not a sign expert,
[1:55:49]
so I can't speak to that.
[1:55:52]
Probably be a discussion we'd have to have
[1:55:53]
with the installer, I would think.
[1:55:57]
Okay. But not something that would, you'd
[1:55:58]
Be opposed to off The bat at this moment?
[1:56:02]
I mean, right now I can't give you an answer to it if
[1:56:03]
that's, if we're in the move of hearing to look at hearing
[1:56:05]
to look, I have no problem I guess
[1:56:07]
asking the question. Yeah.
[1:56:09]
I guess if, yeah, so I'll leave it at
[1:56:11]
That, you know, the, the board formed some questions and,
[1:56:15]
and went through with planning, you know,
[1:56:18]
and understanding, you know, the plight here.
[1:56:21]
Correct. Which is, you know, you're given approval
[1:56:27]
to operate a business there and,
[1:56:31]
and make use of, make a useful purpose of, of this parcel.
[1:56:35]
And you know, I think there's mixed reviews about that
[1:56:39]
with the abutters,
[1:56:40]
but you know, it's, it's, you know, the horse is out of the,
[1:56:44]
the barn on that part point, right.
[1:56:48]
But at some point, and it's within our own ordinances,
[1:56:52]
it establishes the criteria for the planning board to
[1:56:56]
review your site plan and, and what was going on there.
[1:57:00]
And it's, and it's pointed out that it was noted
[1:57:02]
that you had an existing location for a sign that was part
[1:57:07]
of your site plan.
[1:57:09]
What was your understanding of being able to have a sign
[1:57:14]
for, to operate at this business at that time?
[1:57:17]
Do you recall?
[1:57:19]
I, I don't recall. And I wasn't here at the time. I
[1:57:22]
Mean, it is noted on your site plan
[1:57:24]
that there would be a sign at that for this location.
[1:57:28]
And I think that's a legitimate thing. Yeah.
[1:57:29]
If, if I remember correctly, and I know that the, the,
[1:57:32]
the town officials have actually
[1:57:33]
changed since that point too.
[1:57:34]
I'd have to defer back to that,
[1:57:36]
those conversations if possible.
[1:57:37]
But I think the conversation at that point was that if I was
[1:57:40]
to move forward with doing anything, an additional signage,
[1:57:43]
I would be before you.
[1:57:45]
Yeah. Okay. I remember that was the understanding I had.
[1:57:50]
And but you at no time had any indication
[1:57:53]
that you would not be allowed to have a sign,
[1:57:56]
but that you would just have to
[1:57:57]
Go Oh, I was never given the
[1:57:58]
indication I wouldn't be allowed to have a sign.
[1:57:59]
No. Alright. Not this particular sign. A sign.
[1:58:01]
Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Okay. A hundred percent
[1:58:04]
Mr. Trip.
[1:58:05]
I was gonna say that I, I spent a lot of time
[1:58:09]
watching videos and that's
[1:58:12]
the exact Im impression I got.
[1:58:14]
And that's also the impression I got from reading the,
[1:58:18]
the planning board minutes.
[1:58:20]
You know, they pretty much washed their hands of any
[1:58:26]
assistance on what the method
[1:58:30]
for getting a sign would be, you know, which
[1:58:36]
I guess kind of makes sense.
[1:58:37]
But, you know, knowing that, as you said, the
[1:58:42]
this is, this is not, you know, a a commercial
[1:58:47]
district in, in town where there's lights everywhere,
[1:58:51]
as you said that, you know, there's, there's
[1:58:55]
no lights out on 180 7 H road, you know, so
[1:59:01]
you, you need a, a illuminated sign in order for people to,
[1:59:05]
to see it, you know, when the sun's down, you know.
[1:59:09]
So, you know, I I,
[1:59:12]
I don't wanna say that, that this is a, a,
[1:59:17]
a misstep in the, in the process for, for the planning board
[1:59:21]
because obviously, you know, that's what we're for,
[1:59:25]
you know, to make a determination of, you know,
[1:59:31]
what should be done in your particular situation.
[1:59:35]
And like I said, it's one of those things that, you know,
[1:59:38]
you need to have a sign that identifies
[1:59:41]
where your business is
[1:59:43]
and the sign should also, you know, give some indication as
[1:59:47]
to, you know, what services
[1:59:49]
or products you're, you're providing, you know, so it's,
[1:59:52]
and it needs to be led.
[1:59:54]
Yeah. That, that was my goal on the electronic greeter
[1:59:56]
board was to, to allow people
[1:59:57]
what services and products I have.
[1:59:59]
Yeah. But I'm now just looking
[2:00:01]
to now let people know I'm even there and open, so.
[2:00:03]
Yeah. Well, you know,
[2:00:06]
'cause you know, I, I spent considerable time driving
[2:00:09]
around, you know, dairy looking to see what kind of signs
[2:00:14]
businesses in, in rural areas have,
[2:00:19]
and I, I will admit that there,
[2:00:23]
I don't believe I've seen any that are illuminated, but,
[2:00:29]
but you know, the, they're
[2:00:34]
fairly close to the road, you know, to where they're,
[2:00:37]
they're highly observable now, which is, I think
[2:00:42]
your, your, your sign is probably 50 feet off the road.
[2:00:45]
No, it's not that far off. I think it might be 15,
[2:00:46]
20 feet off whatever the, the ordinance is. Yeah.
[2:00:49]
But it's, it's something that, you know, you have to,
[2:00:54]
you know, the, the sign has to serve its purpose, you know,
[2:00:58]
if if it's, if it's, if you, if you don't notice it,
[2:01:02]
then it's not serving its purpose
[2:01:04]
and you're, you're, you're not providing a
[2:01:11]
Was, sorry, I'm strip Was this rendering depicted,
[2:01:14]
do you know, depicted within the site plan that was
[2:01:16]
provided to planning with the pylon sign
[2:01:19]
and the electronic messaging? Or was that
[2:01:22]
I don't believe so. Okay.
[2:01:23]
Yeah, I'm not certain, but I don't believe so.
[2:01:28]
Mr. Don, any questions?
[2:01:30]
I do not to belabor the,
[2:01:33]
the light anymore,
[2:01:35]
but kind of stepping on the back of what Mr.
[2:01:38]
Tripp was saying, and an overarching question I have
[2:01:41]
for discussion is, I, I have seen
[2:01:46]
some, and I believe there was testimony last hearing
[2:01:50]
of lights that projected up at a sign, as opposed, does,
[2:01:54]
does anybody on the board have any thought as to this, any
[2:01:59]
material difference between a light,
[2:02:03]
a floodlight shining up at a sign as opposed to
[2:02:06]
what we keep referring to
[2:02:07]
as like a backlit sign in any material way?
[2:02:10]
Does that change your opinion of light luminescence?
[2:02:13]
We asked that specifically to planning
[2:02:15]
and we did, the answer we got back was just the definition
[2:02:18]
of what the difference between internal and external is.
[2:02:21]
So I actually, I, it makes me think it's material,
[2:02:24]
but I actually question honestly if everyone understands it.
[2:02:28]
And to this specific question.
[2:02:31]
I didn't see that one. Yeah.
[2:02:32]
It's at number four.
[2:02:39]
Yeah. Churches in residential neighborhoods shall not be
[2:02:42]
internally lit, but maybe externally lit.
[2:02:45]
And could you explain the significance of this
[2:02:49]
and externally lit?
[2:02:50]
Yeah. As Mr.
[2:02:51]
Corbitt said, all, all you got was the definition
[2:02:53]
between the differences, but not what the true,
[2:02:57]
what the intention was, which,
[2:02:58]
And certainly not in the context of, of, of this.
[2:03:02]
Right. Right. And,
[2:03:03]
and so as the board tries
[2:03:05]
to figure out what's just in this matter
[2:03:07]
and you're looking at the spirit of the ordinance
[2:03:09]
and what's appropriate for this use
[2:03:13]
getting you towards the hardship, this becomes kind
[2:03:16]
of a significant piece to it.
[2:03:18]
Right. What is the difference between the two?
[2:03:22]
Certainly. And, and that's the, the discussion, right.
[2:03:24]
And if the overarching objective is so that the sign is
[2:03:30]
able to be read in times of, you know,
[2:03:32]
the sun's not adequate.
[2:03:34]
Right. Do you find a material difference in
[2:03:37]
how it affects the surrounding areas as
[2:03:40]
to whether the light's shining up or out? Oh yeah.
[2:03:42]
So per, I didn't miss,
[2:03:43]
I didn't understand the question at first to me, yeah.
[2:03:45]
I would think that if it's externally lit, you know,
[2:03:48]
almost a flood light shining on it, I think about trick
[2:03:50]
or treating, you know, really when the houses have those
[2:03:52]
kind of projecting the kids
[2:03:53]
or somebody kicks it over within, you know,
[2:03:56]
the first three cars that pull up.
[2:03:58]
Now what happens when that flood light gets kicked
[2:03:59]
and now it's shining directly into an abutters window rather
[2:04:02]
than the internal lit that's just in
[2:04:04]
that one spot all the time?
[2:04:05]
I think you're opening up a lot of, a lot more cans
[2:04:08]
of worms if it was external myself.
[2:04:10]
But
[2:04:12]
I, I would tend to agree,
[2:04:13]
if you eliminate kids kicking it even right
[2:04:17]
to your point is, is like, I would think
[2:04:19]
that it would be more likely for a floodlight in,
[2:04:23]
let's just say that it faces east
[2:04:26]
and west for the sake of argument.
[2:04:27]
Anybody on a light that's facing east on the Eastwood side
[2:04:31]
of it is gonna,
[2:04:32]
it's gonna be more like a beam facing into the house
[2:04:34]
where this is just like radiant
[2:04:37]
and not as egregious in that manner.
[2:04:39]
Which I bring that up
[2:04:42]
because that was something that was discussed prior.
[2:04:45]
One of the opinions, let's
[2:04:47]
Go by the thinking, I think if I may, it, it,
[2:04:50]
it is also possible when you have those lights in the ground
[2:04:51]
that are facing up, that they can, they can be, you know,
[2:04:54]
manipulated and they could accidentally go somewhere.
[2:04:57]
They could also affect traffic if they point at the road.
[2:05:00]
I've, we've seen that in other towns that I've been in, so,
[2:05:03]
Well, I think something that, something else
[2:05:05]
that the voters mentioned at the last meeting was when,
[2:05:09]
when the light, when the sign was on all the time, they said
[2:05:12]
that it was very bright.
[2:05:16]
I noticed on your sheet that you handed out that the,
[2:05:22]
the Lutron has the ability
[2:05:27]
to, to dim the intensity of the,
[2:05:31]
the internal illumination. Is that correct?
