[0:03] [music]

[0:06] » Hey East Ham, welcome back to Turn It Up East Ham, the town's official podcast.

[0:10] My name is Kayla Arcaro and I am the town's communication coordinator. Today

[0:14] I'm joined by Paul Lag, our community development director.

[0:17] In this episode, we're going to discuss the upcoming zoning amendments and what

[0:20] they will look like at our May town meeting. We know zoning can feel

[0:24] complicated, but it affects all of us in a community as a whole.

[0:28] So Paul, let's get started and kind of talk about what these amendments mean

[0:32] for our community. Okay, well thanks for having me. A pleasure to be here, Kayla.

[0:36] Yeah. Uh this year's town meeting has a slate of different zoning amendments and

[0:41] they cover a range of topics from uh affordable housing to prohibited

[0:47] uses, uh sign code, and some zoning administration items. So it's a wide

[0:52] variety of things that um are important topics for this year's

[0:56] town meeting. Awesome. And kind of just to back up a little bit, can we talk

[1:00] about what exactly zoning is and why it's important for our community?

[1:04] Sure. So zoning is essentially the practice of

[1:09] dividing the town into different zones or districts. And the reason we do this

[1:13] is to have land uses that are compatible and

[1:17] appropriate for the different parts of town. So

[1:20] the goal is to have residential zones and where they are appropriate as

[1:25] opposed to commercial and industrial zones and so we don't necessarily end up

[1:28] with an industrial factory located right next to a residential area.

[1:33] Um compatibility of uses creates a predictable

[1:37] development pattern and we want to make sure that really the zoning works for

[1:42] the and you know, the enjoyment of the residents so that we have uh quality of

[1:46] life and the character of the community is

[1:49] uh is maintained. Okay. And so I know you don't do this by

[1:53] yourself. Um the zoning task force plays a big part in this and I know you've

[1:56] been really hard at work with them over the last couple years. Can you kind of

[2:00] explain how they fit into all of this? Sure.

[2:04] So, the Zoning Task Force is a an advisory group that was appointed

[2:09] about 6 years ago by the Select Board. It's comprised of representatives from

[2:13] the Planning Board, the Zoning Board, the Affordable Housing Trust, and our

[2:18] newest member is a representative from the Climate Action Group, and we have

[2:22] some at-large members. So, they're advisory to the Select Board, and

[2:26] they're really tasked with examining the zoning bylaws to identify areas that

[2:31] need improvement and make recommendations that ultimately go to

[2:34] the Select Board and to Town Meeting. The approach that and and myself and my

[2:39] staff work closely with the task force. The approach that we've taken over last

[2:43] few years is to um look at the other guiding documents.

[2:48] So, we have the zoning bylaw, but we look at the other guiding documents of

[2:50] the town, our strategic plan, our housing plan, our open space plan, a lot

[2:55] of various plans, and they all have recommendations and action items in each

[2:59] one. So, what we try to do is look at the zoning bylaw and identify

[3:03] areas where the zoning bylaw is not in alignment with

[3:07] the action items and the goals of the community, and then we make

[3:10] recommendations for changes to allow those other priorities to happen so that

[3:15] the zoning will complement and align with those other priorities. So, that's

[3:18] the basic approach that the task force takes, and that's where the

[3:21] recommendations really come from. Okay, so you would say that the um these

[3:26] changes happen yearly, and that the driving factors would be those other

[3:30] reports that the town follows? Yeah, so these the strategic plan

[3:35] particularly, but again all we have a lot of different plans and a lot of hard

[3:38] work and effort that goes into all those plans. Our probably our most recent

[3:41] plan, the Climate Action Plan, is an example of that, and so

[3:45] we want to make sure that the zoning which really controls the land use and

[3:50] the development patterns are able to not be not get in the way of

[3:55] the goals of the other town of the other um

[3:58] development plans in town. Okay. So, I know at the beginning um you mentioned

[4:03] that inclusionary zoning is going to be a change on this year's warrant.

