In Attendance: Selectman Robert C. O’Connor – Chairman
Selectman John C. Brayshaw
Selectman Edward F. Mical - Absent
Recording secretary: Mary Whalen
Chairman O’Connor opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m.
The regular Selectmen’s meeting was canceled and an open forum was arranged
to talk about the Town’s growth and receive input from the Town’s people.
Chairman O’Connor explained to the floor that in the past two years the new
home building permits have increased and if it continues it will lead to large
expenditures for the Town in services and schooling. Representatives from the
Planning Board, Zoning Board, and the Kearsarge Regional School Board were in
attendance to be part of the discussion. Selectman O’Connor explained that no
decisions would be made on this night, the Board is looking for input from the
community on which direction to go pertaining to the growth. The growth cannot
be stopped, but it can be controlled. The discussion will be held solely to Town
Growth.
The following is a summary of some of the community’s comments:
Comment- How can you keep the Mink’s from being over populated?
Selectman Brayshaw – The Conservation Commission looks for Conservation
Easements on properties.
The Conservation Commission is currently active in preserving the Minks Hills
area. Warner is experiencing a northern movement.
Comment- Do you have any examples of the Zoning Ordinances from other Towns
that were successful in limiting their growth?
Chairman O’Connor - Town’s are limiting their growth by a percentage
of their population. You take the a population of 3000 people and divide the
average size family of three, your total is 1000 then you take a percentage
of that (.0139) to come up with the number of new home building permits
(13.9), and then caveats are added regarding builders or developers.
Selectman Brayshaw – Some Town’s stopped giving out building permits
as long as there was a moratorium in place. Do we want to limit new homes
and open dirt roads that will eventually need paving? These are the
questions that the Board is looking to answer.
Comment - School and taxes are a concern but something much bigger, is the
quality of life, and predominately the people attending this meeting would
like to keep the small town quality of life. There is a concern when 1.3%
growth is mentioned, calculated with 1% of the population, it doubles within
fifty years. To broaden the scope of this discussion, what will Warner look
like in fifty years? There are other towns available for those who want the
big town amenities.
Chairman O’Connor - Back in the 1700’s 50% of the State of New
Hampshire was clear cut. Since then the State of New Hampshire and its
people have taken the stance that clear cutting to that extent should not
happen again, along with local control and State Laws at this date there is
only 15% of New Hampshire that is clear cut. With development on the rise it’s
up to local control to make sure clear-cutting all the land doesn’t happen
again. That’s why we are all here tonight.
Mr. Richard Cook – Chairman of the Conservation Commission offered
another approach to slowing down the growth in Warner, and that is putting
Conservation Easements on property for a number of reasons, environmental,
and historical reasons. Many Towns south of Warner have started programs
like this and many of them started too late. The Town can vote a Bond Issue
where so much money will be put up and over time be used to purchase
Conservation Easements that will keep open space and keep land in private
hands. This is a tool that the Town can examine when looking at controlling
growth in Warner, its non-regulatory, its voluntary, but it’s permanent
and can be effective if directed to meet the goal of the community.
Mr. David Carroll - "I favor Mr. Cook’s suggestion. If you do not
purchase land or encourage private land owners who are willing to go into
Conservation Easements and set land aside you will be undone. Our whole
culture, economics, our politics mandates the maximization of land use. The
Town of Chester raised a three million-dollar bond issue to purchase land
with a natural habitat. Land needs to be set aside or the Master Plan means
nothing. A town could vote and say that they do not want more than 5000
people. If the towns around you have 10,000 people you are obligated to open
your doors and accept a larger population. The only way around that is if
the Town buys land or private land owners start putting land in Conservation
easements. From personal experience the last stronghold that you have is
land ownership.
Mr. Proulx - Going with Mr. Cook’s recommendation this leaves building
areas more in the central areas of Town. Are there any restrictions for
cluster housing or multi-family units, and does a multi-family dwelling
count as one building permit?
A member of the Zoning Board read the Zoning Ordinance pertaining to cluster
development. The purpose of the Zoning Board is to provide flexible alternatives
to conventional development, which will be consistent with the character of the
Town of Warner, and which will promote the health, safety, and general welfare
of Warner residents. Specifically these cluster development regulations are
designed to protect scenic, historic, forested, fragile, or other sensitive
land, wet lands, wild life habitat and agricultural lands. Preserve open space,
encourage imaginative and economical approaches to land development in harmony
with natural features and encourage the efficient use of land.
Comment - Is there a legal possibility that cluster development and
multi-family units be eliminated?
Selectman Brayshaw - New Hampshire State Law would supercede any local
governing laws when pushed.
Comment - Ultimately an Ordinance change comes down to the Town of Warner.
Its not the Selectmen that would set the Ordinance, it would go before the
Town of Warner for election.
Selectman Brayshaw - The Town as a unit votes to discontinue a road
subject to gates and bars. In 1958 and 1963 the Town of Warner had done that
with certain roads in Town as long as property owner where not land locked.
Mr. Allan Lord - For years I was under the assumption that Class VI meant
that you couldn’t develop, but the Town has been making acceptions for a
number of years. Do you put a moratorium on the development on Class VI
roads where it keeps the outer reaches of the Town unreachable?
