Tonight’s TPZ Meeting: Public Hearing continued from last week plus POCD work

The Town Plan & Zoning Commission meets again tonight, Monday, December 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Central Meeting Room at Town Hall, 11 Meetinghouse Lane. The agenda includes continuation of the Fountain Street public hearing and continued work on the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). For full details, view the published Agenda on the Town’s website.

TPZ met on December 1 for a long and technically complex session dominated by the proposal at 804 Fountain Street. While the public input phase was described as now concluded, commissioners determined they still require several key submissions before they can deliberate. They therefore voted to continue the public hearing to December 8.

Tonight’s meeting can be watched on the WGATV-79 YouTube channel livestream or by clicking the embedded link, below:

Recap of December 1 meeting

The December 1 meeting opened with an overview from the town’s newly hired consulting planner, who presented his detailed analysis of the Fountain Street application. His memo identified several areas to be resolved before a decision can be made: roofline compliance with zoning, clarity and completeness in the affordable housing plan, public safety access — including feedback from the Fire Marshal — and additional traffic information related to sight distance and vehicle speed on Fountain Street.

The commission also received guidance from the town attorney regarding timing and procedure. With the commission’s membership scheduled to change at the end of December, the attorney advised that the application should be resolved within the calendar year to avoid continuity issues. Because closing a hearing prevents commissioners from requesting further information, he recommended keeping the hearing open for one more week — but only for the specific materials already identified.

By unanimous vote, TPZ agreed to keep the public hearing open until December 8, strictly to receive the requested information, stating that no new testimony or topics will be accepted.

At the December 1 meeting it was also decided that the POCD discussion would occur on December 8, because revised materials from consultants at SLR were still being finalized. The commission noted that significant revisions were still underway, and that they hoped to receive an updated draft by the afternoon of December 8 so commissioners could review it in time for that night’s discussion.

Other agenda items at the December 1 meeting moved quickly. A request for an excavation and fill permit at 110 Luciani Street was approved after brief discussion. A renewal request for an earth-removal permit at 114 Luciani Street was also approved, extending the deadline to May 31, 2026, to accommodate seasonal work.

All TPZ hearing and meeting notices appear in advance as a listings on the town website’s Agenda Center page. TPZ meetings are open to the public and recordings can be viewed on the town’s YouTube channel, WGATV79. Click below to watch the full December 1 meeting recording.

Editor’s note: This recap is written by Sheila McCreven in her role as editor of the Chronicle. Sheila is also an elected member of the Board of Selectmen (her term ends December 31, 2025). See the Editorial Note on Government Coverage on our About page to learn more.