[4:07] Um so we'll start with the housing and kind

[4:11] of the topic that's on everyone's mind. Inclusionary zoning is all about

[4:16] creating affordable and workforce housing in town, but it comes with its

[4:19] own challenges. So, can you explain the purpose of

[4:23] inclusionary zoning bylaw and why the town has a 10%

[4:28] subsidized housing inventory? Sure. So, inclusionary zoning is a regulatory

[4:34] tool that tries to use the development of market rate housing as a mechanism to

[4:40] create affordable and workforce housing. And it's a it's a common tool, a lot of

[4:44] towns have it, and there's different ways it can be um the the bylaw can be

[4:48] created and implemented in Eastham. What it means is that

[4:53] when someone proposes to develop five or more housing units and then when we're

[4:57] talking about market rate units, the inclusionary zoning bylaw basically

[5:02] requires that the developer create a certain percentage

[5:06] of those units that are either affordable or

[5:09] workforce. Um

[5:13] where the 20 where the the 10% goal comes into effect is

[5:19] the state of Massachusetts has a broad goal that

[5:23] they would like to see every community in the Commonwealth achieve at least 10%

[5:28] of their year-round housing stock to be affordable.

[5:31] Um the mechanism for tracking that is um

[5:37] what's called the subsidized housing inventory or the SHI list.

[5:42] And that's that's what the state that's the official tally that the state has to

[5:45] say how for each community what what is your percentage of affordable housing.

[5:50] Our inclusionary bylaw is set up to basically create SHI units. So, we get

[5:55] credit towards that 10%. But, um

[6:00] I guess it's important to note that, you know, that's an important goal, but it's

[6:03] not the only goal that Eastham has to, you

[6:07] know, deal with our housing issues. So, we want to try to have um

[6:12] units that are affordable and attainable and also have workforce units. And we

[6:15] really need housing at every affordability level and really for every

[6:20] um e- every sector. Um

[6:24] » [snorts] >> So, as I said, the inclusionary zoning

[6:27] bylaw is really set up to have these units that get created counted on the

[6:30] SHI. Um

[6:33] that becomes a bit of a hurdle for small-scale projects and

[6:38] um local developers. Um because

[6:42] the requirements to get counted on the state's list can be onerous and to be

[6:46] honest, can be quite expensive. It involves running

[6:49] um housing lotteries and doing a lot of um

[6:53] due diligence work, which the danger is that um

[6:57] smaller-scale developers who aren't really

[7:00] set up to handle these these expenses and these costs,

[7:05] they may decide not to do their project or they may decide to drop the number of

[7:09] units and kind of fall below that inclusionary zoning bylaw trigger.

[7:14] And uh we want to avoid that because either way, Eastham, the community loses

[7:18] out on potential how- affordable and workforce units. So,

[7:22] » Okay. So, what exactly are the proposed changes in this amendment for this year?

[7:26] Right. So, um as I said, the the current bylaw is set

[7:30] up to make every unit that we create through

[7:33] this bylaw count on the SHI. Again, that's an important goal, but it's not

[7:36] our only goal. So, the main um change that we're proposing is to

[7:41] basically create um some flexibility for the developers so

[7:46] that not every unit that gets created necessarily has to count on the state's

[7:51] SHI. We want to create local action units that have the

[7:57] necessary protection so that they remain affordable and workforce but don't

[8:01] necessarily require the developer to go through all of the um

[8:06] mechanisms that required by the state in order to get on the SHI. And what that

[8:10] really means is that um there's as I said develop some

[8:15] flexibility for developers. And when I say developers, what we really have seen

[8:19] um lately and what we anticipate in the

[8:21] future, it's not really professional housing developers. It's really local

[8:25] businesses who are trying to reinvest in their

[8:29] commercial properties um and add some housing, add some

[8:32] apartments and really for their workforce and for our local workforce.

[8:36] So we want to make sure this bylaw works for that

[8:39] um situation. And so it's really trying to have some

[8:44] flexibility. At the same time um

[8:47] we are making some adjustments to make sure that while we're having the

[8:50] flexibility for the developers, we want to make sure that we have

[8:53] proper controls on the town side. And all of this really runs through the

[8:56] planning board. They're the they're the um entity that makes these

[9:00] um approvals. So we want to make sure the planning board has the proper

[9:03] regulatory tools to make sure that what's best and what's in the best

[9:06] interest for the town um is also handled when we have these types of

[9:10] developments. Okay. So from like a broader perspective, why do you think

[9:14] this is important for our community? Would you say the flexibility and the

[9:18] affordability or kind of just as a whole um

[9:22] being able to add to a thriving year-round community?