[2:05:33]
I don't know the answer to that. It it, it may,
[2:05:36]
I just was focusing on, when I printed that out
[2:05:39]
for you folks, I was focusing on the fact
[2:05:41]
that it can go on at sunset.
[2:05:42]
Yes. And off at nine. I, I didn't do the research on that.
[2:05:45]
That might happen. That may happen.
[2:05:47]
But like I said, I think, I think that was, that was one
[2:05:49]
of the things that, that was the epiphany I had at the last
[2:05:52]
meeting is after listening into the abutters for an hour
[2:05:57]
or two, that it finally came down to, oh,
[2:06:00]
the light's on all the time
[2:06:01]
and it's really bright, you know, so we've,
[2:06:03]
we've solved the problem with the light being on all the
[2:06:06]
time, you know, and what I'm asking is, you know,
[2:06:09]
is there something that can be done
[2:06:10]
to make it not quite so bright,
[2:06:12]
Mr.
[2:06:13]
Trip? So per the document they gave us for the record
[2:06:17]
under number one at the third bullet point Yeah.
[2:06:20]
To set it, it says when you're turning it on
[2:06:22]
or setting for an event specifically Sunset,
[2:06:24]
you can select the action, select the lights you want,
[2:06:27]
set them to on, or a specific dimming percentage.
[2:06:30]
Yeah,
[2:06:31]
I, I would be happy to look into that.
[2:06:33]
I don't know the answer to that, but,
[2:06:34]
'cause like I said, date, Yeah, well obviously
[2:06:36]
that would matter on whatever fixture was on the other side.
[2:06:38]
Like not every light is dimmable,
[2:06:40]
so we don't know what's inside the sign.
[2:06:41]
Like if it's a fluorescent then no,
[2:06:43]
but if it's, yeah, certain LEDs and yes or incandescent.
[2:06:50]
Is it safe to say that it's,
[2:06:52]
if it's an internally lit based on this conversation,
[2:06:55]
that it's internally lit that it's an easier controlled
[2:06:59]
light than just having an external flood floodlight
[2:07:03]
flashing up on a sign?
[2:07:05]
I would think so. I would think the pictures
[2:07:07]
that we got last meeting of the steeple,
[2:07:11]
that's no longer really a steeple I think kind
[2:07:13]
of shows exactly where it can go wrong.
[2:07:15]
Where you now just have the bat signal, you know,
[2:07:16]
flying up into East Derry that internally lit.
[2:07:19]
Yeah, it's more like a nightlight. And I think to Mr.
[2:07:23]
Dallman's point, it's just kind of there
[2:07:26]
humming at you all the time, rather than blasting at you
[2:07:28]
depending on which angle you're at.
[2:07:30]
But again, we have seen that it is a little bright,
[2:07:32]
so I'd be curious on, you know, the looming capabilities
[2:07:36]
that we have to lower it.
[2:07:38]
Okay. Mr. Donlin, anything else?
[2:07:43]
Any questions at all or?
[2:07:45]
Not at this time, Mr. Chair.
[2:07:47]
Mr. Dietzel, I'd like
[2:07:48]
to know just a little bit more about the school.
[2:07:52]
Mr. I'm sorry.
[2:07:57]
I think I got a pretty good handle on the nursery,
[2:07:59]
but the school, exactly.
[2:08:01]
What are you you doing in there?
[2:08:04]
When my son was in little league there, there was a place,
[2:08:07]
it may still be there in Salem
[2:08:09]
where they had like indoor batting cages
[2:08:12]
and they had instruction instructions
[2:08:15]
and my son took a a, a class from a,
[2:08:18]
a catcher instructor down there
[2:08:21]
and they had the teams would go in there
[2:08:24]
and they'd have the spot for an hour.
[2:08:27]
It was basically a place of practice indoors in the winter.
[2:08:31]
And then they had instructors too.
[2:08:33]
What's the nature of your school? Who uses it?
[2:08:36]
Who are your clients? And the reason I'm asking is I'm
[2:08:39]
trying to establish the need for just general passer buys
[2:08:44]
to know that you're there versus people
[2:08:46]
that are showing up there specifically for instruction
[2:08:51]
or as a team or,
[2:08:54]
Sure.
[2:08:55]
No, I, I can answer that a hundred percent.
[2:08:57]
One, what you described, what you first described
[2:08:59]
that you took your son to is exactly
[2:09:01]
what we do on one side of things.
[2:09:03]
We have teams that come in from all surrounding areas
[2:09:07]
that come in with their, their groups.
[2:09:09]
Hu We have boy, every high school in the area,
[2:09:13]
Pinkerton Academy, London area High School,
[2:09:16]
Wyndham High School, Haverhill Salem,
[2:09:20]
which has turnover every year and every week.
[2:09:22]
So they have different players coming in,
[2:09:24]
they're just learning how to drive
[2:09:27]
or their parents are dropping 'em off.
[2:09:28]
So it's not just a one person that just is
[2:09:30]
with us for year after year.
[2:09:32]
So they need to know
[2:09:33]
where we are on any given day coming into us.
[2:09:35]
So that's one group. So the, the practicing,
[2:09:38]
we do instruction, catchers instruction, just like you said,
[2:09:41]
hitting instruction.
[2:09:42]
We have more technology than probably was there initially
[2:09:45]
when you went down with your son.
[2:09:46]
So we actually have classes and so forth that we go through
[2:09:49]
and talk about progressions on pitching and health
[2:09:52]
and fitness and arm care
[2:09:53]
and all the things that need to be done, which we do
[2:09:56]
with all kinds of individuals from all over the southern
[2:09:58]
New Hampshire and, and in northern Massachusetts region
[2:10:02]
we have little leagues everywhere from,
[2:10:04]
I believe Dairy Little League has come in.
[2:10:05]
We have Quinn Town, which is some towns west of us,
[2:10:09]
lampre River, Sanborn, all kinds
[2:10:12]
of people coming in for those type of things.
[2:10:14]
Most of those classes are evening classes in the winter.
[2:10:17]
And when I say evening in the winter,
[2:10:19]
I'm co considering evening after, after dark.
[2:10:23]
So after, you know,
[2:10:24]
after dinner time, so 5, 6, 7 o'clock at night,
[2:10:27]
these folks come in, they have a class,
[2:10:29]
we offer different mini camps,
[2:10:32]
pitching classes, hitting classes.
[2:10:34]
So I don't know if that a hundred percent
[2:10:36]
answered your question.
[2:10:38]
It does.
[2:10:39]
And if I may It does. Thank you.
[2:10:40]
Yeah, I'm sorry, does, I apologize.
[2:10:42]
I didn't mean to cut you off the, the last hearing.
[2:10:45]
I, I know, I, I tried to make the point to that
[2:10:47]
because of the nature of this baseball camp,
[2:10:49]
it's gonna bring people that aren't familiar with the area
[2:10:53]
that, that are not gonna be
[2:10:54]
generally familiar with the area.
[2:10:56]
So, okay, thank you.
[2:10:57]
'cause I think that was the thrust of my question. Yeah.
[2:11:00]
Because I mean,
[2:11:01]
you're not just gonna get some person off the
[2:11:04]
street driving by.
[2:11:05]
Somebody's going to be specifically
[2:11:07]
looking for that building.
[2:11:08]
It's not just, you know, some store
[2:11:11]
where some guy might be hungry and get a snack
[2:11:14]
and pass you by.
[2:11:15]
'cause he has no idea. You have your convenience store
[2:11:18]
there, it's people specifically going tour
[2:11:22]
to your business looking for it.
[2:11:25]
So if they had their GPS,
[2:11:27]
it'll say turn right here, or you have arrived.
[2:11:30]
And my GPS sometimes it's too late
[2:11:35]
and by the time it says you have arrived,
[2:11:37]
I'm 50 feet past the entrance
[2:11:39]
and I know that street, there's a difficult, it's difficult
[2:11:44]
to find a place to turn around
[2:11:46]
and especially if the traffic is heavy.
[2:11:49]
And so I'm, I'm just trying to picture myself as a customer
[2:11:55]
and how much I would need a sign there
[2:12:00]
and I'll, I'll ponder that.
[2:12:01]
So thank you. You've answered true in,
[2:12:03]
In, in a lot of the,
[2:12:04]
the business we had this winter just being open
[2:12:07]
and being new to the area.
[2:12:08]
And you know, the turnover will continue is
[2:12:11]
that Hampstead Road is a busy road
[2:12:14]
and it does connect the town of Derry to other towns.
[2:12:16]
Now it connects it to sand down Chester
[2:12:19]
Hampstead in a significant amount
[2:12:21]
of the business we were able to gain where,
[2:12:22]
because b people drove by
[2:12:24]
and, you know, someone from Hampstead, little league,
[2:12:26]
little league stopped in
[2:12:27]
and said, Hey, what are you guys about?
[2:12:29]
So yeah, that, that certainly is a need
[2:12:31]
for sure on both ends of the spectrum.
[2:12:33]
Yes. What you spoke to of coming down the street
[2:12:36]
with your GPS, you know, on
[2:12:38]
and folks just knowing our presence.
[2:12:41]
Okay, thank you. Anything else Mr. Diesel?
[2:12:44]
No, thank you Mr. Mr. Ani or Mr. Lusca, you have
[2:12:47]
Anything?
[2:12:48]
Actually, I do have a little bit.
[2:12:49]
I didn't realize in the first one we were always talking
[2:12:51]
about illumination, how bright it was that crown
[2:12:56]
is a very bright crown in the very top of the post
[2:13:00]
and that does quite a bit
[2:13:02]
of illumination when it was still going on.
[2:13:04]
It went by there a couple times
[2:13:05]
and it was the brightest part
[2:13:07]
where the sign wasn't the biggest offense, but that top was.
[2:13:12]
And I just, one other question I have for you.
[2:13:14]
I I could be wrong.
[2:13:16]
I thought when we were talking before,
[2:13:17]
and you're talking about your nursery
[2:13:19]
and landscaping, you weren't open for the public,
[2:13:22]
you were open for landscapers commercially?
[2:13:27]
No, I don't, I don't think I misrepresented that. Okay.
[2:13:29]
We've always been open to the public.
[2:13:30]
I just want to deal with more landscape customers. Okay.
[2:13:33]
We are still open to the public.
[2:13:35]
We don't actively, if you live in town, which you all do,
[2:13:38]
obviously you're not seeing us market ourselves out in
[2:13:41]
newspapers or ads or anywhere else for, for retail.
[2:13:44]
But we're happy to sell something to you if you come in.
[2:13:46]
But I predominantly our
[2:13:48]
businesses is the wholesale business.
[2:13:49]
Alright. And I was, I misunderstood that part.
[2:13:52]
Well, and, and in the planning notes I saw
[2:13:54]
that it was indicated that it was primarily wholesale.
