These minutes were approved at the January 27, 2016 meeting.
DURHAM PLANNING BOARD
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
DURHAM TOWN HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS
7:00 pm
MINUTES
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Andrew Corrow, Chair
Bill McGowan, Vice Chair
Richard Kelley (arrived at approx. 7:30 pm)
Stephen Roberts
Wayne Lewis, alternate
Barbara Dill
Paul Rasmussen, alternate
Councilor Kitty Marple, Council representative to the Planning
Board
Councilor Jay Gooze, alternate Council representative to the
Planning Board
MEMBERS ABSENT
Lorne Parnell
I.
Call to Order
Chair Corrow called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm.
II.
Roll Call
The roll call was taken.
III.
Seating of Alternates
Chair Corrow said Mr. Rasmussen would sit in for Mr. Parnell, and Mr. Lewis would sit
in for Mr. Kelley until his arrival.
IV.
Approval of Agenda
Stephen Roberts MOVED to approve the Agenda as presented. Wayne Lewis
SECONDED the motion and it PASSED unanimously 7-0.
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 2
V.
Town Planner’s Report
Mr. Behrendt said Madbury Commons was in good shape concerning getting its
certificate of occupancy, and said the Interoperability Lab would be moving in in
January. He noted that SRPC had done a lot of vehicular traffic counts as well as some
pedestrian counts in the fall of 2015. He said this information was available on the Town
website.
He said he attended the recent UNH Transportation Policy Committee meeting, and
learned that not surprisingly, ridership for Wildcat Transit was flat due to the fact that
UNH students had been relocating from Dover and Newmarket to Durham. He said there
had been more impact concerning this in Newmarket than in Dover. He said the Campus
Connector was showing steady increases in ridership because of the student housing
developments on the west side of town, but said because of the new student housing in
the commercial core, UNH expected growth of the Campus Connector ridership to be
fairly level now.
Mr. Behrendt said there were now 320 moped spaces on the UNH campus, and said this
was expected to expand. He said the total number of parking permits for UNH
commuters had been flat since 1998, at about 8300 permits per year. He also noted that a
4th Zip car had been added to UNH’s fleet, and said there were 500 members of that
program. He said Amtrak’s Downeaster was in its 15th year, and said ridership had grown
steadily at about 15% per year during that time.
He noted that Code Administrator Tom Johnson would be retiring next week, and said
there would be a second fair well party for him.
VI.
Reports from Board Members who Serve on Other Committees
Mr. McGowan said the HDC met last Thursday but he was unable to make the meeting.
Mr. Behrendt said the HDC approved 4 signs for the Henderson project, and also
approved a change in a sign for St. George’s Church. He said the HDC also discussed a
possible program to recognize property owners who had done great projects in Town.
Chair Corrow said there wasn’t a quorum for the Energy Committee meeting in
December.
Chair Corrow presented a certificate of appreciation to Linda Tatarczuch for her service
to the Town as an alternate on the Planning Board over the past few years. Ms.
Tatarczuch thanked Planning Board members for their willingness to serve, and said she
understood and appreciated the hark work involved. She said she’d learned a lot from
Board members, and she wished them well in their future work.
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 3
VII.
Public Comments
Peter Murphy, owner of the Grange property on Main Street, asked the Board to
consider holding off on issuing the final certificate of occupancy to Orion until they had a
grasp of their trash plan. He said as an abutter, his property bore the brunt of the trash
situation, noting that the dumpster was 20 ft from his building. He said the current system
in place didn’t work, and said the trash truck couldn’t come in because there wasn’t a
large enough turning radius.
The Board discussed whether it was appropriate for Mr. Murphy to speak during Public
Comments on an agenda item.
Stephen Roberts MOVED to allow public comments from Mr. Murphy. Councilor
Marple SECONDED the motion, and it PASSED unanimously 7-0.
Mr. Murphy said there were four roll dumpsters, and said they weren’t covered so that on
a warm day one could smell the trash. He said all of this was taking place within 20 ft of
his building. He asked the Planning Board to have a discussion on this. He said he’d
reached out to Orion many times on this issue, but hadn’t gotten anywhere. He noted that
they had crushed his landscaping during construction, but said he was here to speak about
the trash issue. He said if this issue didn’t get addressed now, he wasn’t sure what his
next step would be. He said there must be a better way to manage the trash, and said
anything the Board could do would be greatly appreciated.
VIII. Review of Minutes (old) None
IX.
