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[music]

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» Hey East Ham, welcome back to Turn It Up
East Ham, the town's official podcast.

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My name is Kayla Arcaro and I am the
town's communication coordinator. Today

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I'm joined by Paul Lag, our community
development director.

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In this episode, we're going to discuss
the upcoming zoning amendments and what

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they will look like at our May town
meeting. We know zoning can feel

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complicated, but it affects all of us in
a community as a whole.

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So Paul, let's get started and kind of
talk about what these amendments mean

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for our community. Okay, well thanks for
having me. A pleasure to be here, Kayla.

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Yeah. Uh this year's town meeting has a
slate of different zoning amendments and

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they cover a range of topics
from uh affordable housing to prohibited

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uses, uh sign code, and some zoning
administration items. So it's a wide

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variety of things that um
are important topics for this year's

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town meeting. Awesome. And kind of just
to back up a little bit, can we talk

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about what exactly zoning is and why
it's important for our community?

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Sure. So zoning is essentially the
practice of

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dividing the town into different zones
or districts. And the reason we do this

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is to
have land uses that are compatible and

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appropriate for the different parts of
town. So

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the goal is to have residential zones
and where they are appropriate as

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opposed to commercial and industrial
zones and so we don't necessarily end up

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with an industrial factory located right
next to a residential area.

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Um compatibility of uses creates a
predictable

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development pattern and we want to make
sure that really the zoning works for

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the and you know, the enjoyment of the
residents so that we have uh quality of

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life and the character of the community
is

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uh is maintained.
Okay. And so I know you don't do this by

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yourself. Um the zoning task force plays
a big part in this and I know you've

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been really hard at work with them over
the last couple years. Can you kind of

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explain how they fit into all of this?
Sure.

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So, the Zoning Task Force is a
an advisory group that was appointed

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about 6 years ago by the Select Board.
It's comprised of representatives from

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the Planning Board, the Zoning Board,
the Affordable Housing Trust, and our

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newest member is a representative from
the Climate Action Group, and we have

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some at-large members. So, they're
advisory to the Select Board, and

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they're really tasked with examining the
zoning bylaws to identify areas that

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need improvement and make
recommendations that ultimately go to

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the Select Board and to Town Meeting.
The approach that and and myself and my

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staff work closely with the task force.
The approach that we've taken over last

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few years is to
um look at the other guiding documents.

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So, we have the zoning bylaw, but we
look at the other guiding documents of

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the town, our strategic plan, our
housing plan, our open space plan, a lot

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of various plans, and they all have
recommendations and action items in each

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one. So, what we try to do is
look at the zoning bylaw and identify

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areas where the zoning bylaw is not in
alignment with

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the action items and the goals of the
community, and then we make

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recommendations for changes to allow
those other priorities to happen so that

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the zoning will complement and align
with those other priorities. So, that's

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the basic approach that the task force
takes, and that's where the

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recommendations really come from. Okay,
so you would say that the um these

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changes happen yearly, and that the
driving factors would be those other

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reports that the town follows?
Yeah, so these the strategic plan

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particularly, but again all we have a
lot of different plans and a lot of hard

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work and effort that goes into all those
plans. Our probably our most recent

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plan, the Climate Action Plan, is an
example of that, and so

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we want to make sure that the zoning
which really controls the land use and

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the development patterns
are able to not be not get in the way of

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the goals of the other town of the other
um

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development plans in town. Okay. So, I
know at the beginning um you mentioned

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that inclusionary zoning is going to be
a change on this year's warrant.

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Um
so we'll start with the housing and kind

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of the topic that's on everyone's mind.
Inclusionary zoning is all about

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creating affordable and workforce
housing in town, but it comes with its

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own challenges.
So, can you explain the purpose of

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inclusionary zoning
bylaw and why the town has a 10%

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subsidized housing inventory? Sure.
So, inclusionary zoning is a regulatory

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tool that tries to use the development
of market rate housing as a mechanism to

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create affordable and workforce housing.
And it's a it's a common tool, a lot of

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towns have it, and there's different
ways it can be um the the bylaw can be

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created and implemented in Eastham.
What it means is that

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when someone proposes to develop five or
more housing units and then when we're

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talking about market rate units,
the inclusionary zoning bylaw basically

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requires that the developer
create a certain percentage

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of those units that are either
affordable or

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workforce.
Um

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where the 20 where the the 10%
goal comes into effect is

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the state
of Massachusetts has a broad goal that

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they would like to see every community
in the Commonwealth achieve at least 10%

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of their year-round housing stock to be
affordable.