[2:13:58]
So I didn't see any mis anything
[2:14:00]
misleading about that at all.
[2:14:02]
I think other commentary I heard suggested that
[2:14:06]
the public may have been deceived by this,
[2:14:08]
but I think that based on the application I saw
[2:14:11]
with the planning board, they were very open about
[2:14:14]
their intentions there.
[2:14:17]
Yeah. So that's the part.
[2:14:19]
So, you know, when we're talking about mono illuminations,
[2:14:21]
when you compare the sign with the top,
[2:14:25]
you see a dramatically chi difference.
[2:14:27]
Yeah. I'm not sure what you mean by the top.
[2:14:29]
Do you mean the, the top sign,
[2:14:30]
The very, the very crown it says down lighting
[2:14:34]
and that's not down lighting that's illuminating that top
[2:14:39]
It, it is down lighting, although I agree with you, it is
[2:14:43]
Brighter almost nut It is brighter than it needs to be
[2:14:46]
for what the purpose it serves, it serves the purpose
[2:14:49]
of showing the address of the, the, the building.
[2:14:52]
I see. Which is, is something
[2:14:54]
that is a public safety concern.
[2:14:55]
I, you know, believe police and fire need
[2:14:57]
to know that address.
[2:14:58]
That being said, as I just just mentioned
[2:15:00]
to my attorney here, I'm completely fine
[2:15:03]
with removing those lights.
[2:15:05]
I I have no concern with that whatsoever.
[2:15:08]
I think they are somewhat unnecessary to, to, to,
[2:15:11]
to gentleman's concern.
[2:15:13]
And if, if we feel as though the sign is bright enough to
[2:15:17]
continue to illuminate the, the address, I have no concerns.
[2:15:21]
Okay. And else Mr. Ani?
[2:15:23]
No, that was the only questions I had. Thank you. All
[2:15:25]
Right Mr. Sca.
[2:15:26]
I'm all set. Mr. Chair. Mr. Jen, you all set?
[2:15:29]
I'm all set. Okay. Anybody else have any questions?
[2:15:34]
Alright, well we're gonna go to Republic and,
[2:15:36]
and get some rebuttal there.
[2:15:38]
Thank you. Thank you very much.
[2:15:40]
Alright folks, I'm sure somebody would like to come up
[2:15:43]
and speak here.
[2:15:45]
Is there anybody that wants to speak in favor
[2:15:47]
of this application?
[2:15:50]
So, you know, okay, I was just clarifying you. Yes sir.
[2:16:05]
My name is Jim Foley.
[2:16:07]
I live at 1 78 Hamstead Road here in Derry
[2:16:11]
and I'm a direct ofbut to the
[2:16:13]
applicant's property.
[2:16:16]
I kind of feel like the
[2:16:20]
Tom Hank's character in Forrest Gump when he went
[2:16:23]
to the White House for the third time.
[2:16:25]
Here we are again. So a couple of things.
[2:16:30]
First of all, I just wanna make it clear that we seem
[2:16:33]
to be getting on the path again
[2:16:35]
of conflating the business with the sign.
[2:16:38]
We know what the business does, we understand the business,
[2:16:41]
we understand how it, what it brings to the town.
[2:16:44]
Nonetheless, this variance is for the sign.
[2:16:48]
The second thing is, I want to reiterate is the fact
[2:16:52]
that the planning board said that this is approved use on
[2:16:56]
that lot does not turn that lot into commercial zone.
[2:17:02]
And the continual effort to bootstrap that it's appropriate
[2:17:06]
to have a sign for this type
[2:17:08]
of business does not apply here.
[2:17:11]
But my main argument is this.
[2:17:15]
And it was not addressed in any of the hearings previous
[2:17:17]
to this or again, tonight the court ruled
[2:17:22]
that the applicant has not shown the unnecessary hardship
[2:17:28]
to grant this variance.
[2:17:30]
Nothing has changed in that land
[2:17:34]
since the court made its ruling
[2:17:37]
that there is no unnecessary hardship.
[2:17:40]
The lots the same size, the buildings are the same,
[2:17:44]
the buildings are the same distance off of the property.
[2:17:47]
The parking lots are same, the trees are the same,
[2:17:50]
the bushes are the same, the neighborhood is the same,
[2:17:53]
the zoning is the same.
[2:17:55]
But this is not an area of variance. It's a use variance.
[2:17:58]
And so you struck the cord about hardship
[2:18:01]
and so we're gonna get to that in just a minute.
[2:18:03]
But how do you disseminate the difference between
[2:18:06]
what you're, you're citing, which is the area variance,
[2:18:10]
frontage, square foot, whatever, and the use variance,
[2:18:14]
The Court.
[2:18:15]
And that's what we're talking about. Court already
[2:18:16]
Ruled on that.
[2:18:18]
The court already ruled on that.
[2:18:21]
But, but this is not that case, Jim.
[2:18:23]
And you have to make the, it
[2:18:24]
Is the exact same case.
[2:18:25]
You have to make the argument for this.
[2:18:27]
If you want to hear the board's ears
[2:18:30]
Make the argument for what I made the argument in front
[2:18:32]
of the superior court in one, it
[2:18:34]
Has nothing to do with this case.
[2:18:35]
This board has found this to be a new application and
[2:18:37]
therefore you have to present to this.
[2:18:39]
And now my question to you is this, which is,
[2:18:42]
this is a use variance, not an area variance.
[2:18:45]
How do you disseminate and how do you correct that?
[2:18:48]
Then I would direct the,
[2:18:49]
I would ask the the board to look at the same fact.
[2:18:51]
You can come in front of this board as many times
[2:18:53]
as you want and you can bring up as many
[2:18:55]
different variations of this sign that you want.
[2:18:59]
If it doesn't meet the residential sign agreements, it does.
[2:19:03]
It's, it's, it's, it doesn't, it's not valid
[2:19:06]
Court.
[2:19:07]
So do you, do you not agree, Jim, that is
[2:19:10]
There any opportunity that I
[2:19:11]
could actually finish the sentence? Sure.
[2:19:12]
Go ahead and finish the sentence. And
[2:19:14]
That's exactly what the court ruled.
[2:19:16]
There is no unnecessary hardship in this.
[2:19:19]
He was asking for a use variance before
[2:19:21]
and putting the sign up.
[2:19:24]
So are you done with your sentence?
[2:19:25]
So now I can interject and ask you a question. Sure.
[2:19:28]
Which is, isn't there a hardship when they
[2:19:33]
can establish a business as a use variance in
[2:19:37]
what should go on with what should be part
[2:19:40]
of a business use?
[2:19:41]
Because I get, I get lost when you say that the,
[2:19:46]
that this is an application for a sign or, or just
[2:19:51]
because the business is approved
[2:19:52]
or as a use, it doesn't authorize it
[2:19:55]
to operate as a business. I don't quite
[2:19:57]
Get that. I didn't, I did not say that.
[2:19:58]
Well go ahead and clarify The argument in front
[2:20:00]
of the superior court and you were there was that
[2:20:05]
You keep bringing up the prior case.
[2:20:07]
And as you would know at any,
[2:20:09]
at any other time, if you remove this, it's
[2:20:11]
Going back to the superior court.
[2:20:12]
But the statute is that that that
[2:20:16]
that a decision on one case is not a, a,
[2:20:19]
a prerequisite for another.
[2:20:22]
But the fact is, is
[2:20:23]
that the precedent has been set, has it not?
[2:20:27]
I don't know that it has. What's
[2:20:29]
that? I don't know that it has
[2:20:30]
Then, then, then I think that you're completely wrong
[2:20:33]
and out of bounds on that, the precedents have been set,
[2:20:36]
the sign that was that the applicant a application was
[2:20:39]
before didn't fit the sign requirements
[2:20:42]
of a residential area,
[2:20:45]
nor does this sign, even though it's different than
[2:20:47]
the sign that was done before.
[2:20:49]
And I don't Understand if they don't want, they want
[2:20:52]
to put up an oversized commercial sign in a residential
[2:20:55]
area, whatever the design of
[2:20:57]
that sign is doesn't change that fact.
[2:21:00]
So so why do you say it's oversized?
[2:21:03]
Because there's in within the I don't think I need to,
[2:21:07]
I don't educate the board on
[2:21:09]
what signs are allowed in a residential area. Do I?
[2:21:11]
Well what what happens is that, that one
[2:21:14]
of your other abutters has pointed out the last hearing
[2:21:17]
what's, what's an appropriate size for this.
[2:21:20]
And he enlightened the board to something
[2:21:22]
that caused ma a few of us
[2:21:24]
to start researching the three pages of our town ordinances.
[2:21:28]
And that is the, the square footage of signs
[2:21:31]
that's appropriate usually under the planning board's
[2:21:33]
discretion often saw, seen at the beginning
[2:21:37]
of a development or a street.
[2:21:40]
And, and the questions from the board to the, from the board
[2:21:44]
to the planning director are, are the significance
[2:21:48]
of the variations of the different sizes
[2:21:50]
that are permitted in the ordinances through the town.
[2:21:54]
One sign identifying a multifamily complex development
[2:21:57]
should be allowed, provided that does not exceed
[2:21:59]
24 square feet in area.
[2:22:00]
Right. Residents may erect a single free standing sign not
[2:22:05]
exceed, exceeding three square feet in area showing the
[2:22:08]
owner's name and or address pupil conducting home
[2:22:11]
occupations may further erect a single sign not
[2:22:14]
to exceed three square feet, if so approved
[2:22:16]
by the zoning board of adjustment. So
[2:22:18]
Where's the part in there about a church in a,
[2:22:21]
in a residential zone allowed to have a 24 square foot sign?
[2:22:26]
Are you citing that because that's,
[2:22:28]
that's, that's, it's not a church.
[2:22:30]
It doesn't matter. It's not a church.
[2:22:31]
It's, it's what the, what the board's going to look at is
[2:22:34]
what is the spirit of the ordinance?
[2:22:35]
What is the hardship?
[2:22:37]
And those are the questions that starts being hardship here.
[2:22:40]
What is the hardship? What a, what
[2:22:42]
hardship has the application,
[2:22:44]
has the applicant put forth in any of these hearings
[2:22:47]
to have that oversized?
[2:22:49]
Do you not think that a, that a business use in a,
[2:22:51]
in an unusual circumstance is not a hardship if
[2:22:55]
they cannot have a sign? No,
[2:22:56]
Don't.
[2:22:57]
As a matter of fact, a matter of fact the exact case on that
[2:23:00]
is carbon all versus the town
[2:23:02]
of Exter one 19 New Hampshire 2 59.
[2:23:05]
Okay. Ver Verbatim on that very point.
