Proposed Planning Board Amendments to Update “Purpose” Statements

For Key Commercial Zoning Districts

by Ruth-Ellen Post, Planning Board Chair

This article has been submitted at the Request of the Windham Planning Board in an effort to educate the public on the zoning ordinance amendments that are being recommended by the for 2012 Town Meeting. A series of articles will be published each week leading up to Town Meeting on March 13^th. Each article will provide a summary of one or more zoning amendments being proposed.

Planning Board Amendments#2 through #6 (under Article 2) update and clarify the general “Purpose” sections of several key commercial zoning districts. This was done for several reasons, mainly: (1) to update what was, in some instances, rather out-of-date and arguably inconsistent with local development trends; (2) to provide clearer guidance to constituencies relying on these “Purpose” statements to clarify unforeseen issues arising under remaining language and stated uses within these zoning ordinances.

These proposals represent the Board’s first steps towards a comprehensive review and update of all provisions governing these key commercial zoning districts – a process that may well take at least another year or two. The revised wording being proposed was arrived at after multiple public workshops and hearings with extensive input from residents and from members of both the business and building communities.

Only the general “Purpose” statements are proposed to be changed at this time; the specific uses allowed in each district remain the same and are NOT changed by these proposed amendments.

Briefly, the “Purpose” sections the board considered are as follows:

Amendment #2 addresses the overall Purpose of the Neighborhood Business District, broadening the statement to allow businesses in that zone to serve more the needs of more than just local residents, as long as the business complements the surrounding neighborhood in character and scale with minimal impact on area resources (cultural, historic, and natural). The board believes this better reflects the current reality and future goals of businesses within this zone.

Amendment #3 addresses the overall Purpose of the Village Center District, and emphasizes “a walkable, mixed-use center that has residential, commercial, historic, and public space components ….” While not a making a serious departure from the Purpose as currently stated, the Board believes this brings much greater clarity to the intended character of this district.

Amendment #4 addresses the overall Purpose of the Limited Industrial District, adding “light manufacturing” to the categories of research laboratories and office buildings already mentioned, and now also emphasizes the goal of being “compatible and transitional with neighboring uses.”

Amendment #5 addresses the overall Purpose of the Professional Business and Technology District, emphasizing its intended function as an employment center for the town and surrounding communities including “business and professional offices, research and development facilities, light industry and complementary educational uses,” bringing greater specificity to the currently-stated Purpose for this district.

Amendment #6 addresses the overall Purposes of the Gateway Commercial District, adding a new reference to “mixed uses of retail, service, and professional offices” reflecting its proximity to the I-93 interchange, noting a desire for a New England type architectural style and compatibility with the historic character of Windham, and a clear reference to “efficient traffic circulation and safety” among other things. Being the district that travelers first see as they enter our town, the Board believed that both uses and appearances of businesses in this district carried serious importance.

Amendment #6 also addresses certain numbering issues affecting the placement of Business Commercial District B within the ordinance essentially as a clean-up measure, but does not attempt to redefine the Purpose of that district in any way.