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Date: 10/19/2022
LUDLOW – The Planning Board provided updates on zoning bylaw changes for adult use marijuana establishments/treatment centers and the potential pickleball courts during their Oct. 13 meeting.
The Planning Board is currently undergoing a revision of the town’s cannabis bylaws to potentially allow for recreational dispensaries after they were initially banned following a ballot question several years ago.
Town Planner Doug Stefancik said the plan right now is to have the article ready for the next Town Meeting in May 2023 with a public hearing taking place early next year before that.
Board member Chris Coelho said, ‘I think the plan is evolving nicely.”
The board continued to discuss the wording of the article along with making sure the punctuation marks were consistent to make it perfect for when it is presented to the public.
Stefancik continued to say that the Boys and Girls club reached out to him with potential plans for its sports complexes.
He said, “Some of the things they are talking about include enhancing the baseball field, building new concession stands, a new sports court in the back of the building, two new pickleball courts and water bottle fillers.”
He added they plan to come to the board soon to get site plan approval for this project.
Stefancik also brought up that Harris Brook Elementary School is looking to add a few basketball hoops and Vice Chair Ray Phoenix said if long as they maintain enough green space it should not be a big deal.
He added, “One of the main complaints from the kids and parents is the ability to run around at recess is pretty cut down. I would like to see whoever oversees maintenance over there be more on top of it.”
At the most recent Town Meeting, residents voted yes to have Riverside Drive be designated as a public way. The Board of Selectmen and DPW met before town meeting to express some concerns over the project.
Steancik said the article passed by a “slim vote” but included some caveats that the town and Board of Selectmen were made aware of before the vote.
Chairmen of the Planning Board Joe Queiroga read a letter attached with memorandums from Chairman of Public Works Stephen Santos regarding Riverside Drive being considered as a public way.
The letter read, “I have outlined several outstanding items that deal with Riverside Drive project. Particularly with the sanitary sewer pump station.”
Queiroga added that DPW does not have the right pump, and none are available now, so they had to go get a different pump for a temporary solution.
The rest of the letter said, “It is because of these outstanding items that DPW is not recommending the acceptance of Riverside Drive until of all items in the memorandum along with all outstanding contract documents.”
Coelho added that he hopes to see DPW follow up on this so there are no further problems.
Phonix said, “When these [projects] are going in I know no one wants to wait and I am glad something was able to be done to facilitate that project because it is important. I also think it is dangerous ground because when people put together a street, and it is going to town meeting, it is supposed to be done or we do not take it because there are issues outstanding.
He added, “I have a little bit of reservation on it because that it what we hold every developer in town to. I do not want to fall into a pattern of this.”