[2:23:08]
The fact that, that as little,
[2:23:10]
that this claim hardship has little to do
[2:23:13]
with the property's physical attributes.
[2:23:15]
It it, but this isn't about physical attribute,
[2:23:18]
but what is this is about,
[2:23:19]
you keep going back to Can I finish?
[2:23:21]
No, you can, you, you, you can give
[2:23:23]
and take a little bit, Jim. No,
[2:23:24]
I'm not.
[2:23:25]
This is, but this seems to be all but this
[2:23:27]
Is the but this is the point.
[2:23:28]
Okay. You make a point and you want a filibuster,
[2:23:31]
but you don't want do, I'm not filibuster
[2:23:32]
I'm trying to read the end of the
[2:23:33]
Sentence.
[2:23:34]
But here here's the point, okay.
[2:23:35]
Which is you keep citing that this is an area variance
[2:23:38]
and it's not, it's a use variance and those are
[2:23:40]
Different. This is, I do
[2:23:42]
Not see that.
[2:23:43]
And now that you're citing carbon V versus Exeter,
[2:23:45]
you're talking about about a, an area variance
[2:23:48]
and you're not using the, the, the proper terminology,
[2:23:51]
which is a use variance.
[2:23:53]
The business preference
[2:23:55]
and nu the claim hardship has little to do
[2:23:59]
with the property's physical attributes,
[2:24:01]
but with bird's business preference
[2:24:03]
and economic strategies, carbon all says
[2:24:07]
specifically the fact that you can't do
[2:24:10]
as well without the sign is not a reason
[2:24:12]
to overcome a hardship use specifically.
[2:24:17]
This is the we, they went before the superior court
[2:24:20]
and you can talk all you want that that was that case.
[2:24:22]
There's no significant difference
[2:24:24]
between the request in this one,
[2:24:26]
which is a sign oversized commercial sign in a residential
[2:24:29]
area and the previous one which you lost.
[2:24:34]
And that seems to be a bone of contention with you all.
[2:24:38]
I don't think the fact of the matter is fact
[2:24:39]
that we lost is a bone of contention. Oh,
[2:24:41]
You, that re was reversed.
[2:24:44]
Your, your application, your, your decision was reversed
[2:24:48]
because there was no evidence brought up, nothing
[2:24:52]
that was said at the hearings
[2:24:54]
or in the Superior Court hearing that said that there was an
[2:24:59]
undue hardship with contained within the land
[2:25:03]
that would allow the erection of that sign.
[2:25:06]
The difference is it didn't get specified in the,
[2:25:08]
in the certified record, Jim, that's
[2:25:11]
It.
[2:25:12]
Oh, no, that's, that's not, that's not true.
[2:25:14]
That is true. I would ask you then
[2:25:16]
to read section three of the court's ruling
[2:25:18]
who found within the certified record, found within
[2:25:21]
what passes for a certified record found within
[2:25:25]
that certified record that the court had failed.
[2:25:27]
That this board had failed to find the unnecessary hardship
[2:25:31]
and nothing has changed since that time.
[2:25:33]
Okay. The lot is the same.
[2:25:35]
The buildings are the same, the distance off is the same.
[2:25:38]
So you can throw up any sort of on sort
[2:25:40]
of changes in the sign that you wish to.
[2:25:42]
The fact of the matter is nothing has changed,
[2:25:44]
has not overcome that aspect of it.
[2:25:47]
The court found on the other, on the other
[2:25:49]
variance request, there was no record. I agree with that.
[2:25:53]
Okay. Well, that's what I said.
[2:25:54]
But you went on telling me that wasn't the case and
[2:25:57]
The unnecessary hardship.
[2:25:59]
He found evidence,
[2:26:02]
he separated this into three separate areas.
[2:26:06]
Three separate sections.
[2:26:07]
Section three unnecessary hardship found.
[2:26:10]
He said there's sufficient evidence from the ruling below
[2:26:13]
that no hardship existed.
[2:26:17]
That's what the, that's what the decision says.
[2:26:19]
It's clearly in the decision.
[2:26:22]
Okay. Go ahead. Finish up.
[2:26:24]
I, there's nothing else to be said.
[2:26:28]
The fact of the matter is, is thank you.
[2:26:29]
The applicant has not, has not
[2:26:33]
overcome the unnecessary hardship
[2:26:34]
and quite frankly, hasn't even argued about any
[2:26:37]
of the other, hasn't presented any
[2:26:39]
of the evidence about the other ones about substantial
[2:26:41]
justice, spirits of the ordinance contra the public
[2:26:44]
interest or land values.
[2:26:46]
Would you like him to come up and do that? Now?
[2:26:50]
I'm sure he'll come up with a rebuttal,
[2:26:52]
But that'd be do it before it's his right. I
[2:26:54]
Don't, I really don't.
[2:26:55]
You know, you, you folks sit there and say,
[2:26:57]
and get all concerned
[2:26:58]
because we appear to be confrontational.
[2:27:02]
Well, this is why you don't seem to take us seriously. Don't
[2:27:05]
You take, take it very seriously.
[2:27:07]
And what you can, what you can see if you watch the last
[2:27:10]
hearing is your demeanor versus the that of your neighbors'.
[2:27:13]
We heard nothing different
[2:27:15]
But your behavior versus
[2:27:16]
that of your neighbors and your behavior.
[2:27:18]
What, sir? There was a nicer exchange versus your,
[2:27:20]
your blasting us.
[2:27:22]
And, and when we, when you try to make a point
[2:27:25]
and I try to interject
[2:27:26]
and ask that question interrupt to understand my abuse,
[2:27:29]
you can, you can terminology put it whatever
[2:27:31]
terminology you want.
[2:27:33]
Okay.
[2:27:34]
But You, if, if you wanna make bullet points just to
[2:27:36]
what you've said so it's clear for the record,
[2:27:38]
feel free. I won't interrupt.
[2:27:39]
I did make my bullet points. Okay. Clear. This is this.
[2:27:41]
Thank you. And I'll state it again.
[2:27:42]
You're all set. You're all set.
[2:27:44]
Thank you. And you wonder why
[2:27:47]
town counselors asked me Thank you to come in front of you.
[2:27:50]
You're all set. Thank you, Mr. Foley.
[2:27:55]
Anybody else?
[2:28:04]
Mr. If you could back, yeah. Yes, Mr. French. Thank you.
[2:28:07]
Thank you
[2:28:09]
Mr. Rose.
[2:28:10]
You made some great points.
[2:28:11]
I'll have you introduce yourself for the record.
[2:28:14]
Do I really need to by now?
[2:28:16]
Andrew Roja, 1 64 Hampstead Road in Derry.
[2:28:23]
How are you all doing tonight?
[2:28:25]
It's a happy night. All right. Same as last time.
[2:28:29]
I have a prepared statement
[2:28:31]
and then I have some additional points I'd
[2:28:32]
like to discuss with you guys.
[2:28:35]
We met here a month ago,
[2:28:37]
and we've already reviewed the facts.
[2:28:40]
That being said, I do wish to reiterate a few things as well
[2:28:44]
as make a few new points.
[2:28:46]
The New Hampshire Superior Court did reverse the prior
[2:28:49]
variance outright on the basis
[2:28:50]
that it found the applicant did not meet the statutory
[2:28:53]
requirement of unnecessary hardship, which requires
[2:28:57]
that hardship arise from special conditions
[2:28:59]
of the property itself, not the owner's business needs.
[2:29:03]
The special conditions of the property have not
[2:29:05]
changed since that time.
[2:29:07]
The applicant argued
[2:29:08]
that three factors created special conditions.
[2:29:11]
One was distance from the road, the building is set back,
[2:29:14]
but the court found no evidence that complying
[2:29:17]
with the ordinances sign size
[2:29:18]
or lighting limits imposed in unnecessary hardship.
[2:29:22]
The setback alone does not justify a larger
[2:29:24]
or illuminated sign trees surrounding the property.
[2:29:28]
Many were planted by the applicant
[2:29:30]
and the court emphasized
[2:29:31]
that self-created conditions cannot establish hardship.
[2:29:34]
Simply having trees does not legally justify
[2:29:37]
exceeding the sign limits.
[2:29:39]
And three nature of the business operating a permitted
[2:29:42]
commercial business does not create a special
[2:29:45]
condition of the land.
[2:29:46]
The court rejected the argument that the sign was necessary
[2:29:49]
for business viability.
[2:29:51]
Hardship must relate to the property itself,
[2:29:54]
not the owner's operational needs
[2:29:56]
because none of these factors constitute a
[2:29:59]
legally sufficient hardship.
[2:30:00]
The court concluded that the variance should have been
[2:30:03]
denied at the town ZBA level.
[2:30:05]
We previously discussed the issues that Mr.
[2:30:09]
Yanko has created since the time
[2:30:11]
that the Superior Court declared the ZBA variance null
[2:30:15]
and void in December of 2025.
[2:30:18]
Those, those problems
[2:30:21]
that he's created include that Mr.
[2:30:24]
Yco kept the illegal signage in place for four months.
[2:30:27]
In that time, Gary's code enforcement
[2:30:29]
attempted to contact Mr.
[2:30:31]
Yco to comply with zoning ordinances
[2:30:34]
and were ignored at every turn.
[2:30:36]
Mr. Yco had the signage brightness at a level that,
[2:30:40]
although the town was unable
[2:30:42]
to formally test was clearly too bright.
[2:30:45]
Mr. Yco had spotlights aimed in the air further causing
[2:30:49]
light pollution, and Mr.
[2:30:52]
Yco was leaving his signage on all night
[2:30:55]
after our last ZBA meeting a month ago.
[2:30:57]
Mr. Yco did finally come into compliance
[2:31:00]
by taking the signage down.
[2:31:03]
And it seems that the public shaming
[2:31:05]
that happened here a month ago was what it took
[2:31:08]
to finally get him to come into compliance.
[2:31:15]
To repeat a still very applicable part of my previous speech
[2:31:20]
to this board, granting a variance is an exercise
[2:31:23]
of discretion and trust.
[2:31:25]
It allows an exception to rules that apply to everyone else.
[2:31:29]
And it is reasonable still for this board
[2:31:32]
to consider whether that discretion is being sought in good
[2:31:35]
faith and with a willingness to comply with the outcome.
[2:31:38]
Mr. Yco has demonstrated to us all that he only cares
[2:31:43]
to come into compliance when he thinks it best suits him
[2:31:46]
and not when the law requires it,
[2:31:48]
and certainly not for the betterment of his community.
[2:31:51]
For all of these reasons, I respectfully request
[2:31:53]
that the board deny the variance request.
[2:31:58]
Mr. Rose? Yes, Mr.
[2:31:59]
Corbert? Good points. I had had two that I wanted to talk
[2:32:02]
to and I admittedly lost one of them as soon
[2:32:05]
as I said, oh, I wanna speak to that.
