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Amendment #6 Business Commercial District B Reformatting, Gateway Commercial District Reformatting, and Revision to the Gateway Commercial District Purpose Section

 

Proposed Changes:

Amend the provisions of the Windham Zoning Ordinance with respect to its commercial districts currently

described in Section 605 by:

A.   Removing “and B” from the Section heading, creating a new Section 617 “Business Commercial District B”, and removing the existing language in Section 605.2 and placing in Section 617, renumbering it accordingly

B.   Inserting the following language as a new Section 617.2 “Conditions of approval for permitted uses in the Business Commercial District B shall be as provided in Section 606.2”

C.   Removing “and Gateway Commercial District” from the Section heading, creating a new Section 618 “Gateway Commercial District ”, and removing the existing language in Section 605.3 and placing in Section 618, renumbering it accordingly

D.   Inserting the following language as a new Section 618.6 “Conditions of approval for permitted uses in the Gateway Commercial District shall be as provided in Section 606.2”

E.    Renumber the existing Section 605.4 as 605.2

F.    Deleting the list of existing purposes in the Gateway Commercial District (Section 618.1 as created by Section C herein) and replace it with the following:

      Provide for an area of commercial development, including mixed use of retail, service, and professional offices, all of which are designed to reflect its proximity to the I-93 interchange,

      Ensure that the entrance of the Town reflects and/or complements the architectural style of New England, maintains the historical character of Windham, & will be of architectural merit, and

      Minimize sprawl, promote pedestrian-friendly design and maintain efficient traffic circulation and safety

Recommended by the Planning Board 7-0

 

Existing Ordinance Language:

·        (From 605.3.1) The purpose of the Gateway Commercial District is to:

 

Recognize the District’s close proximity to and visibility from the Interstate Highway and from State Routes 111 and 111A;

 

Provide for an area of high quality commercial development at the major highway interchange within the Town;

 

Allow mixed uses of retail and professional offices in the Route 93 Exit 3 area;

 

Minimize sprawl and encourage sustainable commercial development in the I-93 Exit 3 area;

 

Maintain efficient traffic circulation to facilitate the safe and convenient movement of people and goods; Enhance the aesthetic quality and economic vitality of the Exit 3 area and the tax base of the Town of Windham;

 

Establish an area for businesses that provide goods and services to the residents of Windham and the transient public;

 

Ensure that new projects in the District will be of architectural merit and be designed to take advantage of their proximity to the Interstate highway system;

 

The purpose of the District will be accomplished through the performance and design standards that all new projects within the District must satisfy.

 

From the Planning Board and the Community Development Department:

·        Amendment Education (Ruth-Ellen Post)

 

Meetings:

 

Meeting video clips shown have been shortened for content.  The full meeting video may be obtained at wctv.pegcentral.com.

·        11/30/11 Planning Board Public Hearing (Entire meeting video can be found here)

o   Minutes

o   WCTV Video Clip (00:33:43)

·        12/14/11 Planning Board Public Hearing (Entire meeting video can be found here)

o   Minutes

o   WCTV Video Clip (00:10:54)

·        12/14/11 Planning Board Public Hearing (Section 2) (Entire meeting video can be found here)

o   Minutes

o   WCTV Video Clip (00:02:52)

·        12/28/11 Planning Board Public Hearing (Entire meeting video can be found here)

o   Minutes

o   WCTV Video Clip (00:03:45)