Planning Board Expands Effort to Assert Design Control Over Groton Center
The Planning Board voted unanimously to adopt its recently amended Town Center Design Guidelines. These amended guidelines codify design options for properties included in the Town Center Overlay District in exhaustive detail.
Despite its name, the actual Town Center Overlay District currently has jurisdiction over a fairly small area of the Center, restricted to Station Avenue and development at 134 Main Street, also called Boynton Meadows. A vote of Town Meeting is required to expand the TCOD.
The Town Center Design Guidelines are codified in a 49-page document with extensive photography showing desirable types of architecture, detailing a certain 'look and feel' for Main Street and spelling out acceptable design options for properties within the Town Center Overlay District.
Several years ago, the town adopted a state statute creating and empowering Groton's Historic Districts Commission [HDC] to be responsible for establishing policies and guidelines to maintain the character and architecture of the Center. Most property owners who have worked with the Historic Districts Commission have found them to be steadfast in their protection of town center while providing common sense advice and ideas.
The Historic Districts Commission exercises statutory authority over any projects that occur within their districts - including most of Main Street - and they have authority to issue a 'Certificate of Appropriateness' for any changes to town center properties. Adoption of the TOCD for Boynton Meadows (134 Main St.) created overlapping authority with the HDC and Planning Board. This regulatory overlap resulted in uncertainty for applicants and confusion between the two organizations. Recognizing this, the HDC and Planning Board established a working group to look at this overlap and come up with clear lines of responsibility.
Members of the Historic Districts Commission and Planning Board spent hours drawing complex lines of responsibility for any changes to properties located in both the Historic District and in the Town Center Overlay District. The group included Daniel Barton, Michelle Collette, John Giger and Laura Moore. The resulting document is a large process flow chart that describes particular situations including districts and zoning, and identifies which board has authority for decision making. The document is available in the Land Use Office.
At Town Meeting, the Planning Board and Selectmen are proposing to expand the Town Center Overlay District to include the town-owned Prescott School property, although this article may be withdrawn before town Meeting [see Selectmen's story].
In addition, the Planning Board recommends major changes in Business zoning designations. Business zoning regulations have not been updated since the 1960s. The changes include converting the existing Business (B1) District into three new districts: Village Center District, Neighborhood District and General Business District. These changes will stipulate permitted uses for properties that fall within each of these districts. The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing on these changes for Thursday, Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
