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Planning Board and Historic Districts Commission Agree To Process When Jurisdictional Authority Overlaps

When the town voted to create a Town Center Overlay District (TCOD) at 134 Main Street, it essentially set in motion a jurisdictional overlap regarding architectural design between the Historic District Commission (HDC) who has authority granted under state laws to grant Certificates of Appropriateness for the defined historical district and the Design Review Committee - which is appointed by and makes recommendations to the Planning Board.

Both entities were very involved in the architectural design for the 134 project.

Capitalizing on the lessons learned from this overlap, Planning Board Chairman John Giger, HDC Chairman Dan Barton, along with Laura Moore and Michelle Collette established a working group to create a collaborative framework for architectural design review. Giger said that this framework would set clearer expectations for the applicants and eliminate duplication of effort. "We want to work collaboratively" on architectural design," Giger said.

Giger presented a working draft of the process that the team developed to Selectmen. He cited four different scenarios and identified the primary responsible commission or board. Essentially, the Historic District Commission would issue Certificates of Appropriateness for property that is zoned residential/agricultural and is located in one of the historic districts.

For properties that are zoned other than residential/agricultural and are located only in one of the historic districts, in addition to a Certificate of Appropriateness from the HDC, a Special Permit with Site Plan Review would be required to be issued by the Planning Board.

If a property is zoned other than residential/agricultural and is located both in a Historic District and the Town Center Overlay District, the Planning Board will 'outsource' the architectural design review associated with a Special Permit- Site Plan Review to a consolidated group made up of members from both the HDC and the Planning Board.

The Town Center Overlay District under review of the Design Review Committee appointed by the Planning Board and the HDC each had 'authority' over the 134 Main Street project. The working group's goal was to unsnarl the overlap and reduce the time it takes to process an application.

Lastly, if a property is zoned other than residential/agricultural and is located in the Town Center Overlay District only, then it would require a Special Permit-Site Plan Review from the Planning Board . In this situation the HDC will provide a non-voting liaison to the Planning Board.

Giger stressed that this is a working draft and that he and Barton will test how it works and make any needed adjustments.

Selectman Josh Degen, a former long-time Planning Board member, praised the effort. "It is a great idea... let's see how it works. It will take out a lot of redundancy."

Land use Director Michelle Collette pointed out that this will streamline the permitting process and establishes better communication among the boards. "Time is money if you are an applicant," she said.

Groton Herald

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