Agenda - 02-18-2014 - 5a - Laserfiche WebLink

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0.1 1 Commissioner Price asked how this will affect farm based businesses, for example 2 someone making jam to sell on the roadside. 3 Perdita Holtz said businesses located on a bonafide farm, making a value added product 4 are exempt from zoning regulations. She said if it is not a bonafide farm, such as a person 5 making jam in their home kitchen, environmental health permits would be required. She said 6 this would be a home based business that requires a permit. 7 Commissioner Price asked if this means the person would still be able to sell in front of their 8 home. 9 Perdita Holtz said a home occupation would not be able to sell in front of their house. 10 Commissioner Price referred to the traffic issue. She said her tax accountant works out 11 of his home and has people drop taxes at his house. She said her neighbor generated more 12 traffic from teenage boys and their friends coming and going than the tax collector generates 13 from the business. She said she does not understand how traffic can differentiate. 14 Ashley Moncado said that can be a hard thing to regulate. She said the original 15 numbers were much greater than those being submitted tonight. She said charts were created 16 to show average trips. She said the original numbers proposed gave a number of upwards of 17 160 trips per day resulting from a major home occupation. She said this is based on a worst 18 case scenario of employees taking lunches, or a parent bringing children back and forth to piano 19 lessons. 20 Ashley Moncado said those traffic counts were why the recommendations were reduced, 21 in order to bring the counts down a little. She said an average single family residential unit will 22 create 4 -20 trips per day. She said the recommendations provided tonight go above that range 23 to accommodate for family and business trips. She said the goal is to keep it in the appropriate 24 range for a single family residential home. 25 Commissioner Gordon read the statement about creating a reasonable balance. She 26 referred to page 7 and asked why this says home occupation would be promoted and 27 encouraged. She gave the following alternative wording: "appropriate balance between 28 supporting home based business and protecting the character and enjoyment of residential 29 neighborhoods." 30 Ashley Moncado said the planning board's goal has been to promote home based 31 businesses. She said the one sentence focuses on one side of it; however the goal is to focus 32 on providing opportunities for residents to have a different means to conduct business through 33 their home, but it also important to protect the character of residential neighborhoods. 34 Commissioner Gordon said use of the words promote and encourage, does not sound 35 like a balance. 36 Ashley Moncado said this comes from the original goal. She said that one sentence 37 does not encompass all of this. 38 Commissioner Dorosin said it has been out of balance in the other direction, and now 39 the goal is to balance it by promoting home businesses. He said the pendulum often swings 40 too far the other way when these kinds of corrections are made. 41 Commissioner Rich noted that no one from the public was in attendance. She asked if 42 any input or comment was made at previous meetings or through emails. 43 Tony Blake said staff and board members spoke with neighbors and drew from personal 44 experiences. He feels these businesses are an underappreciated part of the economy. 45 Pete Hallenbeck said there were no comments from the public. He said most of the 46 planning board does some aspect of their work from their home. 47 Tony Blake said he works for corporation from home office, and he is exempt; however 48 many of his neighbors do work from home businesses. 49 Commissioner Rich said many people today use their home to telecommute.