[2:32:06]
Right before, I think it was just
[2:32:10]
before the, the public shaming portion.
[2:32:12]
You had a, you had a point.
[2:32:13]
What were, did you go over like your two
[2:32:15]
or three points right before that one?
[2:32:17]
Are are you asking for just the bullet points?
[2:32:20]
He kept the illegal signage in place for four months, et
[2:32:23]
Cetera. Prior. Prior, I think prior to that.
[2:32:24]
Prior to that,
[2:32:30]
do you want to just look at this?
[2:32:32]
That would be okay, if you don't mind. Thank you.
[2:32:34]
Hang on. Oh, sorry. I actually have to give it to
[2:32:37]
Someone.
[2:32:39]
Sorry. Thank you. And I'll pass that back once I see it.
[2:32:43]
Mr. Je, one of the things
[2:32:44]
that you had done at the prior meeting was you had
[2:32:48]
brought some points forward relative to other comp, I guess,
[2:32:53]
competitors of other businesses
[2:32:55]
in the Yeah, in the community.
[2:32:56]
I think that testimony was pretty enlightening.
[2:33:00]
Thank you. You know, the, the other things
[2:33:03]
that you're saying, like the public shaming
[2:33:07]
and whatnot, I don't know that that's necessarily the case,
[2:33:12]
but the, the other part of this is the
[2:33:17]
hardship is self-imposed.
[2:33:21]
Would you not agree that if this applicant
[2:33:25]
takes a business proposal, takes it to the planning board,
[2:33:30]
the planning board reviews, that they see that there's a
[2:33:34]
location for a sign on there that this owner is,
[2:33:38]
is expecting to open up a business in that area.
[2:33:41]
It's a conforming business from the agricultural aspect and,
[2:33:46]
and is given that green light with the understanding
[2:33:49]
that he would be able to have a sign there, wouldn't you,
[2:33:53]
Indic, wouldn't you believe that withdrawing that
[2:33:56]
after the fact creates a hardship for him
[2:33:58]
and is not self-imposed?
[2:34:01]
So I have not seen the, the drawing that you're referring
[2:34:05]
to where it shows the sign,
[2:34:06]
but my understanding from all
[2:34:07]
of the discussion is it didn't show a size of the sign.
[2:34:11]
It showed an approximate location for a sign.
[2:34:13]
And I would argue Mr. Perkins, that absolutely not.
[2:34:17]
It doesn't, you, you know, at at, at the planning board.
[2:34:22]
I would not look at, hey, there needs to be a sign here
[2:34:24]
and assume that it's a non-conforming sign
[2:34:27]
that's being requested.
[2:34:28]
There are such things as conforming signs in the LMDR
[2:34:34]
and thank you for helping me segue into the bottom images.
[2:34:40]
All four from the right to left are in our area
[2:34:45]
signs that are conforming.
[2:34:47]
Right. And if you look at the bottom right image,
[2:34:49]
that is a agricultural business
[2:34:52]
that is right down the road from Mr.
[2:34:54]
AKA's business. Right. That is a conforming sign.
[2:34:58]
And, and can I ask you, what's the size of the sign?
[2:35:01]
That one is actually fairly small. It's oval.
[2:35:04]
I'm not sure. I haven't measured it.
[2:35:06]
I would say it's, it, it's under three square feet.
[2:35:10]
I'm not sure what it is per size.
[2:35:13]
Well, a, a regular sign,
[2:35:15]
like the groundhog sign up there is larger than four
[2:35:18]
by six. Wouldn't you say
[2:35:20]
The groundhog sign is actually
[2:35:23]
deceivingly small from the image.
[2:35:26]
I'm, again, I don't have square footage,
[2:35:27]
but that's actually quite a small sign.
[2:35:30]
It's just a very zoomed image.
[2:35:31]
Right. And so the point, the, the point
[2:35:33]
that I'm getting at and, and I understand your, your passion
[2:35:37]
and the, and the speech and whatnot.
[2:35:39]
There's a couple of presumptions that are going on here.
[2:35:42]
Number one, that we've already made a decision.
[2:35:44]
Number two, that the,
[2:35:46]
I I don't think I said that There's presumptions,
[2:35:48]
there's presumptions either in, in, in
[2:35:51]
what you were reading to Mr.
[2:35:53]
Corbet or either or from Mr. Foley.
[2:35:56]
There's presumptions that the board
[2:35:58]
I'm not Mr. Foley, sir.
[2:35:59]
It doesn't, it doesn't matter. Okay.
[2:36:01]
It's, you are a group
[2:36:02]
and you are a group that were,
[2:36:04]
that contested this into the higher court.
[2:36:06]
Correct. You were part of at all.
[2:36:08]
I I was a part of that court
[2:36:10]
Case.
[2:36:11]
So, so you just, the generalization. Right.
[2:36:12]
And so we're trying to get to what the hardship is
[2:36:14]
and if there's existing, if there is an existing hardship
[2:36:18]
and the, and, and there are established rules
[2:36:21]
for signs throughout the community.
[2:36:23]
Usually they focus around 24 square feet.
[2:36:28]
Your comment is, well, yes, they may have had this
[2:36:32]
with the planning board
[2:36:33]
and there was a location established for it,
[2:36:36]
but it was a non-con,
[2:36:37]
no one knew it would be a non-conforming sign.
[2:36:39]
So my question to you is, what's a non-conforming sign?
[2:36:43]
Especially in an area that it's, it's unfamiliar
[2:36:46]
with this type of practice.
[2:36:48]
Yeah, so that, that's something that,
[2:36:51]
that we actually touched on when I was up here a month ago.
[2:36:54]
And at our previous ZBA meetings,
[2:36:59]
there was a, an assertion
[2:37:03]
that a conforming sign was 24 square feet
[2:37:07]
or under and unlit.
[2:37:09]
And even at the last meeting a month ago, I followed
[2:37:12]
that assertion because that was the last I heard.
[2:37:14]
And if you recall on the top right, I made a rendering
[2:37:19]
of what he could potentially have within that.
[2:37:24]
Personally, I would actually be okay
[2:37:26]
with a 24 square foot or under sign.
[2:37:28]
As long as it's unlit, I think that it looks reasonable.
[2:37:34]
I don't know what anybody else feels,
[2:37:37]
and that's not really my problem, but that's what I feel.
[2:37:41]
That being said, there seems to be some discussion now
[2:37:45]
that maybe within the LMDR ordinance, it, it,
[2:37:50]
it's actually limited to three square feet or under.
[2:37:53]
And I'm not really sure how I feel about
[2:37:57]
that, if I'm being honest.
[2:37:59]
I'm very concerned about this, you know, 50 ish square foot
[2:38:03]
that we're talking about right now.
[2:38:05]
It looks massive. Mr.
[2:38:06]
Corbett, you pointed out it's really tall.
[2:38:09]
It's unnecessarily tall.
[2:38:14]
And somebody, I apologize,
[2:38:18]
I don't recall who I think it was Mr.
[2:38:19]
Donlin pointed out that it also has a lit crown,
[2:38:21]
which is just a, another bright,
[2:38:24]
you know, strange thing on it.
[2:38:25]
But you know, to answer your question directly, I don't know
[2:38:29]
what the ordinance calls for three or 24
[2:38:32]
and I don't know how I feel about the 24.
[2:38:34]
I think I'm okay with that.
[2:38:37]
Either way, it's supposed to be an unlit sign.
[2:38:40]
And I do actually want to touch on that
[2:38:43]
because you guys were discussing it a little while ago.
[2:38:46]
Mr. Donlin noted the idea of an internal
[2:38:50]
or external lit sign
[2:38:53]
and kind of was trying to pose the question of, you know,
[2:38:56]
how is that, how is one different than the other?
[2:38:59]
And Mr.
[2:39:00]
Corbett, I I, I'm trying to keep this a a friendly chat back
[2:39:03]
and forth, but I do take exception to what you said
[2:39:07]
where you said that, you know, if,
[2:39:10]
if you put in the externally lit sign, a kid is likely
[2:39:13]
to kick it over and then
[2:39:14]
it's gonna be pointing somewhere else.
[2:39:16]
Personally, I think better of our town than that.
[2:39:19]
I don't think that that's a high risk scenario
[2:39:22]
that we should be discussing here.
[2:39:24]
I I, I, I don't like that assertion.
[2:39:26]
Well, but I'll
[2:39:28]
But to, to, to, to back that up if I can.
[2:39:31]
I'm not it, it's just, you know, if that were to happen,
[2:39:36]
it is possible.
[2:39:37]
Sure. Just like any other maintenance thing.
[2:39:41]
What if a kid took a baseball bat
[2:39:42]
to the signed Well, you repair it. No. If, I
[2:39:44]
Mean, and if I may, I didn't mean it,
[2:39:46]
ill will no will, ill will intended.
[2:39:47]
Okay. The exact image that I had Halloween might've been
[2:39:50]
where off I think of the kids just as they're running up
[2:39:53]
to the house just excited.
[2:39:54]
They're not paying attention as they run up.
[2:39:56]
It's a cord, it's a kit, not an
[2:39:57]
intentional, I'm looking at the sign.
[2:39:58]
Sure. And kicking. So did not mean that appreciate that.
[2:40:01]
To be very honest, what I was thinking,
[2:40:03]
and it was actually the point that I was going back to
[2:40:05]
the spotlights in the air, that was exactly
[2:40:07]
what it had me thinking of was that Yeah.
[2:40:09]
When before those were aimed at the steeple,
[2:40:12]
but then when the steeple was gone,
[2:40:13]
those lights were still permitted.
[2:40:14]
Yeah. So what we ended up having was lights that were now,
[2:40:17]
as I referred to as the bat signal,
[2:40:18]
the lights just shining to nowhere.
[2:40:20]
Right. That's exactly what I was picturing when I thought
[2:40:23]
of the external one then aimed at the sign,
[2:40:25]
if it was a car backing in, if it was, you know, again,
[2:40:27]
just the kid running up, running to the car,
[2:40:29]
running from the car and just whatever.
[2:40:31]
Now all of a sudden it's shining. Yeah.
[2:40:33]
Honestly, the thought I had was shining directly into the
[2:40:35]
Davis' bedroom and
[2:40:36]
was trying to prevent something like that.
[2:40:38]
Okay. So, you know, just just to touch on that,
[2:40:41]
the externally lit sign, that lighting
[2:40:44]
to my understanding is a part of the sign, so to speak.
[2:40:48]
I know that it's staked into the ground separate,
[2:40:50]
but as, as, as a use case, it is part of the sign, you know,
[2:40:54]
and, and so if the sign were ever removed, yes,
[2:40:58]
you have a light pointing out into the air,
[2:41:00]
but that's a pretty simple call into, well,
[2:41:04]
first of all, your neighbor.