[9:26] Well, I'd say given the housing crisis that we have, you

[9:30] know, anything we do on housing is vitally important and it touches

[9:34] everybody's life because it's where we live, it's our workforce, it's our

[9:38] caretakers, it's our whole community. So,

[9:42] um I think broadly it's just in it's

[9:44] important to the whole community. I think um

[9:47] but the flexibility piece I think is probably the single

[9:51] biggest part of from my view of what we're trying to do to make sure that we

[9:54] don't lose the opportunity for again, the local It's not It's not

[9:58] professional housing developers that this amendment's geared towards, it's

[10:01] our local businesses who aren't in necessarily in the housing game, but

[10:05] they're trying to carve out some units to serve the local

[10:09] need. So, um and it goes back to balancing

[10:12] the goals of the town, which is to yes, make progress on the state's SHI towards

[10:16] that 10%, but we need affordable units, we need workforce units at all

[10:20] affordability levels. So, this is really trying to balance

[10:24] the regulatory tools to account for um all the needs of the community. Okay,

[10:28] that makes sense, and it sounds like a great change to what we currently

[10:31] already have. Um

[10:33] I will mention that the inclusionary inclusionary zoning bylaw is quite

[10:37] intense and complicated. Um there's a lot more information than just what Paul

[10:41] covered, so please view our website, talk with Paul if you have questions to

[10:45] fully understand um what's being presented at town meeting.

[10:49] So, to kind of wrap that up and move on, um another

[10:53] » [clears throat] >> proposed change that we have coming up

[10:55] at town meeting is a sign code, and we all are obviously familiar with signs

[10:59] and see them all over um our community every day. So, can you

[11:03] kind of touch on what is coming with that change?

[11:07] Sure. So, um part of it is really um

[11:13] clarifying some language to um to tighten up some ambiguity in in the

[11:18] bylaw. Um And really to make it more consistent.

[11:24] Um I guess the main The main takeaways are

[11:28] there are um parts of the proposal that would

[11:31] prohibit certain types of um signs, um particularly the um feather or the

[11:37] flag signs, which are kind of the ones you see out on the roadway a lot um

[11:42] on the monopole. And um our bylaw sign code really doesn't address those right

[11:47] now, so there's a lot of ambiguity about whether they're allowed or not. Um

[11:52] again, the task force does a lot of background work, a lot of research. We

[11:56] try to get input. Um and we did have um a feedback session and work session with

[12:02] zoning board, planning board, select board. And this the feedback we got was

[12:05] that um the most appropriate thing to do would be just to prohibit those types of

[12:09] signs. And primarily, it's a safety issue. Um Route 6

[12:14] is a dangerous roadway. You know, we're working to make improvements on that,

[12:18] but we already prohibit um um

[12:22] electronic billboard signs and signs with scrolling messaging and so forth.

[12:26] And you know, those are distracting those are distractions. And this is akin

[12:29] to that. So, it's really you know, rooted in trying to make sure we don't

[12:33] have roadside distractions on an already built busy

[12:36] roadway. Um I guess the other thing I'll mention

[12:39] on that is the other

[12:43] piece of the sign code is to um limit the amount of time that um short-term

[12:47] rental signs can be displayed on residential properties.

[12:50] Again, this is kind of a new phenomenon where you know, with the rise of of

[12:54] these short-term rentals, um these types of signs have been

[12:58] getting installed on properties and in neighborhoods. And it really what the um

[13:03] amendment would do is basically require that

[13:06] those types of signs could only be displayed between May and October.

[13:10] And going back to my original point, trying to make it um

[13:13] clarify, make it consistent with other parts of the sign code. So, we already

[13:17] have regulations on the traditional real estate signs, the for sale signs, the

[13:22] sold signs. And they those can only be displayed for certain amounts of time.