Public Hearing – Perley Lane Amendment. Proposed amendment to landscaping and
hardscape plan for site plan for existing residential development and conditional use for
activity within the Wetland and Shoreland Overlay Districts. Joseph Caldarola, Perley
Lane LLC Manager. Map 1, Lot 16-22 and 16-23. Residence A Zoning District.
Postponed to January 13, 2016
X.
Public Hearing – Rules of Procedure. Proposed amendments to the Planning Board’s
Rules of Procedure. Various amendments are proposed pursuant to recent policy
discussions by the Board.
Councilor Marple MOVED to open the public hearing. Bill McGowan SECONDED
the motion and it PASSED unanimously 7-0.
No members of the public came forward to speak.
Paul Rasmussen MOVED to close the Public Hearing. Councilor Marple
SECONDED the motion and it PASSED unanimously 7-0.
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 4
Chair Corrow noted that some changes the Planning Board had been discussing in recent
years had now been incorporated into the document. Mr. Behrendt confirmed that these
changes were consistent with policies the Board had been following in recent years.
Chair Corrow asked if Board members had any questions or concerns about these
proposed changes. Councilor Marple said the Orion dumpster issue had come out of the
blue, and said she was somewhat confused about how to handle it and other issues like it,
in terms of allowing public comments. Councilor Gooze said there had been numerous
public hearings on the Orion project, but then when something about the project didn’t
work out and there was discussion about changes needed, the public didn’t get to weigh
in at a public hearing. He suggested that looking at something like this on a case by case
basis would allow public comments if the Board thought this was appropriate.
Chair Corrow provided some background on how this policy of not allowing public
comments on an agenda item that didn’t include a public hearing had come from. There
was further discussion, and Board members agreed that considering allowing public
comments on a case by case basis could address this kind of situation. Councilor Gooze
urged the Board to give credence to people who were asking to speak, and Chair Corrow
said the Planning Board had been reasonable concerning this. Councilor Marple said this
kind of situation might not happen that often, and said it was ironic that it had happened
this evening.
Bill McGowan MOVED to approve as amended the proposed amendments to the
Planning Board’s Rules of Procedure, pursuant to recent policy discussions by the
Board. Councilor Marple SECONDED the motion and it PASSED unanimously 7-0.
XI.
30 Main Street/Madbury Road - Henderson Building. Request for modification to the
approved Sign Master Plan to allow for a wall sign on the side of the building and a
projecting sign. Mark Henderson, property owner. Map 4, Lot 1-0. Central Business
District.
Mr. Henderson said when the original sign master plan was presented to the Planning
Board some months back, he had not indicated what each individual sign would look like.
He said the original plan included three large signs on the front, one of which was
directly over the front door, flat against the building. He said his client, the
Juicery/Soupery had subsequently asked to have a hanging sign perpendicular to the
building, which would be similar to other signs on Main St. He said the HDC didn’t care
how the sign hung, and also said the ZBA recently granted a variance to allow the sign to
be larger than 6 sf. He said he was now before the Planning Board to be allowed to add
the hanging sign to the sign master plan.
Mr. Henderson said he also wanted to add a second sign to the plan, which would be
placed in the alley facing Campus Convenience. He explained that his building faced
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 5
uphill so wasn’t in line with Campus Convenience and the Durham Book Exchange,
which meant that the two signs approved on the front of the building couldn’t be seen if
one was standing in front of the Durham Book Exchange. He said the Juicery/Soupery
would love to be able to put a sign in the alley, and he noted that it would be within the 6
sf limit so wouldn’t need a variance. He said the HDC was ok with this sign.
Mr. Lewis asked Mr. Henderson if he was happy with how the details of the project had
been finalized. Mr. Henderson said he’d had a great experience working with the various
boards. He said he hoped future HDC’s and ZBA’s realized that his building was stuck
with the restrictions concerning the signage because it was in the Historic District, which
put it at a complete disadvantage compared to other buildings around him. He noted that
the feedback from the HDC had been that a 6 sf hanging sign would look awkward on the
building.
Councilor Gooze said there was always the ability to ask for an exception on an
individual basis. But he said the idea of taking the building out of the district would
involve changing the Zoning district boundary, and said this was something to address at
another time. Mr. Henderson agreed, and said since the variance had been received he
didn’t see the need right now to pull the building out of the Historic district.
There was brief discussion on the items in the Notice of Decision. Mr. Behrendt
recommended approval of the proposed changes to the sign master plan, and said they
were attractive signs. He noted that two hanging signs were included in the Notice of
Decision, so that Mr. Henderson wouldn’t have to come back for a second sign. He said
the approval also included the wall sign on the alley, and the option of illuminating the
hanging signs. Ms. Dill said she loved the hanging sign that had been designed.
