Northborough, MAssachusetts
Planning Dept./Board
December,1996

  Northborough continues to remain a very desirable community in which to live and to do business. This past year has not only brought us new residential development, but more importantly new and expanded economic development.

  The Planning Department and the Planning Board continue to review submittals for the creation of new residential lots. In 1996, twenty (20) form A applications creating forty-seven (47) single family lots, one form B preliminary subdivision plan creating seventy-four (74) lots, and three form C definitive subdivision plans creating ninety (90) lots were submitted for review and approval. Applications for two common driveways and three planning board site plan review petitions were also submitted. The Planning Department collected $4,583.00 in the related sale of zoning bylaws, subdivision regulations, zoning and groundwater maps and lot releases. The filing fees for the ANR and subdivision lots are collected separately by the Town Clerk. The filing fees and planning department fees are deposited into the general fund.

  The form A application creates lots which obtain frontage from an existing street. These lots are not part of a subdivision and therefore do not require a public hearing. The Form B application is for a preliminary subdivision of land. This allows input from the various boards, departments and abutters before the plan reaches the definitive stage of development. The Form C application is the final step for the creation of subdivision lots. A public hearing is held with the Planning Board and abutters are notified by certified mail. Upon completion of this process, the developer then obtains building permits.

  Since 1990, sixteen (16) residential subdivisions have been approved by the Planning Board. The approval of these subdivisions resulted in the creation of two hundred ninety (290) single family lots. Since 1992, an average of 107 residential building permits have been issued each year. As the residential development in this community continues to occur, it becomes all the more important to increase and expand our industrial and commercial tax base.

  With each development, a subdivision bond is required as part of the process. These funds are utilized by the Town in the event the developer defaults on the project. The bond is then used to complete the roadway work within the subdivision. We presently maintain a subdivision bond account of $806,013.

   The process for approving a subdivision plan is determined by Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L) Chapter 40A and the development of the subdivision is governed by M.G.L. Chapter 41. Our local zoning bylaws and subdivision rules & regulations are based upon these two statutes. When a preliminary plan is filed, the Planning Board has forty-five (45) days to make a decision. When a definitive subdivision is filed following a preliminary plan, the Board has ninety (90) days to hold a public hearing and make a decision. If no preliminary plan was filed, the Board has one hundred thirty-five (135) days to hold a public hearing and render a decision.

  The development of several industrial and commercial properties has kept this department very busy this past year. With the Towns' focus on improving the tax base and attracting new businesses, several efforts involving this department and others, have resulted in new development and the re-use of some vacant industrial buildings.

  Towards the end of 1995, an extensive project was undertaken by the Town Planner, the Assistant Town Administrator and the Town Engineer to create a Development Guidebook to be used as a guide to Northborough's project review and approval process. The Guidebook summarizes each department involved with the development and approval process, provides a contact person, lists the various permits and regulations each board/department is responsible for and summarizes various state and federal statutes that may be applicable to the project. This report is available free of charge to any interested resident. The feedback has been extremely positive from the parties who have utilized the Guidebook. The Guidebook is available in the Administrator's office and the Planning and Engineering offfices.

  In September of 1996, the Town was recognized by the Westborough/Northborough Chamber of Commerce for the creation of the Development Guidebook and for our commitment to attract new businesses to help broaden the local tax base. We were very proud to be honored by the Chamber and continue to work closely with them towards achieving our goal.

  We continue to make use of our informal development meetings which include the applicant and applicable staff members. These meetings serve to review vacant parcels and buildings with an applicant, along with any previous filings on the property, the various permits that may be necessary, a review of our regulations and to answer any questions of the applicant. We continue to receive very favorable feedback from the applicants regarding this process. Having access to all pertinent staff and files at one time and in one location is of great benefit to a developer and through this process, we have been able to assist in the development of some of the vacant properties.

  This department also maintains an inventory of available industrial land and buildings for development. This listing contains map and parcel, address, availability of water & sewer and the contact person for the site. This list is available through the department and has been utilized by many developers.