[13:25] So, we're trying to make it consistent and fair

[13:28] um with the real estate signs. So, I think

[13:30] those are kind of the two big takeaways on the sign code. Okay. Those make

[13:34] sense. Um can you kind of touch on if you think that this will affect local

[13:39] businesses or short-term rental owners?

[13:45] I think um again, it's it's an issue of trying to

[13:49] make sure that the code is fair and consistent. Um

[13:54] every time you introduce a piece of

[13:57] regulation, there's going to be, you know, pros and cons. We try to make

[14:00] um the recommendations that seem um

[14:04] in best alignment with the purpose of the zoning bylaw and the goals of the

[14:08] community and um what we're trying to preserve as far as

[14:11] community character. So, would you say that there's

[14:14] additional benefits than just safety to our community? Is it

[14:19] to make it more uniform or kind of just go back to everything being consistent?

[14:24] Yeah. Um I think guys goes back to the first

[14:27] question of what is what is zoning and

[14:31] it's really um it's a method to try to

[14:36] um make sure that the general welfare of the community is

[14:41] is guarded and upheld and that we, you know, have rules and regulations that

[14:44] give the greatest benefit to the greatest amount of people and as I said,

[14:48] there's going to be pros and cons and different viewpoints.

[14:52] So, what we try to look at what is the overall intent and purpose of

[14:58] the community. What's the character of the community? What are the What are the

[15:01] um you know, the goals of the community? And then we try to align those

[15:04] regulations as best we can to serve that purpose.

[15:08] Okay. So, I think we wrapped up the sign code. Um

[15:12] obviously, there's still signs allowed in town and those will still be approved

[15:15] by the building department for use. Yes, so sign permits are issued by the

[15:19] building department. I guess it I should um mention that you know there are still

[15:25] a lot of opportunities for ample signage in the sign code. So, businesses are

[15:29] allowed to have their permanent signs. You can still have sandwich board signs.

[15:33] You can have open flags. You can have a variety of different signs. So, again,

[15:37] we're you try to be sensitive to the needs of the business community. It's

[15:40] obviously very important. So, it's as I mentioned, it's trying to balance what's

[15:44] in the best interest of the overall community without putting too much

[15:47] detrimental impact on the businesses. But, it's always a balancing act. Yeah.

[15:52] » [clears throat] >> Okay. So, we're going to move on to our

[15:54] next zoning change, and that is prohibited uses.

[15:58] So, I think this is going to be a big one for discussion at town meeting. So,

[16:01] if you could kind of just cover the overview of what these prohibited

[16:05] uses will be in the article. Sure. So,

[16:10] there's a few different components to this. Um

[16:14] I guess the first one I'll start with is the

[16:17] proposed amendment in prohibited uses. The first one would be to prohibit

[16:21] um the use of formula businesses or what what you would think of as chain store

[16:26] businesses. And also the drive-thru facilities.

[16:30] Those would be prohibited in district E, which is the commercial district in and

[16:36] around town hall, the windmill green, and so forth.

[16:39] Um last year we did some zoning amendment

[16:42] changes that basically prohibited those uses in the northeast town corridor

[16:46] special district, which is the area in and around Bracket Road. That's our

[16:49] primary commercial district. This year we're proposing basically the

[16:54] same prohibition on district E. And it's really for

[16:59] again, consistency and clarity in the bylaw.

[17:01] Um and to

[17:04] you know, really set the expectation of what's in the best interest of the town,

[17:07] which as the work that's gone into a lot of the zoning work in the past year few

[17:11] years in the strategic plan has really focused on making sure we

[17:15] um protect the character of the town as it is now and keep Eastham unique and

[17:20] special as it is and and and really on the formula business it's to try to, you

[17:24] know, protect our local businesses and our local small scale um, commercial

[17:30] aspects from outside influences which would be maybe seen as inappropriate or

[17:35] counter to what we're trying to preserve here in Eastham.