Bill McGowan MOVED to approve the request from Mark Henderson for modification
to the approved Sign Master Plan to allow for a wall sign on the side of the building
and a projecting sign, at the property located at 30 Main Street/Madbury Road, Map 4,
Lot 1-0 in the Central Business District. Councilor Marple SECONDED the motion
and it PASSED unanimously 7-0.
XII.
Orion Development – 25-35 Main Street. Proposed modification to change the location
of the dumpster and transformer on approved mixed-use student housing site. Orion
Student Housing, Bill Fideli and Philip Wills, applicant; Bob Clarke, Allen and Major,
engineer; Lisa DeStefano and Adam Wagner, DeStefano Architects, architect; Tim
Phoenix, attorney. Tax Map 5, Lots 1-6, 1-7, and 1-8, Central Business District.
Attorney Phoenix said in January of 2014, the Planning Board approved the original site
plan application for the project. He said the plans included a concrete pad for a backup
generator and a pad for the dumpster, and said this was what the Board had approved. He
said as construction occurred, Allen and Major learned that the power company said a
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 6
transformer was needed. He said the plan was to put the transformer where the generator
was, and put the generator behind Building B. But he said the transformer needed
clearances of 6 ft from the building and 5 ft from the property line for safety reasons, so
this location didn’t work.
He said the proposal then had been to switch the dumpster enclosure location and the
transformer location, which meant the dumpster location had moved 8.5 ft. He noted the
new plan that indicated this arrangement. He said this plan was run by Mr. Johnson and
Ms. Tallon, and said their concerns were addressed. He said Mr. Johnson said the plan
should be submitted to Mr. Behrendt for administrative approval and said this was done
in September of 2014 but after that, the application apparently was misplaced and wasn’t
acted upon. He said in the meantime the construction team went forward assuming things
were ok. He said there were numerous site meetings about all of the issues, but this issue
wasn’t brought up. He said in 2015, it came up because HDC approval was needed for
the transformer because it was an external feature. He said this application was currently
pending before the HDC.
Attorney Phoenix noted Mr. Murphy’s concerns about the dumpster, and said the HDC
had discussed this. He said Orion understood Mr. Murphy’s concerns and was trying to
figure out a way to deal with the situation. He said one problem was that it was more
difficult for a truck to access the current dumpster location compared to where it was
originally located. He said 4-5 rolling bins were therefore put in. He said Orion was
working on the problem, and said there were now 3 pickups per week and also said
deodorizer was used in the dumpsters. He said they were looking at options for dealing
with the dumpster enclosure itself, and considering putting on a roof, which would need
to meet the requirements in the Historic district.
He said he didn’t think his client should have to come back to the Planning Board right
now, and said he thought this was an administrative issue. He said he respected Mr.
Behrendt’s concern that there were some other issues now related to the dumpster, but
said he thought this was an enforcement issue and not a Board approval issue. He said the
dumpster was there now, and had just been moved 8.5 ft.
Concerning remaining issues, Attorney Phoenix said Orion had offered to put in some
plantings to provide screening of the transformer on the side of the property facing the
Grange property. He said the other issues should be addressed by the HDC and the
Building Inspector. He asked the Board to consider what the site looked like before this
project, the fact that it was a tight area, and to consider that the development had recently
opened and there were some growing pains. He said Mr. Murphy’s concerns needed to be
addressed, and said the applicant was asking that the Board approve this change in the
location of the dumpster so they could work with the HDC, and resolve Mr. Murphy’s
concerns.
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 7
Mr. Kelley arrived at the meeting at approximately 7:30 pm.
Mr. Roberts asked if the concern was the location of the dumpster or the trash outside the
dumpster next to the transformer. Attorney Phoenix said both were legitimate concerns,
but said he didn’t think these were things for this board to deal with. Councilor Gooze
said he appreciated the legal aspects of this situation, but said he would like to see Orion
commit to doing something to address the problems. He noted that Madbury Commons
had had some issues to deal with after that development was built, and went out of its
way to address them, even though it wasn’t legally required to do this.
There was discussion with Attorney Phoenix, who said if the location change was
approved, some adjustments could be made. Councilor Marple noted that some landlords
in Town put their garbage inside, with smaller cans, and did recycling, which involved
sacrificing a room or two. She said this might be an option. It was noted that currently
the trash containers were open even though they had lids. Attorney Phoenix said the
primary concern was about enclosing the dumpster, with roofing, etc. The importance of
educating the residents about what to do with their trash was noted.