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Um
the mechanism for tracking that is um

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what's called the subsidized housing
inventory or the SHI list.

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And that's that's what the state that's
the official tally that the state has to

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say how for each community what what is
your percentage of affordable housing.

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Our inclusionary bylaw is set up to
basically create SHI units. So, we get

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credit towards that 10%.
But, um

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I guess it's important to note that, you
know, that's an important goal, but it's

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not
the only goal that Eastham has to, you

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know, deal with our housing issues. So,
we want to try to have um

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units that are affordable and attainable
and also have workforce units. And we

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really need housing at every
affordability level and really for every

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um
e- every sector. Um

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

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bylaw is really set up to have these
units that get created counted on the

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SHI.
Um

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that becomes a bit of a hurdle for
small-scale projects and

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um local developers.
Um because

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the requirements to get counted on the
state's list can be onerous and to be

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honest, can be quite expensive. It
involves running

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um housing lotteries and doing a lot of
um

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due diligence work, which
the danger is that um

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smaller-scale developers who aren't
really

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set up to handle these these expenses
and these costs,

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they may decide not to do their project
or they may decide to drop the number of

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units and kind of fall below that
inclusionary zoning bylaw trigger.

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And uh we want to avoid that because
either way, Eastham, the community loses

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out on potential how- affordable and
workforce units. So,

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» Okay. So, what exactly are the proposed
changes in this amendment for this year?

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Right. So, um
as I said, the the current bylaw is set

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up to
make every unit that we create through

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this bylaw count on the SHI. Again,
that's an important goal, but it's not

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our only goal. So, the main
um change that we're proposing is to

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basically create um
some flexibility for the developers so

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that not every unit that gets created
necessarily has to count on the state's

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SHI. We want to create
local action units that have the

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necessary protection so that they remain
affordable and workforce but don't

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necessarily require the developer to go
through all of the um

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mechanisms that required by the state in
order to get on the SHI. And what that

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really means is that um
there's as I said develop some

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flexibility for developers. And when I
say developers, what we really have seen

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um
lately and what we anticipate in the

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future, it's not really professional
housing developers. It's really local

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businesses
who are trying to reinvest in their

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commercial properties
um and add some housing, add some

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apartments and really for their
workforce and for our local workforce.

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So we want to make sure this bylaw works
for that

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um situation.
And so it's really trying to have some

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flexibility. At the same time
um

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we are making some adjustments to make
sure that while we're having the

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flexibility for the developers, we want
to make sure that we have

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proper controls on the town side. And
all of this really runs through the

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planning board. They're the
they're the um entity that makes these

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um approvals. So we want to make sure
the planning board has the proper

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regulatory tools to make sure that
what's best and what's in the best

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interest for the town um is also handled
when we have these types of

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developments. Okay. So from like a
broader perspective, why do you think

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this is important for our community?
Would you say the flexibility and the

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affordability
or kind of just as a whole um

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being able to add to a thriving
year-round community?

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Well, I'd say given
the housing crisis that we have, you

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know, anything we do on housing is
vitally important and it touches

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everybody's life because it's where we
live, it's our workforce, it's our

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caretakers, it's our whole community.
So,

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um
I think broadly it's just in it's

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important to the whole community. I
think um

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but the flexibility piece I think is
probably the single

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biggest part of from my view of what
we're trying to do to make sure that we

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don't lose the opportunity for
again, the local It's not It's not

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professional housing developers that
this amendment's geared towards, it's

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our local businesses who aren't in
necessarily in the housing game, but

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they're trying to
carve out some units to serve the local

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need. So, um and it goes back to
balancing

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the goals of the town, which is to yes,
make progress on the state's SHI towards

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that 10%, but we need affordable units,
we need workforce units at all

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affordability levels. So, this is really
trying to balance

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the regulatory tools to account for um
all the needs of the community. Okay,

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that makes sense, and it sounds like a
great change to what we currently

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already have.
Um

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I will mention that the inclusionary
inclusionary zoning bylaw is quite

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intense and complicated. Um there's a
lot more information than just what Paul

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covered, so please view our website,
talk with Paul if you have questions to

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fully understand um what's being
presented at town meeting.