[17:39] In the drive-thru facilities uh, again, counter to what we're trying to do on

[17:43] Route 6 which is already busy roadway, dangerous um, drive-thru facilities by

[17:48] their nature are vehicle oriented and so really

[17:53] everything we're trying to do with zoning and land use is to lessen the

[17:56] impact and make it safer on Route 6. So, again, um,

[18:00] recommending that those be prohibited in the

[18:03] our commercial districts. Okay. So,

[18:07] » [clears throat] >> also within the that same article,

[18:10] there's going to be a few more topics. There's, um, storage containers and, um,

[18:15] some changes to the RV and camper bylaw. Right.

[18:20] If you want to talk on that. >> sticking, yeah, so sticking with the

[18:23] prohibited uses, um, there's a proposal that would deal with

[18:28] fences and this gets a little uh, little wordy, so I'll try to, um,

[18:33] break it down as as best I can. So, what the proposal is would be

[18:39] to prohibit the use of non-natural materials

[18:44] on solid panel fences along street facing property lines. So,

[18:49] that's kind of a lot, but um, the zoning task force looked at this

[18:55] issue and found that this is kind of a an issue that's starting to arise in a

[19:00] lot of towns. We don't see it too much here in Eastham, so this is trying to be

[19:03] proactive, but the use of vinyl fences, specifically

[19:06] white vinyl fences and, um, kind of the detrimental impact that can have on the

[19:11] character of the community. Um it's something that the task force

[19:15] felt strongly that if we, you know, allow that to proliferate in town, it

[19:19] would kind of take away from again the quality and character of our town, which

[19:22] is really rural and a lot of greenery, a lot of street a

[19:26] lot of treescapes and naturalized buffers in town.

[19:30] And um so this is just trying to put a

[19:32] guardrail on very limited instances and on the use of materials on

[19:38] fences. So again, this would just be solid panel fences along your

[19:42] street-facing property line.

[19:45] Side and rear um fences, no change at all. You could basically you can do

[19:50] whatever you like, any kind of material, anything you like.

[19:53] Um picket fences, split rail fences,

[19:57] there's really no change. We're just talking about where someone wants to put

[20:00] up a stockade or solid panel fence, they would be

[20:03] basically it would it would require you to use

[20:06] um a wood a wood material or some natural material. Okay, so for

[20:10] homeowners that already have this, are they kind of exempt until they need to

[20:14] replace or how are we going to handle that? Yes, absolutely. So any this would

[20:18] not affect any existing fence. Um those are exempt. It would those could

[20:23] remain in place until such time that they

[20:26] um are replaced and at that point the new fence would have to adhere to the

[20:32] the new requirement. Okay, so um would this be enforced by the building

[20:37] department or like flagged in a permanent process?

[20:40] Uh it would be part of the enforcement um

[20:45] that happens in um the building division.

[20:48] Um I think the first step that we try to do and and I got to admit, you know, we

[20:53] need to do a better job, my department, but um is education and outreach and

[20:57] making sure people understand these new regulations and what they mean

[21:01] and when they take effect and, you know, what the

[21:04] what the issues are. So that's something I got to prioritize in

[21:08] our department and make sure we get the word out if these if these new rules go

[21:11] into effect so that folks are are aware of them. And then the goal with that is

[21:15] to lessen the impact of having to do enforcement.

[21:19] Right. And a fence doesn't currently require a

[21:22] permit, correct? So it would be all up to public

[21:25] education and making sure our community knows. Okay.

[21:29] » Um so I guess that kind of wraps up the fences.

[21:32] Um now we'll move on to the next prohibited

[21:35] use. Um would you like to start with storage containers?

[21:39] Sure. So um storage containers again, the

[21:44] the proposal is to prohibit the use of metal storage containers, shipping

[21:49] containers on residential properties. Again, this is something that the task

[21:54] force looked at as sort of a um a phenomenon that's trying to take

[22:00] effect. It's not quite overly prevalent in East Hampton, but again, it's trying

[22:03] to be proactive to avoid, you know, potential issues in the future. Um

[22:08] so we're talking about metal shipping containers.

[22:11] Um and really the question goes back to

[22:16] your first question, what is zoning and why do we have it? And it's really um

[22:20] to try to have guardrails on uses and um appropriate uses in different

[22:26] parts of uh different parts of our community. So the question really comes

[22:31] down to whether these um containers, which are really

[22:35] industrial, commercial units and intended for, you know, global

[22:40] shipping, whether those are appropriate use

[22:44] to be in residential use for essentially storage units or sheds. And

[22:49] again, the task force has looked a lot at this issue.