Mr. Kelley said this might be a public health situation, and said there should be an
operational solution, involving monitoring, enforcement, and perhaps removal of trash
every other day. He said he didn’t see that there was a better location for the dumpster
other than perhaps moving the trash containers indoors if the problem continued. There
was discussion about the fact that the Planning Board would be voting on a site plan
amendment that had already occurred on the site.
Councilor Gooze said there was a way to solve this problem, operationally, but the
Planning Board couldn’t make Orion do this. Chair Corrow suggested that this could be
an enforcement issue through the Health Officer.
Mr. Behrendt said the change made to the site plan was quite minor, but it had significant
ramifications because the dumpster had been shifted 8.5 ft to the north. He said this had
precluded allowing a trash vehicle to come in, and so resulted in 4-5 rolling bins being
placed there instead of one dumpster. He said this had caused various problems, and said
it was therefore appropriate and important that the Planning Board approve some changes
to some of the physical aspects of the trash containment and operational issues. He
suggested that all of this could be voted on in January. Mr. Roberts noted that the lids to
the bins weren’t even being used.
Attorney Phoenix said the applicant would prefer not to wait until January for the vote,
noting that they had to go back to the HDC. He said they were simply asking the
Planning Board for approval to move the dumpster, and said the Board’s suggestions
would be passed on to the HDC, etc. He noted that the idea for a roof came from
discussion with the HDC about how to block views and odors. He also said it was up to
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 8
Orion to address operational issues, and said he didn’t think the Planning Board should
be enforcing this.
Councilor Gooze said the Health Officer could provide enforcement if it was found that it
wasn’t a sanitary situation. Chair Corrow asked if there had been coordination with other
Town departments in regard to the concerns. Mr. Behrendt said Mr. Johnson had been
concerned about the public health aspects of the situation, as well as the view of the trash
from the Grange. He said Mr. Johnson had suggested that the inside of the dumpster
enclosures could be painted so it wouldn’t absorb odors. He said the Deputy Fire Chief
had noted the issue of replacement of condensers, which could be addressed
administratively. He said Ms. Tallon wasn’t concerned about removal of a portion of the
rain garden. He said he would make sure there were no additional concerns from staff.
Mr. Behrendt said this situation was very much within the Planning Board’s jurisdiction
because of the change from the dumpster to the rolling bins, which had caused some
problems. He said the HDC would deal with the look of the dumpsters. Attorney Phoenix
said the applicant couldn’t go forward with anything unless they knew they could do it in
the proposed dumpster location. Mr. Behrendt said it was reasonable to approve the
proposed change, but with conditions. He said if now or in January, the Planning Board
required a roof with a gable and the ridge parallel to Main Street, and required that the
inside of the dumpster enclosures be painted, he thought the HDC would work with that.
Attorney Phoenix said a different trash hauling company would perhaps be more willing
to put in a regular dumpster, which wouldn’t work with the roof being considered. He
also said perhaps cameras could help solve the trash problem. He said these weren’t
Planning Board issues.
Councilor Gooze asked what the rush was to get this location change approved now.
Attorney Phoenix said it was because of the complaints, and said Orion wanted to be a
responsible citizen of Durham. He also noted the upcoming HDC meeting.
Chair Corrow said he concurred with the concerns that had been raised, but asked if the
issues other than moving the dumpster location could be handled through the HDC and
Code Enforcement. Mr. Behrendt said operational issues and painting of the inside of the
dumpsters was outside of the HDC’s purview. There was further discussion. Councilor
Gooze said the Planning Board didn’t know what the HDC would decide concerning a
roof, etc. and suggested that the Board could continue this application to the next meeting
so they could see what more could perhaps be done to address the situation.
Mr. Kelley asked if painting of the dumpster enclosure interiors was an issue, and
Attorney Phoenix said this seemed reasonable. He also provided details on exterior
screening and painting being considered. He said if there was a lighting problem on the
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 9
site at this point, Orion wouldn’t be before the Planning Board, and said this was a
similar situation.
Richard Kelley MOVED that the Planning Board approve the as built location of the
concrete masonry block unit enclosure, that the applicant paint the interior of the
block, that the applicant provide exterior sheathing and screening, and that the HDC
consider the value of providing a roof.
