The Jaffrey Planning Board is discussing several potential changes to its regulations, including reviewing sections on site plan review and how the staff review applications that have been submitted.
On Tuesday, the board discussed several regulations, which the board has the ability to change after public review without the need for a town vote.
Planning Director Doug Dumont said the main goal of the changes is likely to be to clarify how the current ordinance functions. The main potential change discussed was exempting small projects of under 1,000 square feet.
Dumont clarified that site plan review would remain for most commercial and multifamily residential projects, as well projects that had impacts on wetlands or other zoning complications.
The board also discussed codifying its current process for reviewing applications. Currently, the town’s regulations require that applications go before a “review committee,” but the members of that committee are not specified. Dumont said currently, the town has a rotating member of the Planning Board, the department heads for the police, fire and public works departments, the building inspector and himself as the planning director. They review the applications for completeness, and to provide feedback on potential issues to the board before hearings begin on the application.
Dumont said potential updates to the regulations would put those review committee positions in writing, but were not looking to change the current practice.
The board also discussed the town’s fee schedules. Dumont said the board has tasked him with a thorough review of the hours and costs related to the Planning Board’s fees, and to determine if the fees need to be adjusted. He said that would likely be an ongoing process over the next few months.