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ZONING BRIEFS – FALL 2014

On Behalf of | Oct 23, 2014 | Land Use And Zoning |

Here are a few recent zoning and land-use related headlines/articles from around the region.

Plymouth’s upcoming Town Meeting has a few zoning-related items on the Warrant, the most interesting of which is Article 31, which seeks to add a “demolition delay” bylaw similar to the ones found in most towns and cities across the Commonwealth.

In Falmouth, Town Meeting approval will be needed to finalize a land/easement deal that will allow the Falmouth Mall to connect to a new town sewer project in the area.

Several residents in Marshfield are concerned about low-flying planes and jet fuel fumes and some are expected to voice their concerns at the upcoming Board of Health meeting. However, as the article points out, not everyone agrees that there is a problem with the planes, asserting that conditions have actually improved since the runway location was shifted.

Out in Westfield, a preliminary injunction has been vacated by the Hampden County Superior Court, allowing construction to continue on a school that was halted due to a lawsuit filed by neighbors alleging that protections under Article 97 (of the Articles of Amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution) were triggered in this instance.

Just because the built environment is seemingly done once it’s actually built, that doesn’t mean that some planners aren’t still thinking about how it is actually used by all types of individuals in a community, and whether tweaks are needed. Here’s an interesting piece about sidewalk use from Dillon Sussman, Senior Planner at Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

It looks like the small Town of Mendon is one step closer to being the home of a new 9,000 square foot adult entertainment facility, thanks to a decision from the federal First Circuit Court of Appeals.

Arlington has its Master Planning process in full swing, complete with more modern day planning tools that will (ideally) alleviate some of the constraints that have resulted from the current zoning code, which was written decades ago with different kinds of zoning policies in mind. This article is the second in an ongoing series about the process.

It looks like digital billboards may soon become a common sight along Route 24 in Brockton, provided the City Council approves the new ordinance unanimously recommended by the Planning Board.

Here’s more on recent developments in the Land Court case involving Palmer Renewable Energy’s proposed wood burning power plant out in East Springfield.

Sterling seems poised to consider the selling of tax titles to third parties in an effort to more quickly and efficiently generate cash owed by delinquent taxpayer-landowners, but at least one Selectman has expressed some reservations prior to learning more about the sales of tax titles that is used in some other communities.

Written by Kristen M. Ploetz, Esq., of Green Lodestar Communications & Consulting, LLC, on behalf of Jeffrey T. Angley, P.C. Edited by Jeffrey T. Angley, Esq.

 

Copyright (c) 2011-2014 by Jeffrey T. Angley, P.C. All rights reserved.

 

Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is general in nature and for educational purposes only. No personal legal advice is being provided. If you have an actual legal issue that needs to be addressed, you should seek the advice of competent legal counsel. This post does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Jeffrey T. Angley, P.C., Phillips & Angley or their attorneys.

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