Mr. McGowan said he didn’t think the HDC could say a roof was needed. Attorney
Phoenix said he thought they could, in order to make the dumpster more attractive. He
said he supported the motion.
Bill McGowan SECONDED the motion.
Mr. McGowan said he was doing this in order to discuss the motion. Mr. Kelley said the
trash removal company didn’t want to do a six point turn, back and forth, in order to line
themselves up with the dumpster. There was discussion on the requirements in the
motion.
Councilor Gooze said if this was being done from scratch, the Board would be saying that
the trash management operations must meet the satisfaction of the Health Officer. There
was discussion about possibly adding that as a fourth requirement in the motion. Mr.
Behrendt said including this made a lot of sense. Mr. McGowan said if this was before
the Planning Board a year ago, the Board would probably have said that moving the
dumpster made sense, and the other items would be operational issues to be addressed
with the Building Inspector.
Mr. Kelley suggested an addition to the motion: “Maintenance operations will be revised
to eliminate public health issues.” It was suggested that instead of “pursuant to the health
code” the motion instead should say “eliminate public health issues”. There was
additional discussion about the wording.
Barbara Dill MOVED to amend the motion to say: “maintenance operations will be
revised to conform with public health requirements”. Councilor Marple SECONDED
the motion and it PASSED unanimously 7-0.
Councilor Marple said she wanted Orion to fix the problem with the neighbor, but wasn’t
sure she wanted to tell them how to do this. There was further discussion. Attorney
Phoenix said he was comfortable with the motion.
The original motion as amended, PASSED unanimously 7-0.
XIII.
UNH Planning Club. Questions for the Durham Planning Board members from students
from the UNH Planning Club. The students are partnering with UNH Cooperative
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 10
Extension to enhance Citizen Planner (www.nhcitizenplanner.org), which may include
in-person training for boards in the future. A follow-up needs survey will be announced.
Molly Belanger and Amanda Davie from the UNH Planning Club spoke before the
Planning Board. Ms. Davie asked what big issues the Planning Board had been working
on over the past few years. Ms. Dill noted that there had been a lot of new development
in Durham this past year, especially in the downtown area. Mr. Kelley said the Master
Plan had been rewritten over the past few years. Mr. McGowan said there had been
several changes to the Zoning Ordinance. Chair Corrow said there had been several
student housing developments for the Planning Board to review, including several in the
downtown commercial core. He said the review of these projects had sometimes been
contentious and involved a lot of public testimony.
Councilor Marple said the Board recently adopted an updated version of the Site Plan
Regulations, and she provided details on how they were intended to improve the review
of development projects, including making this process more efficient. Mr. Lewis said
student housing developments had been the most important issue before the Board over
the past 4-5 years.
Mr. Roberts said he’d been on the Planning Board off and on since the late 1970’s
He said his focus as a Board member was on the Master Plan, and how Durham
supported itself and related to the University, especially in terms of the shared
transportation network, and financial systems working together. He asked Ms. Belanger
and Ms. Davie how their work related to the NH Office of Energy and Planning, which
conducted training seminars once a year. Ms. Belanger said they hadn’t contacted OEP.
Mr. Roberts provided details on the training opportunities OEP provided, and said he was
sure the agency would welcome their help. Board members spoke about the extent of
their experience with attending OEP sessions.
Chair Corrow noted that he’d found Planlink to be a useful resource, and said it had
helped him see some of the issues other planning boards in the state were facing.
Ms. Davie asked if Board members received other training as part of being on the
Planning Board. Councilor Marple noted the Right to Know session held in Durham
every year, which was put on by the Local Government Center and the Town. It was also
noted that some Board members had attended a session on reading site plans, which was
presented by planner Sylvia Von Aulock. Mr. Roberts noted the Law Lecture series that
was available each year.
Ms. Davie asked about possible big projects coming up in Durham in the near future. The
ATO project, an over 55 project on Young Drive and the Applied Geosolutions project at
the old Town Hall site were noted. Councilor Gooze noted the law suit pending with the
owner of the Mill Plaza property, relating to a possible development there. It was noted
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 11
that the Master Plan update would continue in 2017, and Chair Corrow also said the
Planning Board would start working on some Zoning changes at some point.
Ms. Davie asked Board members if they had enjoyed the Master Plan update process.
Councilor Marple provided details on how some of the chapters were developed with
some difficulty, and said it took a really long time to get the work done.
Ms. Davie asked why some Board members hadn’t attended OEP conferences. Board
members spoke about the time commitment involved, when they were already putting so
much time into their work on the Planning Board, and had busy schedules. There was
discussion that it was a significant time commitment to be on the Planning Board, and
there was a lot of homework involved.
