North Street Development Passes Williamstown ZBA
 ZBA Chairman Andrew Hoar, left, and Leigh Short. |
Vincent Guntlow made some changes to his property plan in light of last week's ZBA meeting, where a number of Lee Terrace residents expressed their dismay about the planned mixed-use development.
Although residents who attended Thursday's continuation of the public hearing on 63 North St. expressed appreciation for the changes Guntlow made, several said they were upset that the North Street parcel had been rezoned from residential to limited business in the first place.
ZBA Chairman Andrew Hoar was sympathetic to the latter concern but pointed out that his board was bound by the zoning changes approved by Annual Town Meeting in May 2013.
"We are not here to deny the petitioner the ability to develop his parcel," Hoar said before taking comments from the floor. "We are hear to try to work with the petitioner and the abutters, to do so in a way that facilitates as best we can both parties."
Stephen Majetich of Lee Terrace said he and his neighbors had no advance warning of the proposed zoning change before the 2013 annual town meeting.
"I'd like to have some information as a citizen of Williamstown how I could have some input with the town," Majetich said. "We wouldn't be sitting her today if there was more than the required notification."
Majetich and others said they would have liked notice of the Planning Board's deliberations in advance of the 2013 warrant article, which was designed to undo "spot zoning" on North Street and, in the process, rezoned some parcels, including 63 North St.
Article 32 on the 2013 warrant was recommended unanimously by the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen, which routinely expresses an opinion about all articles on the warrant. And the article passed with little to no discussion at town meeting.
"I understand what you're saying," Hoar told Majetich. "But it's not this board's purview to review the [notification] process. I know as a citizen, I peruse the warrant articles before Town Meeting. ... It's part of being an active citizen."
Town Planner Andrew Groff, who serves both the ZBA and the Planning Board, explained that the Planning Board's role is more "legislative," while the ZBA is more "judicial," using a rough analogy to more familiar government structures.
"Sometimes, they give us something that's difficult for us to enforce," Hoar said.
At the 2012 annual town meeting, members of the ZBA rose to the floor to argue against passage of the Planning Board's proposed second dwelling unit bylaw on the grounds it would be difficult to enforce.
As for the current question, Guntlow altered his site plan to bring the Mather House (which he is acquiring from Williams College) three feet to the east of the original site. The slight change will allow him room to erect a 6-foot decorative, wooden fence that will provide more of a barrier to the Lee Terrace residence to the west.
Guntlow also made a slight modification to his planned parking lot on the east side of Mather House. That change satisfied Williamstown's fire chief, who attended last week's ZBA meeting to raise concerns about having room to turn around trucks in the parking lot and eliminate the need to back out onto North Street.
Residents at this week's meeting also queried the board about the kind of planting that would be used to screen Guntlow's property on its north side, fronting Lee Terrace.
In an effort to keep the property from looking "too commercial," the board asked Guntlow to consider using a mixture of evergreen species.
"Something is going around killing pines, something is going around killing spruces," Guntlow said. "That's why we went with hemlock [in the site plan]."
"Even if it was arborvitae," Hoar said. "Is that something you could ...?"
"Sure," Guntlow said. "I just want something I can plant that can live."
After receiving the board's blessing, Guntlow said he did not know exactly when the early 19th century house will be moved from Stetson Court to North Street. The move is being coordinated by Williams College, but he said he expects it to be done in late October or early November.
Tags: commercial zoning, historical building, special permit, ZBA,