[2:41:05]
But then if that goes nowhere into code enforcement saying,
[2:41:07]
Hey, there's this leftover thing that shouldn't be there.
[2:41:11]
That being said, I, I do just want
[2:41:13]
to touch on there actually is a difference
[2:41:15]
between an externally lit and an
[2:41:17]
and an internally lit sign from a functional standpoint.
[2:41:22]
When, when you have a externally lit sign,
[2:41:27]
the only outward shining
[2:41:30]
that you get away from the sign is whatever is
[2:41:33]
reflected off of that sign.
[2:41:36]
If you have an internally lit sign,
[2:41:38]
it is emanating light outward
[2:41:41]
toward the neighbors by design.
[2:41:44]
It's, it's the primary thing that it does.
[2:41:47]
So, you know, we, if we want to talk about what is the,
[2:41:50]
the functional difference, it's huge.
[2:41:52]
It's, it's actually either I, I'm shining a light at you
[2:41:56]
or I'm shining a light at that wall
[2:41:58]
and a little bit of that light reflects back at you.
[2:42:00]
That's, that, that's a big difference.
[2:42:02]
Yeah. And I think that was what Mr.
[2:42:04]
And I were kind of kicking back and forth, did we?
[2:42:07]
And even put in perfect world, it's glowing, you know,
[2:42:10]
as you said, radiating right now as we see,
[2:42:13]
it's not glowing, you know, it's, it's shining.
[2:42:15]
So Devin, say I agree with those two things. Yeah.
[2:42:18]
Before I go to the other question I have, I don't want
[2:42:21]
to interrupt you and chain and go off,
[2:42:25]
but I, I think it's a good point on
[2:42:26]
that a an external could be hardwired.
[2:42:28]
So I think that's the, the possibility.
[2:42:30]
I didn't think of that. Right. Are you sent on this portion?
[2:42:33]
Can I go to my other question or do you want me to wait?
[2:42:35]
Yeah, please. Okay. It's the only one.
[2:42:36]
And it came back
[2:42:37]
and it was on the hardship, it was on the trees when I took
[2:42:41]
that is I, I read it through
[2:42:43]
with the superior court findings as well.
[2:42:45]
Yeah. And I didn't,
[2:42:47]
I don't think it was misrepresented in any way.
[2:42:49]
I, I honestly felt that it was misunderstood from
[2:42:55]
what's the right word for the judge,
[2:42:56]
but from the judge that when the trees were discussed
[2:43:01]
and perhaps during a rebuttal, whatever,
[2:43:03]
even your feedback on it, I took the trees as
[2:43:06]
that they were put in to proactively try
[2:43:09]
to create more distance with the houses in the back just
[2:43:12]
to create more of a buffer.
[2:43:14]
Not that because the buffer was there, the sign was needed.
[2:43:19]
Interesting. During the minutes of it,
[2:43:23]
that was more of how it was depicted.
[2:43:24]
And that, that's the only thing it,
[2:43:25]
what you read was directly from the court minutes.
[2:43:27]
So as I said, I don't think it was
[2:43:29]
intentionally misrepresented on your part.
[2:43:31]
I don't think he misrepresent or misrepresented.
[2:43:33]
I think he may have just misinterpreted. Okay.
[2:43:35]
So that was just my only takeaway.
[2:43:36]
Otherwise I thought it was all really good points.
[2:43:38]
Okay. I'm, I'm,
[2:43:40]
I don't have a response to that either way.
[2:43:42]
Oh, okay. Fair
[2:43:43]
Point.
[2:43:44]
When, when you're talking about the 60 square feet
[2:43:47]
or the, I'm sorry, how big is it?
[2:43:49]
50 50 square
[2:43:51]
Feet.
[2:43:52]
Could, could we actually clarify that?
[2:43:53]
I don't think in this whole meeting we've
[2:43:54]
clarified what the size is. Yeah, it's
[2:43:56]
42.5 right now. So
[2:43:57]
It's, it is 42.5 60 Feet across and 1 0 2 down.
[2:44:01]
But that's just the cabinets.
[2:44:03]
Okay. Thank you. Sorry Mr. Perkins.
[2:44:05]
Well, no, that's fine. And I think Mr.
[2:44:07]
Trip has brought something forward to my attention as well.
[2:44:10]
But you know, one, one box
[2:44:15]
is certainly less than the 24 square feet that's allowed
[2:44:19]
and I think permitted in this district as well,
[2:44:21]
under certain circumstances.
[2:44:23]
And, but when you're citing the, the total size,
[2:44:27]
which was 50 square feet, you're talking about two signs.
[2:44:32]
But these are a sign for each business
[2:44:34]
that is operating at that facility.
[2:44:38]
Yeah. You know, you,
[2:44:39]
you did bring this up at our last meeting
[2:44:41]
and I, I, I very much disagree with it.
[2:44:46]
I have an LLC registered to my property
[2:44:48]
'cause I have a home office there,
[2:44:50]
and I could very easily register three more LLCs
[2:44:55]
and put up a sign for each one
[2:44:57]
and try to claim that I'm within the ordinance
[2:45:00]
and I don't need a variance.
[2:45:02]
And then I could have as many square feet
[2:45:04]
of signage as I want if I just
[2:45:05]
Register an I.
[2:45:06]
That's where I'm going with it. I i, it's going back to the,
[2:45:09]
the hardship question, which is that he has,
[2:45:12]
he's been given approval for use here by the planning board
[2:45:16]
and for both uses.
[2:45:17]
And what we're trying to get down to the bottom to is
[2:45:23]
does each business, should each
[2:45:26]
of the two businesses be permitted
[2:45:28]
to have its own individual sign?
[2:45:31]
I I do not think so.
[2:45:33]
They are both owned by the same person,
[2:45:35]
the same entity really.
[2:45:38]
I mean, this, we're talking about bird enterprises
[2:45:40]
and he may run two different profit streams.
[2:45:44]
There being, you know, I
[2:45:47]
Yeah, but now you're kind of touching into that,
[2:45:48]
that court, that higher court ruling.
[2:45:50]
Right. Which is that the finance is, is not a, a problem,
[2:45:54]
you know, should not be a,
[2:45:56]
I I'm not, I'm not trying to touch into
[2:45:58]
that. I'm not talking about the dollars,
[2:46:00]
But to this point, right, you're talking about, well,
[2:46:02]
it's Bird Enterprises.
[2:46:03]
He owns both of them, but it's not Bird Enterprises
[2:46:07]
that's selling the unique features of each
[2:46:10]
of the two businesses.
[2:46:11]
One's a baseball camp, one's trees, plants,
[2:46:16]
It, it's, it's one address.
[2:46:19]
It's one building. It's one person.
[2:46:22]
I'm, I'm sorry, I, I just, I don't see it. Okay.
[2:46:25]
I just wanted to clarify my question so I knew
[2:46:28]
what you were, you were answering to.
[2:46:29]
Yeah. There, there's dispute going back
[2:46:31]
and forth about not contentious dispute, about whether
[2:46:36]
or not it should be internally lit
[2:46:38]
or externally lit, what the differences are.
[2:46:41]
There's nothing to suggest, this is disparaging on Mr.
[2:46:44]
Corbett's part, but I think you go, you can see
[2:46:47]
by his questions the line of expansive thinking that
[2:46:51]
that happens when you're on, you know, in this board.
[2:46:54]
And you've seen as many cases as we had, right? Yeah.
[2:46:57]
Nobody's trying to indicate that there's gonna be a rash
[2:47:00]
of vandalism, but anything could happen.
[2:47:03]
But in regards to the lighting of these signs, if,
[2:47:08]
if there was no lighting
[2:47:09]
and both of these signs were of a design
[2:47:11]
that you had established the last time you were here,
[2:47:14]
where do you stand on this now?
[2:47:17]
I'm sorry, can you repeat the actual question there? You
[2:47:19]
Proposed some kind of sign design
[2:47:21]
before, which showed both signs
[2:47:24]
and it showed them in a spirit that Mr.
[2:47:26]
Corbett has alluded to about lowering those, those two boxes
[2:47:30]
cabinets down lower, right?
[2:47:32]
Yeah. On the top right. Yeah.
[2:47:33]
And so if, if the proposal was to do that
[2:47:36]
with no lighting, where do you stand on that?
[2:47:40]
If it were conceptually speaking, that sign
[2:47:43]
as shown on the top right with no lighting,
[2:47:46]
I would be fine with it.
[2:47:47]
I wouldn't be sitting here arguing
[2:47:49]
Personally, those two signs.
[2:47:51]
I, that's a long way for me. But is is that top right?
[2:47:56]
Is that one sign or two?
[2:47:58]
It it's one sign, it's one panel showing both Della Hunts
[2:48:03]
and NEA, I mean, you know, it's just a conceptual render.
[2:48:07]
You can easily put a line between to,
[2:48:10]
to distinguish them, but Sure.
[2:48:12]
I like the seasonal touch. Yeah. Okay.
[2:48:15]
Any idea what that rendering sign size is?
[2:48:20]
That was 24 square feet.
[2:48:22]
That whole sign there is? Yeah. Is four by six. Yeah.
[2:48:25]
Okay. All right. Let me rest Mr. Trip. Do you have a point?
[2:48:30]
Well, you pretty much asked the question
[2:48:34]
that I was gonna ask.
[2:48:36]
Sorry. You know, which is, what is
[2:48:40]
a sign that is conforming, I'm sorry
[2:48:45]
I'm not speaking in the microphone,
[2:48:48]
but I, I happen to have a copy
[2:48:52]
of the court's decision
[2:48:53]
and the court
[2:48:58]
on page 15 seemed to think
[2:49:02]
that section 1 65 dash 1 0 1 1
[2:49:06]
of the ordinance restricts signs in the LMDR
[2:49:10]
to 24 square feet, which we can, we
[2:49:15]
Can agree You're looking at the Supreme Court.
[2:49:17]
Yes. That I, I can't superior say
[2:49:19]
for sure, but, but maybe the
[2:49:21]
Superior Court.
[2:49:22]
Yeah, sorry, the Superior Court.
[2:49:23]
Maybe that's just because that was the assertion that we had
[2:49:26]
and it was in the minutes that they were working off of.
[2:49:30]
I don't know. But
[2:49:32]
What he seemed to be quite careful about
[2:49:36]
what he cited in a decision. So I, well,
[2:49:38]
Frankly, I think we were all pretty certain
[2:49:42]
for whatever reason, and it was in the minutes
[2:49:45]
that we talked about 24 square feet.
[2:49:47]
Am I wrong about that? I can't
[2:49:50]
Recall, I can't recall it being in the minutes.