Ms. Belanger asked whether Board members would use online training opportunities if
they were available. She noted that the www.nhcitizenplanner.org website provided some
training opportunities. There was discussion about this, and there was also discussion
about whether Board members would go to conferences if all of the barriers to going
were gone.
XIV. Proposed changes to newly adopted Site Plan Regulations. The Planning Board
adopted an entirely new set of Site Plan Regulations on September 9. At this meeting, the
Board will review the numerous public comments made in recent months about these
new regulations (prior to their adoption) and other prospective changes to the new
regulations. Once the board has a revised document, it will be presented for a public
hearing.
Mr. Behrendt said he’d incorporated wording on some items that the Planning Board had
discussed but had still been pretty loose. He said he’d provided an updated landscaping
list, and also said there were a few other minor changes to the document. He asked if
there were any comments on what had been provided.
Mr. Roberts noted that on page 8, the definition for Buffer appeared to be an incomplete
sentence.
Mr. Kelley asked if in developing the landscaping list, thought had been put into plant
species that would thrive in this climate. Mr. Behrendt described his sources for the
landscaping list, and there was discussion.
Mr. Behrendt noted that the changes he’d made to the parking section were mostly
organizational. He also suggested a possible amendment to wording on page 30 under
section 3.66, concerning municipal trees that got damaged: “Depending on the
circumstances, as one option the Board could require that the total combined caliper of
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 12
the replacement trees equal the DBH.” He said this would be quite strict, but said it
could be required in extreme cases.
Ms. Dill said she had some typos and other small corrections to provide if that was
appropriate now. There was discussion on how to handle these changes at this point. Mr.
Behrendt suggested that Ms. Dill could send them to him and he could make the changes
and note them for the Board. But he said anything questionable should be discussed
tonight.
Councilor Gooze said he didn’t think the parking fees had been reviewed on an annual
basis by the Town Council, as was required in the Site Plan regulations. He said he
believed it was on the schedule for 2016. He said it was appropriate to do this on an
annual basis, and said he would bring this up at the next Council meeting.
Mr. Behrendt noted concerning 7.6.3 Suggested Sign Guidelines on page 59 that the
Board had said it wanted to make these requirements. He said he hadn’t had a chance to
develop the wording on this yet, and suggested that this could be brought forward later as
a possible amendment to the Site Plan Regulations. He said this would be a significant
enough change to warrant focusing on it separately.
Ms. Dill said this was one of the areas she’d been concerned about. She also asked why
sign regulations appeared in the Zoning Ordinance as well as in the Site Plan
Regulations, and Mr. Behrendt provided details on this. Ms. Dill said she’d wondered
why there couldn’t be sign regulations that were similar to what the HDC had. Mr.
Behrendt said the Board probably could do this beyond the historic district, but said there
wasn’t a specific statute concerning this. He said he would need to coordinate with
Attorney Spector-Morgan about something like this. He also said if there was going to be
mandatory design review, a question was whether there would be just some general
statements, or a few pages of sign regulations.
Ms. Dill said she thought it would be ideal to include this with the architectural
regulations, and said signage had aesthetic qualities as well. Mr. Behrendt said he
thought there was real interest in this issue in the community, and agreed that he and Ms.
Dill could work on some possible sign regulations after adopting the full Site Plan
Regulations. He said they could coordinate with the Town Attorney on this.
Richard Kelley MOVED to accept the changes to the Site Plan Regulations, and set the
Public Hearing for January 13. 2016. Councilor Marple SECONDED the motion and
it PASSED unanimously 7-0.
XV.
Other Business
Mr. Behrendt said his sense was that the condition of approval about naming the
boulevard at Madbury Commons could be deleted because it wasn’t needed. There was
Planning Board Minutes
December 9, 2015
Page 13
discussion about where the idea for naming the road had originally come from. Board
members said they were fine with not having a name for the boulevard.
XVI. Review of Minutes (new)
October 28, 2015
Remove the words CHECK from the Minutes pages 2, 5
Page 12, line 17, should say “...the proposed wording suggested that the Planning
Board…”
Councilor Marple MOVED to approve the October 28, 2015 Minutes as amended.
Steve Roberts SECONDED the motion and it PASSED unanimously 6-0-1, with Bill
McGowan abstaining because of his absence from the meeting.
XVII. Adjournment
Adjournment at 9:07 pm
Victoria Parmele, Minutes taker