Westport in Brief!
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Saturday, November 2, 2019
Quick Article Index . . .
Westport
Public Meeting to Present Proposed Targeted-Integrated Water Resources
Management Plan.
Letter to the
Editor: Attention Westport Farmers and Animal Owners.
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Westport Zoning Steering Committee to hold
public working group meeting on the recodification of the Town’s Zoning
Bylaws. Recodification eliminates unnecessary
confusion, reduces prospective lawsuits and burdens placed on the zoning
commissioner and ZBA, and provides a clearer path
to developers, businesses and homeowners looking to develop or improve their
properties. EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, October 31, 2019 Photos | EverythingWestport.com Over the years since zoning was established in Westport the Town’s Zoning
Bylaws have grown, sometimes lacking consistency or cohesion with existing
bylaws as new bylaws were added, adjusted, or modified through town meeting
votes.
Above: Planning and Zoning board members work through
the bylaws with consultant Russ Burke (upper right) of BSC Group. Photo / EverythingWestport.com The Westport Zoning Steering
Committee is made up of
zoning officials and Planning Board members to address those inconsistencies
and recodify the town’s zoning bylaws for clarity and accuracy. The Planning
Board will hold a public working group meeting on November 4th at 1:30 p.m. The Meeting Agenda is as follows: Recodification eliminates unnecessary confusion, reduces prospective
lawsuits and burdens placed on the zoning commissioner and ZBA, and provides a clearer path to developers,
businesses and homeowners looking to develop or improve their properties. Over the years since zoning was established in Westport the Town’s
Zoning Bylaws have grown, sometimes lacking consistency or cohesion with
existing bylaws as new bylaws were added, adjusted, or modified through town
meeting votes. The Westport Zoning Steering Committee is made up of zoning officials
and Planning Board members to address those inconsistencies and recodify the
town’s zoning bylaws for clarity and accuracy. Their meeting agenda is as follows: 1. Review Meeting Minutes 2. Discussion for a public hearing utilizing a PowerPoint presentation
to present zoning bylaw recodification, and solicit input on amendments, new
provisions, and new districts. It is planned that the public will get a
chance to review exhibits and handouts provided by the Steering Committee.
Following the discussion there will be a Review Break Out Session. 3. Discussion of Zoning Clarifications/Clean Ups to accompany
Recodification as Separate Articles at Town Meeting. Items of discussion are:
Lot Shape, Definitions, Temporary Portable Storage Containers, Use
Regulations, Abandonment/Discontinuance, Accessory Structures, and Solar Energy
Systems/Open Space. 4 .Long term Zoning Amendments to include: Off Street Parking, Signs,
Intensity Regulations. Home Occupations and additional Zoning Districts. 5. What’s next . . . . A public hearing will be conducted on
Thursday, November 7th at 6:00 p.m. at the public library at 408 Old County
Road to seek input from Westport residents on the findings and
recommendations of the Steering Committee.
Above: Photo of the lower East Branch of the Westport
River. Photo |
EverythingWestport.com Westport Public Meeting to Present
Proposed Targeted-Integrated Water Resources Management Plan. Public is invited to attend a November
13th meeting to hear about the plan components and anticipated outcomes. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, October 31, 2019 WESTPORT – On Wednesday, November 13th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at
the Town Hall Annex, 856 Main Road, the Town of Westport and their planning
consultants will be hosting a public meeting to present the draft Targeted-Integrated Water Resources Management Plan, T-IWRMP. The T-IWRMP is the product of months of
effort by Town officials, a dedicated group of local stakeholders, and the
Town’s consultant team. The meeting purpose is to report on the proposed program of
alternatives to address the goals of the plan as identified by the community
at the project outset. The T-IWRMP is specifically
focused on water quality challenges within the East Branch of the Westport
River and its surrounding watershed. The project used a variety of water quality, land use and existing
conditions data as a foundation for the effort. Based on those findings
around need, alternatives to address existing and anticipated future
conditions were developed in collaboration with stakeholders. These
alternatives were considered within the framework of environmental and public
health benefits, synergy with local economic development initiatives, and
cost among other criteria. The T-IWRMP is specifically focused on water
quality challenges within the East Branch of the Westport River and its
surrounding watershed. This plan provides a path forward to meet the water quality challenges
faced by the community, and when implemented will have far reaching impact.