  Based upon these efforts the following businesses have begun operating in Northborough this past year: Mass Electric, InSports, and Peterson Spring.

  In 1995, the Town Planner and the Town Engineer pursued the purchase of a GIS system for the Town. At the 1996 Annual Town Meeting, funding was approved for the purchase of a GIS system and a staff position was created for a MIS/GIS manager. GIS is a land based data management computer system. This system will greatly assist the staff in the time spent retrieving information from various files, departments and other sources. The Town's mapping will now be automated at one scale and contain various layers of information. This improved mapping will greatly assist the staff, applicants and residents.

  The Town Planner and the Chairman of the Planning Board have also been involved with the updating of the Open Space and Recreation Plan, under the direction of the Conservation Commission. In accordance with state guidelines, this plan should be updated every five years by the community. A citizen's advisory committee was formed consisting of various board members and residents to assist with the preparation of this plan. The Open Space and Recreation Plan is scheduled to be completed within the next six months.

  Numerous hours were spent in l 996 by the Town Planner and the Planning Board on researching and writing an adult entertainment zoning bylaw. The bylaw, which allows by special permit an adult-oriented business in a specific zoning district, was approved at the 1996 Annual Town Meeting. The zoning district affected by this bylaw is the BC district along route 9. Since the passage of our bylaw, several communities have contacted the office for copies of our bylaw. Surrounding towns which have adopted similar bylaws regulating this type of business are Westborough, Millbury and Auburn.

  The Town began its third CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) project this past summer and the Town Planner participated as one of the staff members on the team reviewing access issues at the town hall and the senior center. Members of the team included Elaine Priest, Judy McKenzie, Kara Buzanoski, Renee McCue, Jack Perreault, and Kathy Joubert. The process was a four month research project with a final presentation to the Board of Selectmen in December of 1996. Issues examined by the team include: improved access to the town hall by providing alternative hours of operation, lighting of the parking lot, creation of a lock box located at the town hall, improved signage within the building, improving our phone system, and providing for handicap access via the side entrance to the town hall. Some of the improvements were made in FY97 and others will be made in FY98.

  The Master Plan Update was started in October with the hiring of the land use planning firm of Whiteman & Taintor from Hopkinton MA. This planning process involves the updating of our 1988 Master Plan. A Master Plan Advisory Committee was created to work with the consultant and committee meetings began in November. Members include: Janice Hight, Kevin Hunt, Joe Hamilton, Dick Perron, June Stokoe, Linda Wilson, Pete Miller, Jane Walsh, Chip Russo, Jean Poteete, David Coons, Dick Alcorn, Marshall Gould, and Rick LieŁ This project will be completed in approximately seven months.

  Based on preliminary figures from the consultant, if the rate of residential growth continues in Northborough at its recent 100 unit per year rate, buildout will be reached within 10 to 15 years. Today, approximately 20% of the potentially developable residential land is still available. The Master Plan Update will be a very valuable planning tool for all departments and hoards.

  The Planning Board and the Town Planner belong to the New England Chapter of the American Planning Association, the Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors and the Massachusetts Federation of Planning Boards. All of these organizations serve as valuable sources of information.

  Board members also took part in the newly formed Citizen Planner Training Collaborative. This is a major undertaking by various professional planning groups, the Mass. Association of Planning Directors and the state planning agencies to provide effective and comprehensive training that is consistent across the state for planning board members. Training will be offered in both the spring and fall sessions.

  The Town Planner participated as a workshop speaker on a panel discussing development fees and the subdivision process with planning board members from rural towns west of Worcester. This was also part of the training initiative for board members.

Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn A. Joubert, Town Planner;
Kevin F. Hunt, Chairman,
Phyllis Tougas, Vice-Chairman,
Mark Foster, Clerk,
Alan Ooshatkin,
Richard Currier

Page provided by Northborough.com
e:mail
©1997 northborough.com