[22:52] Um I know there's some differences of opinion out there, so it you know, we've

[22:57] had discussions with the select board and the task force and it's an ongoing

[23:00] discussion. I think probably it'll continue um the next select board

[23:04] hearing, but um it really is just a question of what's

[23:10] what's appropriate, what does the community feel is appropriate um

[23:14] for the types of uses and the types of materials used for

[23:17] for storage in the residential zones. Okay, so um how is this going to affect

[23:23] business owners, homeowners that may have these already?

[23:27] So um assuming this prohibition went into

[23:31] effect, there would be no change to the existing

[23:36] folks that have existing containers, they could keep them until such time as

[23:40] they, you know, get rid of them.

[23:43] Um they would be treated as structures just

[23:46] like a shed or an accessory building, so, you

[23:49] know, we would be working to make sure that where they

[23:52] do exist, they meet the proper setbacks from their property lines.

[23:56] Um there is an exception in the proposal that would allow

[24:01] um folks who are running a home occupation as a trade service, so

[24:05] landscapers, you know, folks like that that are

[24:08] operating out of their house, they could have one of these containers

[24:12] to store their equipment. Um the requirement would be that the container

[24:16] would have to be um concealed with some fencing or landscaping and so forth, but

[24:21] it does allow them to have one container. And again, folks that have

[24:26] them already could keep them as long as they meet the proper

[24:30] um setbacks. Okay, so would this also

[24:33] require a permit with the building department?

[24:37] Yes, so again, we would treat them like other accessory structures, sheds, and

[24:42] so forth. Um we want to make sure that they meet

[24:45] the appropriate setbacks, and that we do that through building permit. Okay. And

[24:49] so I think we have one left, that'd be campers and trailers. Um I know we

[24:53] currently have this bylaw, so I think it's just some changes, it's nothing

[24:56] really new. Yeah, so this this isn't necessarily prohibited use. We're

[25:00] actually trying to do the opposite. We're trying to allow this as a

[25:03] permitted use. So, currently um

[25:07] the regulation requires that anyone who wants to store a camper, an RV, a

[25:12] recreational vehicle, um vehicle trailer on their property

[25:17] is supposed to get a permit through the select board.

[25:21] There isn't really um a good

[25:24] procedure around it. It's just kind of one of those rules that is on the books

[25:28] and um you know, to be honest, it

[25:31] it gets ignored a lot. Not a lot of folks come forth, so um kind of

[25:35] recognizing that and recognizing that, you know, there are a lot of folks who

[25:39] have these types of vehicles, we just want to actually make it easier

[25:43] and less burdensome. So, the proposal is to remove the requirement for the permit

[25:48] and to make the storage of these vehicles a by right.

[25:53] The only um change is that the vehicles will have to meet um

[25:58] certain setbacks from your property line.

[26:01] And so, we're trying to again trying to streamline things, make it easier, but

[26:04] ensure that there's some basic um guardrails on it just to protect

[26:10] against, you know, potential nuisance issues with abutters and especially um

[26:14] potential issues with um traffic safety, site clearances if

[26:19] you have things close to the road sticking out into the road impeding um

[26:22] line of sight as you're pulling out of a driveway. So, that's why um that's why

[26:27] the requirement for the setbacks is to make sure we have some basic safety

[26:30] parameters. There is um

[26:33] in the proposed amendment, there is a language that allows someone who has a

[26:38] hardship that maybe can't meet the basic setback requirements, but wants to store

[26:43] one of these vehicles, there is the capacity for that person to go to the

[26:47] zoning board of appeals and seek a special permit

[26:52] for extenuating circumstances. and then the the zoning board could make a

[26:55] decision and it mitigate, you know, they could allow it and maybe have a

[26:58] condition to mitigate any issues that they might um

[27:01] they might identify, but again, it's just to allow folks to be able to keep

[27:05] these vehicles and really do away with a regulation that really wasn't

[27:10] effective in the first place. That makes sense. And will the permit request still

