Information for Meeting of Planning Board
Wednesday November 08, 2023 7:00 PM EST

TOWN OF ESSEX PLANNING BOARD AGENDA — WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 08, 2023

The Public Meeting of the Planning Board will be held at the Essex Town Hall,
3rd Floor Auditorium, 30 Martin Street at 7:00 PM

Remote access will be available through the following Zoom link:  
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Please note that while an option for remote attendance is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast or its quality, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person versus virtual attendance accordingly. At this time remote participation is not available, only remote observation.

This is a special meeting of the Planning Board and is the required public hearing for the Zoning Bylaw articles that the Planning Board is bringing to Fall Town Meeting on Monday, November 13, 2023.  Regular Planning Board business will not be conducted.  

The advertised Public Hearing Notice is provided below as the agenda for this meeting.  Time will be allowed for questions and comments from Planning Board members and questions and comments from members of the public who attend the meeting at Town Hall.  Per the notice above, remote participation is not being offered at this time, although remote observation is available.

Town of Essex Planning Board - Public Hearing Notice

Notice is hereby given that the Essex Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, beginning at 7:00 PM at the Essex Town Hall 3rd floor auditorium, 30 Martin Street, Essex, MA 01929, on four proposed warrant articles for the November 13, 2023 Special Fall Town Meeting.  The articles will be heard sequentially, starting with Article 4.

The articles are summarized below.  The complete, proposed text is available at the Office of the Town Clerk during business hours and on the Town’s website at essexma.org under the Town Meeting tab on the home page.

ARTICLE 4: “To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town of Essex Zoning Map and Bylaw to add a new General Use Zoning District (Section 6-3.3.4) including principal use regulations, regulations pertaining to parking and accessory buildings or structures, dimensional regulations, nonconforming lots and structures; and to amend Section 6.4: Use Regulations by deleting the text of Section 6-4.1, Permitted Uses, and adding a new Section 6-4.1.1: Table of Permitted Principal Uses (reserved for future use) and Section 6-4.1.2: Zoning District Permitted Uses, by adding references to the Use Regulations and Permitted Accessory Structures sections of each district in Section 6-3.3: Base Zoning Districts; and to amend Section 6.5: Dimensional and Density Regulations by deleting Section 6-5.2: Table of Dimensional and Density Regulations and adding references to the Dimensional and Density Regulations of each district in Section 6-3.3: Base Zoning Districts; or take any other action relating thereto.”

ARTICLE 5: “To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town of Essex Zoning Bylaw, Section 6-10.7, Site Plan Review, by deleting references to old Bylaw Sections, and by revising Section: 6-10.7.2: Projects Requiring Site Plan Review by adding sections 6-10.7.2.1: Projects Continuing Established Use of any Building, Structure and/or Site and 6-10.7.2.2: Projects Changing Established Use of any Building, Structure or Site; and by revising Sections 6-10.7.3: Criteria; and by adding Section 6-10.7.4: Exemptions from Site Plan Review; and by adding Section 6-10.7.5: Site Plan Review Procedures; or take any other action relating thereto.”

ARTICLE 6: “To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town of Essex Zoning Bylaw, Section 6-2.2: Definitions by adding the following definitions: ATTIC; BASEMENT; CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY; HOTEL/MOTEL; IMPERVIOUS SURFACE COVERAGE; LOT AREA; LOT BUILDING COVERAGE; MIXED-USE; SPECIAL PERMIT; STORY, HALF; USE, MIXED-USE LOT; and USE, MIXED-USE STRUCTURE; and to see if the Town will vote to amend the Town of Essex Zoning Bylaw, Section 6-2.2, Definitions by amending the following definitions: ACCESSORY BUILDING; BUILDING AREA (and renamed BUILDABLE LOT AREA); FAMILY; HOME OCCUPATION; LOT; VARIANCE; and ZONING MAP; and to see if the Town will vote to amend the Town of Essex Zoning Bylaw, Section 6-2.2, Definitions by deleting the following term: USE, MIXED; or take any other action relating thereto.”

ARTICLE 7: “To see if the Town will vote to amend the Town of Essex Zoning Bylaw, Section 6-7.6.1.2, Temporary Moratorium on Business and Industrial Conversions, by changing the date of its expiration from January 1, 2024 to “January 1, 2025, or until the Planning Board votes to lift the moratorium, whichever occurs sooner. Any vote by the Planning Board to lift the moratorium shall be after a public hearing with notice published in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40A, Section 5”.”  

ADJOURN MEETING

The Agenda Items listed are those items which were reasonably anticipated by the Chair to be discussed at the meeting. Not all items may be discussed, and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law.  

The next regular meeting of the Town of Essex Planning Board will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at the Essex Town Hall, 2ND Floor Meeting Room, 30 Martin Street, Essex, MA.