Minutes 11-25-2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Price asked how this will affect farm based businesses, for example someone making jam to sell on the roadside. Perdita Holtz said businesses located on a bonafide farm, making a value added product are exempt from zoning regulations. She said if it is not a bonafide farm, such as a person making jam in their home kitchen, environmental health permits would be required. She said this would be a home based business that requires a permit. Commissioner Price asked if this means the person would still be able to sell in front of their home. Perdita Holtz said a home occupation would not be able to sell in front of their house. Commissioner Price referred to the traffic issue. She said her tax accountant works out of his home and has people drop taxes at his house. She said her neighbor generated more traffic from teenage boys and their friends coming and going than the tax collector generates from the business. She said she does not understand how traffic can differentiate. Ashley Moncado said that can be a hard thing to regulate. She said the original numbers were much greater than those being submitted tonight. She said charts were created to show average trips. She said the original numbers proposed gave a number of upwards of 160 trips per day resulting from a major home occupation. She said this is based on a worst case scenario of employees taking lunches, or a parent bringing children back and forth to piano lessons. Ashley Moncado said those traffic counts were why the recommendations were reduced, in order to bring the counts down a little. She said an average single family residential unit will create 4-20 trips per day. She said the recommendations provided tonight go above that range to accommodate for family and business trips. She said the goal is to keep it in the appropriate range for a single family residential home. Commissioner Gordon read the statement about creating a reasonable balance between the home occupations and protecting the character of residential neighborhoods. She referred to page 7 and asked why this says home occupations would be promoted and encouraged. She gave the following alternative wording: "appropriate balance between supporting home based business and protecting the character and enjoyment of residential neighborhoods." Ashley Moncado said the planning board's goal has been to promote home based businesses. She said the one sentence focuses on one side of it; however the goal is to focus on providing opportunities for residents to have a different means to conduct business through their home, but it also important to protect the character of residential neighborhoods. Commissioner Gordon said use of the words promote and encourage, does not sound like a balance. Ashley Moncado said this comes from the original goal. She said that one sentence does not encompass all of this. Commissioner Dorosin said it has been out of balance in the other direction, and now the goal is to balance it by promoting home businesses. He said the pendulum often swings too far the other way when these kinds of corrections are made. Commissioner Rich noted that no one from the public was in attendance. She asked if any input or comment was made at previous meetings or through emails. Tony Blake said staff and board members spoke with neighbors and drew from personal experiences. He feels these businesses are an underappreciated part of the economy. Pete Hallenbeck said there were no comments from the public. He said most of the planning board does some aspect of their work from their home. Tony Blake said he works for a corporation from home office, and he is exempt; however many of his neighbors do work from home businesses. Commissioner Rich said many people today use their home to telecommute.