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So, to kind of wrap that up and move on,
um another

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

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at town meeting is a sign code, and we
all are obviously familiar with signs

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and see them all over um
our community every day. So, can you

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kind of touch on what is coming with
that change?

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Sure. So,
um part of it is really um

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clarifying some language to um
to tighten up some ambiguity in in the

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bylaw. Um
And really to make it more consistent.

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Um I guess the main The main takeaways
are

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there are um
parts of the proposal that would

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prohibit certain types of um signs,
um particularly the um feather or the

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flag signs, which are kind of the
ones you see out on the roadway a lot um

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on the monopole. And um our bylaw sign
code really doesn't address those right

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now, so there's a lot of ambiguity about
whether they're allowed or not. Um

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again, the task force does a lot of
background work, a lot of research. We

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try to get input. Um and we did have um
a feedback session and work session with

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zoning board, planning board, select
board. And this the feedback we got was

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that um the most appropriate thing to do
would be just to prohibit those types of

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signs. And primarily, it's a safety
issue. Um Route 6

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is a dangerous roadway. You know, we're
working to make improvements on that,

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but we already prohibit um
um

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electronic billboard signs and signs
with scrolling messaging and so forth.

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And you know, those are distracting
those are distractions. And this is akin

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to that. So, it's really you know,
rooted in trying to make sure we don't

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have roadside distractions on an already
built busy

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roadway.
Um I guess the other thing I'll mention

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on that is
the other

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piece of the sign code is to um limit
the amount of time that um short-term

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rental signs can be displayed on
residential properties.

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Again, this is kind of a new phenomenon
where you know, with the rise of of

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these short-term rentals,
um these types of signs have been

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getting installed on properties and in
neighborhoods. And it really what the um

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amendment would do is basically require
that

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those types of signs could only be
displayed between May and October.

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And going back to my original point,
trying to make it um

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

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have regulations on the traditional real
estate signs, the for sale signs, the

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sold signs. And they those can only be
displayed for certain amounts of time.

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So, we're trying to make it consistent
and fair

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um
with the real estate signs. So, I think

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those are kind of the two big takeaways
on the sign code. Okay. Those make

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sense. Um can you kind of touch on if
you think that this will affect local

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businesses or short-term rental
owners?

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I think um
again, it's it's an issue of trying to

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make sure that the code is fair and
consistent. Um

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every
time you introduce a piece of

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regulation, there's going to be, you
know, pros and cons. We try to make

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um the recommendations
that seem um

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in best alignment with the purpose of
the zoning bylaw and the goals of the

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community and um
what we're trying to preserve as far as

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community character.
So, would you say that there's

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additional benefits than just safety to
our community? Is it

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to make it more uniform or kind of just
go back to everything being consistent?

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Yeah. Um
I think guys goes back to the first

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question of what is
what is zoning and

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it's really um
it's a method to try to

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um make sure that
the general welfare of the community is

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is guarded and upheld and that we, you
know, have rules and regulations that

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give the greatest benefit to the
greatest amount of people and as I said,

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there's going to be
pros and cons and different viewpoints.

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So, what we try to look at what is the
overall intent and purpose of

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the community. What's the character of
the community? What are the What are the

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um you know, the goals of the community?
And then we try to align those

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regulations as best we can to serve that
purpose.

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Okay. So, I think we wrapped up the sign
code. Um

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obviously, there's still signs allowed
in town and those will still be approved

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by the building department for use.
Yes, so sign permits are issued by the

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building department. I guess it I should
um mention that you know there are still

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a lot of opportunities for ample signage
in the sign code. So, businesses are

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allowed to have their permanent signs.
You can still have sandwich board signs.

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You can have open flags. You can have a
variety of different signs. So, again,

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we're you try to be sensitive to the
needs of the business community. It's

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obviously very important. So, it's as I
mentioned, it's trying to balance what's

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in the best interest of the overall
community without putting too much

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detrimental impact on the businesses.
But, it's always a balancing act. Yeah.

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

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next zoning change, and that is
prohibited uses.

