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| By Courtney Llewellyn Reminder Assistant Editor LONGMEADOW A Planning Board quorum met Thursday evening to discuss two items that may positively impact the town in the future. The first item discussed was what had been accomplished by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) through a Planning Board assistance grant. PVPC staff reviewed the town's current zoning bylaws and found "gross inconsistencies with state law," according to Planning Board Chair Walter Gunn. "We're looking to clean it up so you can find the information you're looking for," board member Louis Kornet added. Gunn said the 45-page bylaw is not clearly marked and information for one specific topic may be spread throughout the entire document. "We want to reformat and reorganize the zoning bylaws," Gunn said. "We need a palatable, digestible version. Nothing in the law will change, it will just be reorganized." He added there will be more descriptive tables in the redesigned bylaw. Before this reformatting and reorganization can take place, though, an article must be written and brought before a public hearing and approved of. After that, the article will go into the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting, taking place April 29. The hearing must happen at least 30 days before the meeting. The second item brought up by the Planning Board was whether or not the town of Longmeadow needed a town planner someone to not only assist the Planning Board with their duties, but the Conservation Commission, the Historic District Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals as well. This position would take some responsibilities away from Town Manager Robin Crosbie. Board member Roy Johansen added the planner position would be of use to the Parks and Recreation Department as well. "It would pass some day to day responsibilities [for the Planning Board] to someone else," Gunn explained. "We need to consider a position like this when it comes time to consider a new high school, an urban center and a whole host of other things coming down the pike," Kornet said. The position, whether it be full- or part-time, would include the person reviewing forms and applications before they came before the various boards, properly filing and archiving all documents, researching future issues, looking for grant opportunities and looking for the eligibility of certain neighborhoods to become historical districts. "Proper filing and distribution of documents is a board deficiency at this point," Gunn said. Kornet added the person filling the position could work on long range projects, which are "things we need to think about now." Johansen said, "While looking for grant opportunities, the person could almost pay for themselves." "All these details could be muddled by us," Gunn stated. "We're lay people." The position, if created, would be filled by someone who knew the intricate details of the various planning aspects of the town. The board endorsed a letter to Crosbie detailing the need for additional resources for the Planning Board or planning related functions on behalf of the town of Longmeadow. The Planning Board itself is still seeking applications from interested residents to fill a vacancy on the board until elections take place in the spring, when the position will be voted on for a two-year term. The deadline for applications is Jan. 15. The next Planning Board meeting has been tentatively scheduled for Feb. 7. |