It is important that residents understand the issues addressed, benefits
provided, and potential costs generated by this program. The Planning Board wants all residents to be informed on the merits of
the program and have the opportunity to comment on the draft plan as
proposed. “Our activities on the land continue to increase the loads on the
river, but the river’s capacity to handle those loads has not increased,”
says Robert Daylor, Chair of the IWRMP Working Committee. “In fact, the river shows its
stress in seasonal algal growth, eroded salt marshes, retreating sea grass
beds and reduced shellfishing areas. The river has
changed and we need to change how we use the land to reverse those stresses
and help it regain its health.” – Planning Board member Robert Daylor For further information regarding this meeting, please contact James
Hartnett, Town Planner at 508.636.1037 or hartnettj@westport-ma.gov;
or Betsy Frederick, Project Manager, Kleinfelder,
at 617.498.4603, or bfrederick@kleinfelder.com Letter to the Editor: Attention
Westport Farmers and Animal Owners. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, November 2, 2019 Attention Westport Farmers and Animal Owners: On Monday evening, November 4th at 7:00 p.m. the Board of Health plans
to cast their final vote on the Animal
Site Registry Regulation. This regulation originally titled The Keeping of Animals Regulation was
first proposed by the Board of Health on September 5th. And it was opposition
to this registry that brought out over three hundred people to a Board of
Health meeting on September 10th where dozens of people spoke out voicing
their concerns regarding this overreaching Board of Health regulation. Shortly after that meeting I was contacted by Board of Health Chairman
Phil Weinberg who told me that they were proposing changes to their original
draft. He assured me that they were listening to what people had to say.
Since that meeting I and a group of others have been working closely with the
Board of Health to revise this regulation into something more in keeping with
the interests of the farmers and animal owners in our community. “We would have preferred a voluntary versus a mandatory registration,
but were not able to gain footing regarding this request.” – Sherri Mahoney Currently being proposed is the greatly condensed Animal Site Registry
Regulation. This is a town mandated regulation requiring a one-time, no fee
registry of farm animal ownership in the Town of Westport. Owners of property
on which livestock are kept without a valid registration shall be subject to
a $10 penalty plus an additional $5 a day penalty for each day the violation
continues thereafter. A large number of things including town inspections and
a lengthy list of operating standards have been eliminated from this final
draft. In our negotiations with the Board of Health we worked hard to make
sure that the voices of farmers and animal owners were reflected in the
revised regulation, and their new regulation does indeed reflect that they
did listen and respond favorably to almost all of our requests. We would have
preferred a voluntary versus a mandatory registration, but were not able to
gain footing regarding this request. I’m also still left wondering about the
necessity of a town regulation; especially one born out of an animal abuse
case not related to local farmers. Additionally, barn book registrations and
inspections are currently regulated under the Massachusetts Department of
Agriculture and seem to work in other communities, but for some reason come
up short in Westport. I think it’s possible that the Board of Health and
Agricultural Committee failed to provide farmers and animal owners the tools
necessary to make the barn book process a success in our town. I know that many of you will still have questions and concerns about
the regulation, and I encourage you to attend the meeting on November 4th so
that you can listen and be heard. I’m proud to be part of this community
where the right to farm is such an important part of community, and while I
appreciate the efforts of Phil Weinberg and the Board of Health in their
willingness to listen to the voice of our farmers, I still believe that the
heart of Westport lies in its farms, and we must all continue to work at
preserving our town’s Right to Farm Bylaw. Sherilyn (Sherri) Mahoney - - - - - End - - - - - ©
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