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00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:04,040
So, I think this is going to be a big
one for discussion at town meeting. So,

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if you could kind of just cover
the overview of what these prohibited

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00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:11,800
uses will be in the article. Sure.
So,

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00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:16,200
there's a few different components to
this. Um

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00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:19,480
I guess the first one I'll start with is
the

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00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:24,880
proposed amendment in prohibited uses.
The first one would be to prohibit

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um the use of formula businesses or what
what you would think of as chain store

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00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:33,880
businesses.
And also the drive-thru facilities.

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Those would be prohibited in district E,
which is the commercial district in and

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around town hall, the windmill green,
and so forth.

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00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:44,080
Um
last year we did some zoning amendment

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changes that basically prohibited those
uses in the northeast town corridor

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00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:52,440
special district, which is the area in
and around Bracket Road. That's our

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00:16:49,839 --> 00:16:55,960
primary commercial district.
This year we're proposing basically the

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same prohibition
on district E. And it's really for

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00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:03,360
again, consistency and clarity in the
bylaw.

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00:17:01,839 --> 00:17:06,120
Um
and to

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00:17:04,600 --> 00:17:10,439
you know, really set the expectation of
what's in the best interest of the town,

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00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:13,480
which as the work that's gone into a lot
of the zoning work in the past year few

258
00:17:11,959 --> 00:17:17,240
years in the strategic plan has really
focused on making sure we

259
00:17:15,439 --> 00:17:23,079
um protect the character of the town as
it is now and keep Eastham unique and

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special as it is and and and really on
the formula business it's to try to, you

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00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:33,040
know, protect our local businesses and
our local small scale um, commercial

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00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:37,920
aspects from outside influences which
would be maybe seen as inappropriate or

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00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:41,960
counter to what we're trying to preserve
here in Eastham.

264
00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:45,760
In the drive-thru facilities uh, again,
counter to what we're trying to do on

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00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:50,520
Route 6 which is already busy roadway,
dangerous um, drive-thru facilities by

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00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:54,120
their nature are
vehicle oriented and so really

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00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:58,600
everything we're trying to do with
zoning and land use is to lessen the

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00:17:56,120 --> 00:18:02,520
impact and make it safer on Route 6. So,
again, um,

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00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:05,680
recommending that those be prohibited in
the

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00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:08,040
our commercial districts.
Okay. So,

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00:18:07,312 --> 00:18:11,480
» [clears throat]
>> also within the that same article,

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00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:18,440
there's going to be a few more topics.
There's, um, storage containers and, um,

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00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:21,920
some changes to the RV and camper
bylaw. Right.

274
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:25,840
If you want to talk on that.
>> sticking, yeah, so sticking with the

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00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:30,920
prohibited uses, um,
there's a proposal that would deal with

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00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:37,120
fences and this gets a little
uh, little wordy, so I'll try to, um,

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00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:42,720
break it down as as best I can. So,
what the proposal is would be

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00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:46,840
to prohibit the use of non-natural
materials

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00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:53,840
on solid panel fences
along street facing property lines. So,

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00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:58,640
that's kind of a lot, but um,
the zoning task force looked at this

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00:18:55,680 --> 00:19:01,680
issue and found that this is kind of a
an issue that's starting to arise in a

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00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:05,000
lot of towns. We don't see it too much
here in Eastham, so this is trying to be

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00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:09,200
proactive, but
the use of vinyl fences, specifically

284
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white vinyl fences and, um, kind of the
detrimental impact that can have on the

285
00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:16,640
character of the community.
Um it's something that the task force

286
00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:21,240
felt strongly that if we, you know,
allow that to proliferate in town, it

287
00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:24,440
would kind of take away from again the
quality and character of our town, which

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00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:28,520
is really rural
and a lot of greenery, a lot of street a

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00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:31,480
lot of treescapes and naturalized
buffers in town.

290
00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:35,200
And um
so this is just trying to put a

291
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:40,320
guardrail on very limited
instances and on the use of materials on

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00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:44,160
fences. So again, this would just be
solid panel fences along your

293
00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:48,480
street-facing
property line.

294
00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:51,720
Side and rear um fences, no change at
all. You could basically you can do

295
00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:55,080
whatever you like, any kind of material,
anything you like.

