Creating a Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) is one thing; achieving the goals set out within it is another. Stafford’s Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) is beginning to undertake the task of bringing the POCD to life, starting with the “low-hanging fruit,” as PZC Chair Dave Palmberg put it at the February 15, 2024, meeting.
Palmberg asked Zoning Enforcement Officer Andrew Marchese to take a look at the POCD and identify some of the items that would be easy to make progress on such as modifying lake district setbacks or changing the zoning near the race track to allow for commercial uses. He also asked Marchese to coordinate with Amber Wakley-Whaley, Director of Grants and Community Development, to find priorities that could pertain to grant opportunities.
The goal is to make progress on smaller projects while thinking about ways to change zoning regulations to encourage more affordable and entry-level housing development. That could mean anything from allowing additional dwelling units (ADUs) to letting larger homes and buildings be subdivided into apartments or duplexes. Board member Richard Shuck brought up allowing for more reuse of older buildings, pointing to the old Pinney School, which was recently up for sale. Shuck said that a study once revealed the best use of that property would be as a multiple-unit apartment building, but zoning did not allow for it.
The board informally tossed around a number of ideas to alleviate the housing crunch. While smaller lots are not always feasible when septic systems are necessary, they did say they could consider shrinking some lot sizes fordevelopers willing to preserve more open space or who were willing to provide more communal amenities.
The board also talked about holding a workshop that was open to the public to get feedback on these ideas. “Unfortunately, we don’t get participation from the public until the decision has been made,” said Palmberg. But as the PZC works to solve some of these dilemmas, it wants input from residents. So stay tuned for more information in the coming months.
An update on the Country Village Shoppes
The application for 32 West Stafford Road has been withdrawn, at least for now. After the last discussion, the applicants have reportedly decided to go back to the drawing board. Ratcher than trying to salvage any of the current footprints, the board expects that Dunbeath LLC may come back with a new plan to raze the entire complex and start over with one building.