[27:14] go through the select board? No, so again, the the only time it would

[27:19] be required would be if there was a hardship with meeting the setbacks. And

[27:23] in that case, it would go to the zoning board of appeals. Okay. So, the change

[27:27] will just allow property owners to up to their discretion follow the bylaw,

[27:32] but make the changes. >> Right. Yeah, so basically you have a

[27:34] camper and RV in your yard. If you can meet the basic setback, you don't need

[27:38] to do anything. Just just park the vehicle where it's supposed to be and

[27:43] no problem. Well, I think that sounds more helpful than what we currently

[27:47] have, so Yeah, I think so, too. Um

[27:51] So, that kind of wraps up all of our zoning changes coming for our

[27:56] May town meeting. Overall, how do you think our community

[28:00] is going to take these and what do you think the benefits are?

[28:05] Uh well, I just I just do want to mention we didn't cover all of the

[28:08] zoning. Um there is a variety of them, but I think we focused on the the most

[28:13] important ones, which was important. So, there are some changes to our

[28:16] residential um site coverage bylaw.

[28:20] Um but again, those are aimed at streamlining um regulations and making

[28:24] it more clear, but I think we focused on the most high-profile

[28:28] ones. Um So, I think just just

[28:32] generally I would say um you know, I guess I keep going back to

[28:37] your first question of what is zoning and why is it important. Um

[28:41] it's easy to kind of look at it as a you know, boring, complicated document with

[28:45] a bunch of rules and regulations, but it really does affect the fabric of the

[28:49] community, the look and feel of the whole community.

[28:53] What types of businesses, what types of amenities can happen, what types of

[28:58] activities can happen. So, it's definitely a document that

[29:01] folks should be familiar with and take an active part in. And so, really um

[29:07] it's important that folks understand what these what these amendments are. Um

[29:12] And ultimately, um it's up to the voters. At town meeting,

[29:17] they get to set they get to decide what's appropriate for a community and

[29:21] what what they want to see. Um but again, a lot of lot of hard work has

[29:24] gone into the recommendations, a lot of discussion.

[29:28] Um all of this information is on the town's

[29:31] website. Mhm. And there's a recommendations report um that kind of

[29:35] summarizes. Again, it's a lot of Some of it is technical and difficult language,

[29:40] but we um try to break it down in our summary report

[29:43] to make it um as easy as possible to

[29:47] to understand. And you'll be available if residents have questions?

[29:51] Yes. So, I'm always available and I'm happy to meet with anybody who has

[29:55] questions or concerns, just wants to learn more on on any of these topics or

[30:00] anything else for that matter. Um I'm at the town hall and I'm always

[30:05] willing to meet with whoever wants to have a discussion. Awesome. And

[30:09] we also will be reviewing these articles at pre-town meeting? That's correct.

[30:13] » So, that's a great opportunity to come and sit down and actually see what's

[30:17] going to be presented in May. Right. Um the planning board started their public

[30:22] hearing. Um so, all of all of these regulations require that they have at

[30:26] least one formal public hearing. We have actually had a number of meetings over

[30:30] the past um year as we developed these, but the

[30:33] formal public hearing was started on um this past week on the 18th.

[30:38] Um the hearing still open. It got continued to March 30th. So,

[30:42] there'll be opportunity for more discussion and more um public feedback

[30:47] on the 30th, and that's when the

[30:50] planning board will vote on their recommendations

[30:53] to town meeting on these issues. Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Paul.

[30:57] I think this was really informative, and I hope residents feel the same, and

[31:00] maybe they'll come see you with questions. All right, I hope they do.

[31:03] Thank you for having me. So, thank you for joining us in today's episode of

[31:06] Turn It Up Eastham. We covered a lot of zoning amendments and what they'll look

[31:10] like at our May town meeting, so make sure to stay informed, look up this

[31:14] material, and come with an educated vote to town meeting in May. Remember to

[31:18] subscribe and like us on social media for more updates and information. Thank

[31:22] you.

[31:25] » [music]

Turn It Up Epiosde 9. Countdown to Town Meeting: Understanding the Proposed Zoning Changes

Transcript