296
00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:58,160
Um
picket fences, split rail fences,

297
00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:02,600
there's really no change. We're just
talking about where someone wants to put

298
00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:04,960
up a stockade or solid panel fence, they
would be

299
00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:08,400
basically it would it would require you
to use

300
00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:12,600
um a wood a wood material or some
natural material. Okay, so for

301
00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:16,320
homeowners that already have this, are
they kind of exempt until they need to

302
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:21,520
replace or how are we going to handle
that? Yes, absolutely. So any this would

303
00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:25,120
not affect any existing fence. Um
those are exempt. It would those could

304
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:29,040
remain in place until such time that
they

305
00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:35,960
um are replaced and at that point the
new fence would have to adhere to the

306
00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:38,520
the new requirement. Okay, so um
would this be enforced by the building

307
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:42,320
department or like flagged in a
permanent process?

308
00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:47,520
Uh
it would be part of the enforcement um

309
00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:50,880
that happens in um the building
division.

310
00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:55,200
Um I think the first step that we try to
do and and I got to admit, you know, we

311
00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:59,480
need to do a better job, my department,
but um is education and outreach and

312
00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:03,240
making sure people understand
these new regulations and what they mean

313
00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:06,880
and when they take effect and, you know,
what the

314
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:09,720
what the issues are. So
that's something I got to prioritize in

315
00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:13,440
our department and make sure we get the
word out if these if these new rules go

316
00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:17,000
into effect so that folks are are aware
of them. And then the goal with that is

317
00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:20,400
to lessen
the impact of having to do enforcement.

318
00:21:19,240 --> 00:21:23,840
Right. And
a fence doesn't currently require a

319
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:27,520
permit, correct?
So it would be all up to public

320
00:21:25,760 --> 00:21:31,200
education and making sure our community
knows. Okay.

321
00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:33,800
» Um so I guess that kind of wraps up the
fences.

322
00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:37,360
Um
now we'll move on to the next prohibited

323
00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:42,280
use. Um would you like to start with
storage containers?

324
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:47,400
Sure. So um
storage containers again, the

325
00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:53,560
the proposal is to prohibit the use of
metal storage containers, shipping

326
00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:57,440
containers on residential properties.
Again, this is something that the task

327
00:21:54,960 --> 00:22:02,720
force looked at as sort of a
um a phenomenon that's trying to take

328
00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:05,920
effect. It's not quite overly prevalent
in East Hampton, but again, it's trying

329
00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:10,000
to be proactive to avoid, you know,
potential issues in the future. Um

330
00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:12,800
so we're talking about metal shipping
containers.

331
00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:18,000
Um
and really the question goes back to

332
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:23,920
your first question, what is zoning and
why do we have it? And it's really um

333
00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:29,040
to try to have guardrails on uses
and um appropriate uses in different

334
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:32,720
parts of uh different parts of our
community. So the question really comes

335
00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:37,200
down to whether
these um containers, which are really

336
00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:41,760
industrial, commercial
units and intended for, you know, global

337
00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:46,520
shipping,
whether those are appropriate use

338
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:51,160
to be in residential use for essentially
storage units or sheds. And

339
00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:55,200
again, the task force has looked a lot
at this issue.

340
00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:59,360
Um I know there's some differences of
opinion out there, so it you know, we've

341
00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:02,680
had discussions with the select board
and the task force and it's an ongoing

342
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:07,880
discussion. I think probably it'll
continue um the next select board

343
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:11,600
hearing, but um
it really is just a question of what's

344
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:15,680
what's appropriate, what does the
community feel is appropriate um

345
00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:20,920
for the types of
uses and the types of materials used for

346
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:25,240
for storage in the residential zones.
Okay, so um how is this going to affect

347
00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:29,440
business owners, homeowners that may
have these already?

348
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:33,720
So um
assuming this prohibition went into

349
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:37,880
effect,
there would be no change to the existing

350
00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:41,800
folks that have existing containers,
they could keep them until such time as

351
00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:44,520
they, you know,
get rid of them.

352
00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:47,640
Um
they would be treated as structures just

353
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:50,840
like a
shed or an accessory building, so, you

354
00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:54,600
know, we would
be working to make sure that where they

355
00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:59,600
do exist, they meet the proper setbacks
from their property lines.

