LRPC to convert overlay districts to base districts; Board to review sequencing concerns

Planner Charles Wise told the Board that the Lakes Region Planning Commission is implementing draft housing-chapter recommendations and will administratively convert the town’s overlay districts into base districts. Mr. Wise said the current effort is administrative and intended to make the ordinance internally consistent without changing what is allowed, and that substantive changes can follow.

Member Norman Larson objected that the Board had not agreed to this work and raised substantive concerns about sequencing: the village-node changes were intended to be paired with removing commercial designations from certain undeveloped commercial lots along Route 25 to avoid creating a continuous commercial strip; Larson warned the sequence could alter that balance. The Board agreed to review the LRPC draft when available and noted there is no obligation to adopt the grant product as delivered.