[2:49:53]
But because as, as you've pointed out that it's
[2:49:59]
this sign ordinances are
[2:50:05]
difficult to understand
[2:50:08]
As, as written, I, I I would tend
[2:50:10]
to agree it's either three or 24.
[2:50:12]
And that's a very big difference, frankly. Say again?
[2:50:15]
I, I said I would tend to agree, you know, it's either three
[2:50:18]
or 24 and I don't, that's a little
[2:50:21]
Bit of difference there.
[2:50:22]
That that's what I just said. I'm not sure
[2:50:24]
that anybody on this board has kind of stood up
[2:50:27]
and said, oh no, it's this number, not that.
[2:50:30]
So the fact that nobody has done that
[2:50:32]
and clarified it means it's probably a little
[2:50:36]
Mahy.
[2:50:37]
Yeah, yeah. Because I believe the signs that you're showing
[2:50:42]
are probably in the 24 square foot range. No,
[2:50:46]
N not all of them.
[2:50:49]
So if, if I could just walk you through what these are.
[2:50:52]
No, no, that's okay. Well, I I, I do want to walk you
[2:50:56]
through it some point ahead so
[2:50:57]
You don't mind. Go ahead then.
[2:50:59]
What's That? I said please go ahead.
[2:51:01]
Okay, so the, the bottom right, I already said
[2:51:03]
that is an agricultural business that runs kind of the same
[2:51:06]
as Della Hunts does.
[2:51:08]
The next one over, you see the greenhouse there,
[2:51:11]
that's another agricultural business.
[2:51:12]
They have a less than three square foot unlit sign as well.
[2:51:18]
Both of those, well, I, I should say the, the bottom right,
[2:51:21]
the, the Jolly botanist, they've been in business
[2:51:24]
for quite a while successfully.
[2:51:26]
They've been there for years.
[2:51:28]
The next one over where you see the greenhouse,
[2:51:30]
they're pretty new, but they've been pretty busy.
[2:51:33]
They're actually my next door neighbor,
[2:51:36]
the next one over from that, you know, we keep talking about
[2:51:39]
how NEA is a school and schools need signage
[2:51:42]
and, you know, we were talking about trying to find the
[2:51:47]
after school programs
[2:51:48]
and how it's people
[2:51:49]
who maybe don't know where they're going or something.
[2:51:54]
You know, this, this is an entire school, schools do have
[2:51:57]
after school programs.
[2:51:58]
They are an unlit small sign in our neighborhood.
[2:52:02]
So, you know, again, I would argue, I mean,
[2:52:06]
raise your hand if you don't have GPS in your
[2:52:08]
phone. I, I mean,
[2:52:09]
Sorry, a specific question about that sign.
[2:52:12]
The the school? Yeah, the East Area one. Yeah. Yeah.
[2:52:13]
That's one of three signs for the school.
[2:52:16]
That is the first sign that you come across when you're
[2:52:18]
Trying to find the school.
[2:52:19]
And then another one at the end. Yeah. Then another one at
[2:52:20]
the end of that road, and then another
[2:52:21]
one when you enter the school.
[2:52:23]
So I guess in that regard,
[2:52:24]
what would your thoughts be if they had three unlit signs,
[2:52:27]
like in that quarter mile leading up to this facility?
[2:52:34]
Well, the, the school's on a, a private road
[2:52:36]
for the school, aren't they?
[2:52:39]
No, not entirely. No.
[2:52:40]
Oh, really? Yeah, dubose residential.
[2:52:42]
Oh, interesting. I don't know how that came to be,
[2:52:45]
but he's certainly not getting approval
[2:52:47]
to put a sign in my property down the road.
[2:52:49]
No. Yeah. I was just, I, I noticed it the next day
[2:52:51]
and all of a sudden, like it jumped out at me.
[2:52:52]
I was like, wow. There's, there's not just one,
[2:52:54]
there's three and then just how that, yeah.
[2:52:56]
And, and I wasn't trying to mislead anyone.
[2:52:58]
This is the sign that you used to find the school though.
[2:53:02]
This is, you know, as you're driving down the road looking
[2:53:05]
for the school, this is what you see.
[2:53:09]
And the next one over that is a horse farm
[2:53:13]
that is also a successful business right down the
[2:53:16]
road from Della Hunts.
[2:53:17]
They're just a few houses down
[2:53:20]
and across the street from Alan's Garden.
[2:53:24]
And again, you know, they're a small unlit sign.
[2:53:27]
It, it's, you know, I really appreciated Mr.
[2:53:30]
Trip pointing out that, you know, he drove around town
[2:53:32]
and was hard pressed to find a, you know,
[2:53:35]
big oversized backlit sign in our rural area.
[2:53:41]
And he's, he's right.
[2:53:42]
There aren't any, it's it, this is why we're fighting this
[2:53:45]
because it doesn't belong.
[2:53:47]
That's what it boils down to.
[2:53:51]
You know, the next sign over,
[2:53:52]
you have, this is the old church.
[2:53:53]
We keep talking about the old church sign.
[2:53:56]
And I think some people's memories were fuzzy on it
[2:54:00]
'cause it's been a while since it's been there.
[2:54:01]
But that was a small, small sign that was, you know,
[2:54:06]
maybe two feet off the ground total with
[2:54:11]
one foot of that actually being the sign
[2:54:13]
and it was 10 feet long.
[2:54:15]
So that is a, you know, 10 square foot sign for that church
[2:54:20]
certainly exceeds the three square foot,
[2:54:22]
but it's under 24. Then we
[2:54:25]
Have, pardon Mr.
[2:54:26]
Chair, if I could bring your attention to the time.
[2:54:27]
So you may seek a motion to extend. Thank.
[2:54:29]
Very good. Thank you Mr. Prior
[2:54:30]
To that, could we make a motion to let Case one 10 leave?
[2:54:35]
Yeah, it was the only one we didn't table. Go ahead.
[2:54:38]
Yep. I'm gonna make a quick motion. Sorry Mr.
[2:54:41]
I'm gonna make a quick motion to table case
[2:54:42]
26 1 1 10 to the next meeting.
[2:54:44]
Give Mrs. Laina about four minutes back in her night. Mr.
[2:54:47]
Donald, you want a second? Sorry. Second. Thank you.
[2:54:50]
All in favor of that say aye. Aye.
[2:54:52]
Aye folks, for that case you're free to go.
[2:54:57]
We will see you a couple weeks.
[2:55:01]
I think I made my point regarding these
[2:55:03]
that there are no other oversized backlit signs in the area.
[2:55:10]
And I think that that's all that I have for the moment.
[2:55:12]
Unless you have additional questions.
[2:55:15]
Mr. Chair, I have a couple questions. Mr.
[2:55:16]
Lusca, On all those other signs that are on Lit,
[2:55:21]
how many of them are hours of operation after sundown?
[2:55:27]
Good question. I do not, I do not know.
[2:55:35]
I don't know if Groundhog Landscaping is,
[2:55:38]
I don't know if the horse farm is, the school certainly has,
[2:55:44]
you know, things that they do after dark Alan's garden.
[2:55:48]
I think that they close at six or 7:00 PM
[2:55:52]
and then I don't know the jolly botanist.
[2:55:55]
It's a good question. Well, I can speak on behalf
[2:55:56]
of Groundhog 'cause I am the abutter to that location.
[2:56:00]
But my next question is, well it's not really a question
[2:56:04]
per se, but in regards to the school, the elementary school,
[2:56:09]
having a kid, if I were to have him going to that school,
[2:56:13]
I would know exactly where that school is now.
[2:56:17]
Well they, they're asserting that they are a school,
[2:56:19]
so yeah, they would know exactly
[2:56:21]
where NEA is. You're right,
[2:56:23]
So acc one point there so that, I feel like
[2:56:25]
that wouldn't have to be lit
[2:56:27]
because as a parent you would be fully
[2:56:29]
Aware of Where it's
[2:56:30]
Fully agree and your GPS counts down one mile 0.9 0.8
[2:56:34]
and then tells you turn in 500 feet, 250 there.
[2:56:39]
I, I'm sorry Mr. Dietzel, but I, I disagree with you.
[2:56:42]
You're not gonna miss your turn with modern GPS. It's just,
[2:56:47]
And then with some of his clientele
[2:56:50]
being new drivers.
[2:56:52]
Yep. Don't you think that A GPS would be a lot more
[2:56:56]
of a distraction that could possibly cause a safety issue
[2:57:01]
for these 16 year olds that are new to the
[2:57:02]
Road?
[2:57:03]
No, actually, and, and,
[2:57:04]
and this is getting a little personal,
[2:57:06]
but a very, very quick story.
[2:57:08]
When I got my license, I
[2:57:11]
coincidentally started having back pain quite often
[2:57:15]
and for Christmas my mom bought me a GPS
[2:57:17]
and my back pain magically went away.
[2:57:19]
I was stressed out 'cause I had no idea where I was
[2:57:21]
until there was a little map in front of me.
[2:57:23]
No, your, your GPS is not a distraction in my opinion.
[2:57:27]
It's actually something that makes it so you have less
[2:57:30]
to worry about in life.
[2:57:31]
'cause it, you know where everything is.
[2:57:34]
Alright, I, that's all I had for questions. Thank you. All
[2:57:37]
Set, Ms, do you all set?
[2:57:40]
Do you want me to motion to extend Mr Chair? That
[2:57:42]
Would be fine.
[2:57:43]
Thank you. Let's go to 10 15.
[2:57:46]
Make a motion to extend to 10 15. Second.
[2:57:50]
All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? All right.
[2:57:53]
So Mr. Che, right now I just, you know,
[2:57:56]
we've pondered about the size of the signs, whether
[2:58:00]
or not these signs are exceeding those
[2:58:04]
that are permitted within the ordinance, trying to get
[2:58:07]
to spirit of the ordinance
[2:58:09]
and of course is a question of hardship.
[2:58:12]
The other question that's arisen is whether
[2:58:14]
or not hardship establishes when the
[2:58:18]
owner of the property is permitted, the use
[2:58:22]
by the planning board with an established location for
[2:58:26]
that sign, which he goes into this knowing that there's a,
[2:58:29]
there's a location he can put a sign and then, and,
[2:58:33]
and whether or not that creates a hardship or not.
[2:58:36]
Sure. And that's one of the things that as we,
[2:58:40]
your neighbor was up here trying to get to and, and,
[2:58:44]
and have that discussion.
[2:58:46]
And I think there's a third point here that we're trying
[2:58:49]
to zero in on.
[2:58:51]
I think you've touched on the lighting
[2:58:53]
and I think that's about where I'm,
[2:58:56]
I'm going in my, in my thinking.
[2:58:58]
Anything you want to add to that before you step
[2:59:00]
Back?