356
00:23:56,720 --> 00:24:02,800
Um there is an exception in the proposal
that would allow

357
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:06,840
um folks who are running a home
occupation as a trade service, so

358
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:10,600
landscapers,
you know, folks like that that are

359
00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:15,560
operating out of their house,
they could have one of these containers

360
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:19,560
to store their equipment. Um the
requirement would be that the container

361
00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:24,040
would have to be um concealed with some
fencing or landscaping and so forth, but

362
00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:28,040
it does allow them to have one
container. And again, folks that have

363
00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:31,200
them already could keep them
as long as they meet the proper

364
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:35,000
um
setbacks. Okay, so would this also

365
00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:37,640
require a permit with the building
department?

366
00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:43,920
Yes, so again, we would treat them like
other accessory structures, sheds, and

367
00:24:42,080 --> 00:24:47,160
so forth. Um we want to make sure that
they meet

368
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:51,480
the appropriate setbacks, and that we do
that through building permit. Okay. And

369
00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:55,400
so I think we have one left, that'd be
campers and trailers. Um I know we

370
00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:58,840
currently have this bylaw, so I think
it's just some changes, it's nothing

371
00:24:56,760 --> 00:25:01,640
really new. Yeah, so this this isn't
necessarily prohibited use. We're

372
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:05,720
actually trying to do the opposite.
We're trying to allow this as a

373
00:25:03,120 --> 00:25:10,040
permitted use. So, currently
um

374
00:25:07,640 --> 00:25:14,280
the regulation requires that anyone who
wants to store a camper, an RV, a

375
00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:18,800
recreational vehicle,
um vehicle trailer on their property

376
00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:22,960
is supposed to get a permit through the
select board.

377
00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:26,320
There isn't really
um a good

378
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:29,760
procedure around it. It's just kind of
one of those rules that is on the books

379
00:25:28,120 --> 00:25:32,960
and um
you know, to be honest, it

380
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:37,720
it gets ignored a lot. Not a lot of
folks come forth, so um kind of

381
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:40,560
recognizing that and recognizing that,
you know, there are a lot of folks who

382
00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:44,920
have these types of vehicles, we just
want to actually make it easier

383
00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:50,280
and less burdensome. So, the proposal is
to remove the requirement for the permit

384
00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:56,560
and to make the storage of these
vehicles a by right.

385
00:25:53,320 --> 00:26:00,080
The only um change is that
the vehicles will have to meet um

386
00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:02,880
certain setbacks from your property
line.

387
00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:08,920
And so, we're trying to again trying to
streamline things, make it easier, but

388
00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:11,840
ensure that there's some basic um
guardrails on it just to protect

389
00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:16,040
against, you know, potential nuisance
issues with abutters and especially um

390
00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:20,680
potential issues with
um traffic safety, site clearances if

391
00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:24,280
you have things close to the road
sticking out into the road impeding um

392
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:28,520
line of sight as you're pulling out of a
driveway. So, that's why um that's why

393
00:26:27,040 --> 00:26:31,640
the requirement for the setbacks is to
make sure we have some basic safety

394
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:36,080
parameters.
There is um

395
00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:41,400
in the proposed amendment, there is
a language that allows someone who has a

396
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:45,120
hardship that maybe can't meet the basic
setback requirements, but wants to store

397
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:49,800
one of these vehicles, there is the
capacity for that person to go to the

398
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:53,840
zoning board of appeals
and seek a special permit

399
00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:56,800
for extenuating circumstances. and then
the the zoning board could make a

400
00:26:55,040 --> 00:27:00,440
decision and it mitigate, you know, they
could allow it and maybe have a

401
00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:03,400
condition to mitigate any issues that
they might um

402
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:07,880
they might identify, but again, it's
just to allow folks to be able to keep

403
00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:12,800
these vehicles and really do away with a
regulation that really wasn't

404
00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:16,880
effective in the first place. That makes
sense. And will the permit request still

405
00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:21,760
go through the select board?
No, so again, the the only time it would

406
00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:25,520
be required would be if there was a
hardship with meeting the setbacks. And

407
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:30,760
in that case, it would go to the zoning
board of appeals. Okay. So, the change

408
00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:33,400
will just allow property owners to
up to their discretion follow the bylaw,

409
00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:36,480
but make the changes.
>> Right. Yeah, so basically you have a

410
00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:40,040
camper and RV in your yard. If you can
meet the basic setback, you don't need

411
00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:45,840
to do anything. Just just park the
vehicle where it's supposed to be and

412
00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:49,360
no problem. Well, I think that sounds
more helpful than what we currently

413
00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:53,160
have, so Yeah, I think so, too.
Um

414
00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:58,160
So, that kind of wraps up
all of our zoning changes coming for our

415
00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:03,040
May town meeting.
Overall, how do you think our community

416
00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:06,960
is going to take these and
what do you think the benefits are?

