The Planning Department and the Planning Board continue to review submittals for the creation of new residential lots. In 1997, twenty-five (25) Form A applications creating seventy-two (72) single family lots were submitted for review and approval. Applications for three common driveway petitions and one planning board site plan review petition were also submitted. The Planning Department collected $5,080.25 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, fifteen (15) 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 and to protect and conserve natural areas.

   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 would then be used to complete the roadway work within the subdivision. We presently maintain a subdivision bond account of $1,158,409.

   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 and 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.

   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 reuse of some vacant industrial buildings.

   In 1995, a Development Guidebook was created by Kathy Joubert, Town Planner, Jack Perreault, Town Engineer and Stacia Smith, Assistant Town Administrator, with the assistance of town boards and departments. The Development Guidebook is utilized as a guide to Northborough's project review and approval process. The Guidebook was revised in October of 1997 and summarizes each department and board 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 offices.

  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 regarding economic stability for the community.

   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.

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

   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. We are pleased to report significant progress on this project. David Kane, MIS/GIS manager was hired in January of 1997 and the aerial flyover for the GIS mapping system was completed in the spring of 1997. 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 numerous layers of information. This improved mapping will greatly assist the staff, applicants and residents.

   As a direct result of our GIS program, we received a grant in the fall of 1997 from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development ((MDHCD)) for the development of an automated building permit tracking system. The State looked favorably upon the Town due to the town meeting support for the GIS program. This automated system will greatly benefit all the departments in town hall and assist applicants with the building permit process. Our system will also be used as a model for other communities in Massachusetts.

   The Town Planner and members 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 and Sue Brackett, Assistant Town Engineer. 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.

   Telecommunication towers have surfaced in Northborough and with their arrival, they have generated a great deal of concern among residents. The 1996 Federal Telecommunications Act prohibits towns and cities from banning such towers in their communities. A telecommunication tower bylaw, for the purpose of regulating and planning the location of these towers, will be presented by the Planning Board at the 1998 annual town meeting

   As part of the ongoing CQI IContinuous Quality Improvement) process with town employees, the Town Planner participated on a team examining access issues for the town hall and senior center. Recommendations were made in the following areas: 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. All of these access improvements have been made to date. It was determined improvements to the phone system will be a separate study in the future. We have received very favorable feedback pertaining to the change in the town hall hours and to the addition of the drop off box at the town hall. The CQI team consisting of Kara Buzanoski, Jack Perreault, Renee McCue Hall, Judy McKenzie, Elaine Priest and Kathy Joubert will continue to examine ways to improve access to the town hall.

   The Master Plan Update was completed in December of 1997. This was a year long project undertaken with the Master Plan Advisory Committee and the land use consulting firm of Whiteman & Taintor from Hopkinton, MA. This planning process involved the updating of our 1988 Master Plan and a town wide citizens survey Members of the Master Plan Advisory Committee include: Rick Leif, Janice Hight, Kevin Hunt, Joe Hamilton, Dick Perron, June Stokoe, Linda Wilson, Pete Miller, Jane Walsh, Chip Russo, Jean Poteete, David Coons, Dick Alcom, Marshall Gould, David DeVries, Stephen Kellicker, Marielle Stone, Jean Langley and Renee McCue Hall.

   Several recommendations from the Master Plan will be presented at the 1998 Annual Town Meeting. The most time sensitive and critical rec ommendation is for the establishment of an open space bond to be utilized for the purchase of open space and recreation land. 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 is a very valuable planning tool for all departments and boards.

   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 a major undertaking by various profession- planning groups, the Massachusetts 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 continue to be offered in both the spring and fall sessions.