DRAFT
Joint Land Use Board
MEETING MINUTES
October 20, 2005
The meeting was convened in the old Town Hall at 7:08
Attendance
Selectmen: Andrew Livernois
Planning Board members: Don Borms, Jim Wells, and Helmut Busack
Zoning Board members: Peter Thompson, Raymond Beaupre, and James VanValkenburgh
Conservation Commission members: Mary Ahlgren, Wayne Elliot
The audience included 3 to 5 people
The meeting was called to order by Planning Board Chairman Helmut Busack. He explained the theme of the meeting was to examine the town’s attitude toward growth. He identified three options: Allow growth to continue unhampered, restrict growth (growth management) or allow slow growth.
Comments from the group
Livernois: we need diversity, recommends directing growth
Borms: need more commercial growth
Thompson: need affordable housing for labor force, need housing priced for the middle class or working force. He feels the current ordinances discriminate against the middle class.
Other suggestions: consider a resort zone or recreational zone, need for age restricted housing.
Elliot: need to be careful that zoning changes do not get us in legal trouble. Warned against sudden changes in zoning.
Livernois: objects to blocky house lots that line the roads. This kind of development does not enhance neighborhood type communities.
Other suggestions: Ordinances are too vague, too much gray area in ordinances.
Wells: the town needs to encourage building neighborhoods and communities
Ahlgren: need to promote agriculture
Borms: there is a need for all boards and commissions to work more together and support each other’s efforts.
VanValkenburg: ordinances need to include the reasoning and intent behind them
Elliot: any proposed ordinances need to have an explanation with them
VanValkenburg: Sanbornton shares a 6% growth rate along with the surrounding towns.
Thompson: groups need to work more together
Elliot: we need to emphasize all the good that is going on in Sanbornton and not focus on the bad
Sanborn: need new Master Plan with update
Busack: this meeting is the beginning of the Master Plan update
Wells: we need to require more recreational land to be included in larger developments.
Other suggestions: need for community surveys, go door to door with them. Divide the town into regions like wards and hold meetings in each section as part of the Master Plan update.
Consensus of the group: a more recent community survey is needed. Distribute it to voters vs. land owners? Seek help from UNH, involve focus groups and speakers.
Livernois: hire a professional for the survey, include the CIP
Suggestion: include a question about cluster developments in the survey.
Sophia Fisher from the LRPC discussed with the group the effectiveness of the Sanbornton Steep Slopes Ordinance. The group felt the ordinance was working well, although it was not applied very frequently.
Comments on growth were submitted by Fire Chief Busby which address the need for supplemental water supply for fire suppression.
Meeting adjourned around 9:00 pm
Respectfully submitted
David Lorch, Planner
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