[2:59:01]
Yeah, actually you, you just reminded me that
[2:59:04]
there was some back
[2:59:05]
and forth discussion about, I believe it was Mr.
[2:59:09]
Corbett who was a, yeah, it was Mr.
[2:59:10]
Corbett asking if he could potentially cut down the height
[2:59:14]
of the sign and Mr.
[2:59:15]
Yako kind of said, you know, maybe I don't really know.
[2:59:18]
We can look into it.
[2:59:21]
I do wanna point out that this board
[2:59:26]
approved A ZBA variance
[2:59:28]
and then it was within a few days we filed
[2:59:31]
with Superior Court and notified Mr.
[2:59:34]
Yako that it was being challenged.
[2:59:36]
He chose to spend the money to put up the sign.
[2:59:38]
Wait, I I so I, I don't want to cut you off,
[2:59:40]
but here's part of the problem we keep running into Yeah.
[2:59:43]
Is that you get off into these anecdotes
[2:59:46]
versus the merits of this case. Right. Which is, well,
[2:59:49]
I I I just wanna be careful though to, to, you know,
[2:59:52]
when he says, well look, maybe I could modify it.
[2:59:56]
Honestly, I don't want this board looking at it
[2:59:58]
and going, oh, you know, it might cost
[2:59:59]
him a lot of money to do that.
[3:00:00]
It might be hard. Maybe he can't modify it. Frankly.
[3:00:04]
He put it up knowing it was being challenged
[3:00:06]
ground. We're all aware if he has to
[3:00:07]
Raise it.
[3:00:08]
My my point is to the ground,
[3:00:09]
you keep going into these anecdotes
[3:00:11]
and you're missing, you know, two weeks ago
[3:00:14]
or a month ago when you were here, you came in
[3:00:16]
with a petition and I explained to you the difficulty
[3:00:19]
of a petition and what it does and what it doesn't do.
[3:00:22]
It's the same kind of thinking here.
[3:00:23]
So getting into the anecdotes, which you've tended
[3:00:27]
to branch off quite a bit in the last 20 minutes,
[3:00:30]
and this is one as well.
[3:00:32]
It's up to the board that to, you know, decide to,
[3:00:36]
to decipher that.
[3:00:38]
And you know, I just want to emphasize that so
[3:00:40]
that we can hear testimony, we can hear poignant testimony.
[3:00:44]
Yeah. And not have it be redundant as well.
[3:00:48]
Okay. I I'm not sure
[3:00:49]
that you're fully understanding me though.
[3:00:51]
You're concerned that the board is gonna have empathy
[3:00:54]
for the money that he spent when he was
[3:00:56]
warned not to put up the
[3:00:57]
Sign.
[3:00:58]
And the reason that I'm worried about that is because Mr.
[3:01:01]
Corbett's question should not have been a question
[3:01:04]
respectfully, can you modify it?
[3:01:08]
Of course you can. If you have to raise it to the ground,
[3:01:10]
The reason Mr, It shouldn't be a
[3:01:12]
Question.
[3:01:13]
So the rea Yeah, the reason I'm asking that is
[3:01:14]
because what's presented to me is a 16 foot sign.
[3:01:17]
So right off the bat, I'm really just putting it up there,
[3:01:21]
what concessions can be made
[3:01:22]
because as you noted,
[3:01:23]
I declared 16 feet felt too high for me.
[3:01:25]
Yeah. So it's, it's not, I'm nervous about
[3:01:28]
how much money is being spent.
[3:01:29]
That's, I think you know exactly what I'm asking.
[3:01:32]
I I do. And I, I want, I want make sure it's clarified so
[3:01:35]
that everybody in this room
[3:01:37]
and everybody who's listening also understands.
[3:01:38]
Yeah. For anybody who has ever attended a dairy zoning
[3:01:41]
board meeting, I can very personally, proudly say,
[3:01:46]
I unfortunately do not take into account
[3:01:48]
how much money anyone has spent on what they have done prior
[3:01:51]
to having to come to us because
[3:01:52]
it's unfortunately unrelated.
[3:01:54]
Okay. What you're, you're, I think
[3:01:56]
what you're doing is you're preaching to the audience
[3:01:57]
because we already know what statutes are and what laws are.
[3:02:01]
And so when you're concerned about expressing this to us
[3:02:04]
and, and just diverting more time
[3:02:06]
to caution us about being concerned about somebody else's,
[3:02:11]
the money they've spent, I think that's the point I'm trying
[3:02:14]
to get at, which is if you could just stick to the merits
[3:02:17]
of law with it, it would be helpful.
[3:02:19]
Sure. That's it. You all set?
[3:02:21]
Yes, sir. Alright. Ken, just
[3:02:23]
before we're gonna close this off, is there anybody else
[3:02:26]
that wants to speak to this when we reconvene
[3:02:29]
and that the next meeting you do.
[3:02:32]
Okay. Mr. And Mrs. Davis, did you wanna speak again or not?
[3:02:38]
I, Okay. Alright. Very good.
[3:02:40]
So we're gonna close this hearing off and Mr.
[3:02:43]
Car Carton, we're gonna close this hearing off.
[3:02:45]
Did you wanna speak at the next hearing?
[3:02:47]
Do I wanna speak at the next meeting? You say
[3:02:49]
We're, we're closing testimony off now.
[3:02:52]
Okay. So if you, I just asked the question,
[3:02:54]
is there anybody else that wants
[3:02:56]
to give testimony at the next, when we resume?
[3:02:59]
Okay. Do, do you,
[3:03:01]
Can I speak?
[3:03:02]
Not tonight. Do you like to speak
[3:03:04]
At the next meeting?
[3:03:05]
We're hearing now, but what
[3:03:05]
The next meeting?
[3:03:06]
So at the next meeting do you wish to speak
[3:03:09]
so we can know Mr. Davis as well?
[3:03:11]
Very good. Okay. We got three people scheduled. What
[3:03:13]
Is the date of the next meeting?
[3:03:16]
May 21st. What?
[3:03:18]
May 21st. Two weeks from tonight.
[3:03:20]
The Tuesday night. Thursday. Thursday.
[3:03:23]
Two weeks from tonight? Huh?
[3:03:25]
Two Weeks from tonight.
[3:03:28]
I don't think I'm gonna be here two
[3:03:29]
Weeks. Oh,
[3:03:30]
Sorry.
[3:03:31]
Well, we have to close off hearing. I'll tell you what,
[3:03:32]
if you want, you can you submit something in writing, okay?
[3:03:36]
Okay. Alright. Thank you very much.
[3:03:39]
We're gonna close this hearing off.
[3:03:41]
We will see all parties back here in two weeks if you wish
[3:03:45]
to speak to this or address the board.
[3:03:52]
All of the cases have been tabled for the evening.
[3:03:55]
The board will now wrap up on the business for the evening
[3:04:01]
appointment of officers.
[3:04:03]
That has been, I need a motion to table that please.
[3:04:06]
I'll make a motion to table that
[3:04:07]
to our next meeting. Second.
[3:04:08]
Thank you. All in favor of that say aye. Aye. Aye.
[3:04:11]
Any correspondence? Mr. Trip?
[3:04:14]
Did you indicate there was some correspondence? Yes.
[3:04:17]
You wanted mentioned? Okay. Is it this here? Yes. Okay.
[3:04:20]
Go ahead and speak to it real quick if you'd like.
[3:04:22]
The, when I was up at the Southern
[3:04:26]
New Hampshire Planning Commission meeting,
[3:04:30]
we had a presentation on accessory dwelling units
[3:04:35]
and I got a, a handout from
[3:04:40]
the New Hampshire housing.
[3:04:44]
So I'm going to gift this to Carrie
[3:04:48]
and if anybody wants to check it out,
[3:04:51]
you can get it from Carrie.
[3:04:53]
It's, it was pretty good information.
[3:04:57]
Did I just have that lying around up
[3:04:58]
there? Could you grab me a copy?
[3:05:00]
What? You, could you grab me an additional copy?
[3:05:02]
No, I, they didn't have
[3:05:04]
that many copies, so I only took one.
[3:05:05]
You don't wanna fight anybody for me? What?
[3:05:07]
You don't wanna fight anybody for me?
[3:05:09]
No, you can, you can have this one for now
[3:05:12]
and then you can give it to Carrie.
[3:05:13]
All right. Next, next business second.
[3:05:18]
I, we have, we have no correspondence that I can tell.
[3:05:22]
Next business is approval of minutes.
[3:05:25]
I need an approval of minutes. Excuse me.
[3:05:28]
And those have been amended in my correct Ms. Boudreaux.
[3:05:31]
Two 19. Okay.
[3:05:33]
I need a approval of those men minutes as amended
[3:05:38]
for 2 19 26.
[3:05:40]
So Moved. Thank you. Second, please. Mr.
[3:05:42]
Donlin has that second? Yeah. Thank you.
[3:05:45]
All in favor say aye. Aye.
[3:05:48]
Sustain need approval of minutes.
[3:05:51]
Are there amendments on the four, two? Nothing. Okay.
[3:05:56]
Approval of minutes for April 2nd, 26 as presented.
[3:06:02]
So moved. Thank You. And a second please. I'll second.
[3:06:06]
Who had that? Jason. Mr. Ani. Very good.
[3:06:09]
All in favor say aye. A. Aye. Any opposed? All right.
[3:06:13]
Hearing none, Mr.
[3:06:15]
Chair, I'll abstain from both of those.
[3:06:17]
Very good. Thank you. Mr. Henry. Very professional of you.
[3:06:19]
Nice going for the first night here. What a rookie.
[3:06:24]
All right. We have no other business before us,
[3:06:27]
but we will have a busy night the next meeting.
[3:06:30]
And with that we can take a motion to adjourn.
[3:06:33]
Well, Saturday is the seminar too.
[3:06:36]
Yes it is. Yep, we are.
[3:06:37]
So has everyone signed in for this? Yes. Yes. Yep.
[3:06:41]
Yep. I believe it's ending in the next like 24 hours or
[3:06:45]
So.
[3:06:46]
Okay. Good enough. Well, I keep,
[3:06:47]
Get and ask if I'm gonna sign up. Can we
[3:06:49]
Have confirmation of who is attending as well, please?
[3:06:52]
I think we all have. Excellent.
[3:06:54]
Okay. No pushups
[3:06:57]
for us all.
[3:07:00]
Take it up long. Entire Saturday. Thank Mr. Dietzel.
[3:07:02]
You wanna help us find the door please?
[3:07:05]
I make a motion to adjourn
[3:07:07]
A second, please.
[3:07:08]
Mr. Donlan. Second. All in favor of adjournment, say aye.
[3:07:11]
Aye. Any opposed? We adjourned. Have a good night everyone.