417
00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:10,840
Uh well, I just I just do want to
mention we didn't cover all of the

418
00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:15,000
zoning. Um there is a variety of them,
but I think we focused on the the most

419
00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:18,240
important ones, which was important. So,
there are some changes to our

420
00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:21,760
residential um
site coverage bylaw.

421
00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:26,280
Um but again, those are aimed at
streamlining um regulations and making

422
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:30,440
it more clear, but I think
we focused on the most high-profile

423
00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:35,680
ones. Um
So, I think just just

424
00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:38,720
generally I would say um
you know, I guess I keep going back to

425
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:44,120
your first question of what is zoning
and why is it important. Um

426
00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:47,280
it's easy to kind of look at it as a you
know, boring, complicated document with

427
00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:51,920
a bunch of rules and regulations, but it
really does affect the fabric of the

428
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:55,360
community, the look and feel of the
whole community.

429
00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:59,840
What types of businesses, what types of
amenities can happen, what types of

430
00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:04,120
activities can happen. So, it's
definitely a document that

431
00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:09,600
folks should be familiar with and take
an active part in. And so, really um

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00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:15,640
it's important that folks understand
what these what these amendments are. Um

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00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:19,280
And ultimately, um
it's up to the voters. At town meeting,

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00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:23,000
they get to set they get to decide
what's appropriate for a community and

435
00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:26,760
what what they want to see. Um but
again, a lot of lot of hard work has

436
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:29,320
gone into the recommendations, a lot of
discussion.

437
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:33,200
Um
all of this information is on the town's

438
00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:37,800
website. Mhm. And there's a
recommendations report um that kind of

439
00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:41,960
summarizes. Again, it's a lot of Some of
it is technical and difficult language,

440
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:45,000
but we um try to break it down in our
summary report

441
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:49,320
to make it um
as easy as possible to

442
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:53,880
to understand. And you'll be available
if residents have questions?

443
00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:57,520
Yes. So, I'm always available and I'm
happy to meet with anybody who has

444
00:29:55,800 --> 00:30:02,560
questions or concerns, just wants to
learn more on on any of these topics or

445
00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:07,160
anything else for that matter. Um
I'm at the town hall and I'm always

446
00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:11,360
willing to meet with whoever
wants to have a discussion. Awesome. And

447
00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:14,960
we also will be reviewing these articles
at pre-town meeting? That's correct.

448
00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:20,160
» So, that's a great opportunity to come
and sit down and actually see what's

449
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:24,320
going to be presented in May. Right. Um
the planning board started their public

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00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:27,960
hearing. Um so, all of all of these
regulations require that they have at

451
00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:31,880
least one formal public hearing. We have
actually had a number of meetings over

452
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:35,920
the past um
year as we developed these, but the

453
00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:39,960
formal public hearing was started on um
this past week on the 18th.

454
00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:44,160
Um the hearing still open. It got
continued to March 30th. So,

455
00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:49,600
there'll be opportunity for more
discussion and more um public feedback

456
00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:51,960
on the 30th, and that's when
the

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00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:55,720
planning board will vote on their
recommendations

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00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:58,800
to town meeting on these issues.
Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Paul.

459
00:30:57,120 --> 00:31:01,400
I think this was really informative, and
I hope residents feel the same, and

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00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:04,800
maybe they'll come see you with
questions. All right, I hope they do.

461
00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:08,480
Thank you for having me. So, thank you
for joining us in today's episode of

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00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:12,160
Turn It Up Eastham. We covered a lot of
zoning amendments and what they'll look

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00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:16,680
like at our May town meeting, so make
sure to stay informed, look up this

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00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:20,200
material, and come with an educated vote
to town meeting in May. Remember to

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00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:24,560
subscribe and like us on social media
for more updates and information. Thank

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00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:24,560
you.

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00:31:25,766 --> 00:31:27,786
» [music]