Selectman Brayshaw - The Town at one time would allow development on
Class VI roads as long as a codicil
an
R2 zone, no more than two, two units shall be located in any one structure
in R3, OC1, or OR1.
Chairman O’Connor referred to the table in the back of the Zoning
Ordinance book on what is allowed in the Town of Warner without a Special
Exception.
Comment - Cluster development is not necessarily a bad thing.
It may be a way of preserving open space. If you want to keep the character of
the Town maintaining open spaces some form of cluster development may be
appropriate.
Mr. Allan Brown - On saving land in the Town of Warner, my family has
been in the Town of Warner since the 1800’s. With the new people moving in
with these $300,000.00 homes that are driving the assessments up are making
it difficult to hold onto the land. If my family decides to sub-divide and
sell it off, are you saying we can’t because someone doesn’t want to see
two houses in 400 feet. Who’s going to pay me back if the Town re-zones. I’ve
paid taxes for the last thirty years.
Chairman O’Connor - There will be no decisions made this evening. This
meeting is dedicated to information.
Mr. Allen Brown - If you want to control the lot next to you then buy it.
The Zoning Board has so many Zoning articles that they don’t know what
they have on the books; they can’t keep track of what they are doing. Its
time to stop.
Mr. David Hartman - A constructive way of looking at what a community can
do to help protect itself from growth. Mr. Hartman agrees with the concept
of putting land in easements.
Martha Mical - I am in favor of limiting the new home building permits.
Mrs. Mical agrees that the Conservation Commission is doing a great job, but
does not agree with restricting where someone can build. Do not put it on
the tax payers to raise the money for land; if you wish the Conservation
Commission to preserve land then give a donation, there is a Land Fund you
can donate to.
Mr. Allan Brown - In the Master Plan it says that you develop your
infrastructure. You develop inside the center of Town. Mr. Charlie Albano
also commented on the development of the infrastructure.
Comment - The character of the Town needs to be maintaining the current
charm along with the growth. A town in Virginia maximized their green spaces
by taking a parcel of land and requiring everyone to have a one acre lot, but
then requiring the homes to be clustered in the center so it becomes a
community with green space. Also before they were allowed to build they had to
support the fire and rescue, police, and sanitation etc, so the Town would not
have to play catch up.
Comment - Who assesses Impact Fees? Is it the Selectmen?
Chairman O’Connor - The Impact Fees is a possibility to look at.
Selectman Brayshaw - One impact on the community would be allowing a
liquor store down at Exit 9.
Comment - I hope that this is not the only meeting dedicated to this Growth
issue. Selectman Brayshaw reminded the public that the Selectmen meet weekly.
Maybe the week by week meetings is not the best way to get a large number of
people together to air opposing viewpoints.
Mrs. Barbara Annis - There will be Non-Residential Architectural results
coming out soon; they are posted public meetings with little or no public
attendance. The Capital Improvements Program is coming up. The Budget
Committee meetings will be starting up.
Comment - A gentleman from the Town of Weare commented on the growth of
Weare and was interested in Warner’s discussion on growth control and the
lack of it in Weare. The question asked was how you keep your Master Plan
updated. Chairman O’Connor explained that the Planning Board was the group
that gathered the information for the Master Plan. Selectman Brayshaw
commented that a variety of people with different ideas getting together are
the Boards approach. Also Derek Pershouse commented that Central New Hampshire
Regional Planning Commission helped put the Master Plan together along with
the Planning Board.
Selectman Brayshaw - There was a proposed sub-division on Old Denny Hill
Road were the road needed to be upgraded. That’s where the Impact Fees
would benefit the Town. Do I as a resident and Tax payer want to pay for
someone else’s road improvement?
Comment - Is the Town of Warner moving in the direction of paving all the
dirt roads?
Selectman Brayshaw – If the Town is in the road building business, it
would take over 50 years to notice the savings from paving versus
maintaining a dirt road. If it is as Allan Brown (Public Works Director)
says, $1,700 a year to maintain a dirt road.
David Carroll - Being near an Interstate, Warner is the next Bow. Money
needs to be set aside for the purchase of land. Do not wait until it is too
late. Warner still has a chance.
Comment - Planned growth would be better for the big and small landowners
alike if it were done well. There are three issues in front of the Planning
Board right now. First is commercial growth. The Planning Board is considering
a comprehensive set of Site Plan Regulations which will affect how all
commercial development will look in the Town. The Planning Board is now taking
on the Capital Improvement Plan. Both Planning and Zoning Boards meet monthly.
Mr. Charlie Albano - Development that was stopped on top of Kearsarge
Mountain Road. I thank the Selectmen for this opportunity to voice opinions
on growth. More comments followed in favor of this meeting and encouragement
to the Board to proceed with a monthly meeting dedicated to growth.
Chairman O’Connor - The amount of people that attended this meeting and
the positive feed back (60-70 people attended). Is encouragement to continue
these talks.
Comment - Can the Town decide what type of businesses we want to attract.
Jim McLaughlin - (Planning Board) The Town refers to the Zoning Ordinance
to determine the uses in Town. Mr. McLaughlin introduced Lucy St. John from
Central Regional Planning Commission who has been helping the Planning Board
with the Site-Plan Regulations. Ms. St. John constantly talks to Towns with
the same growth issues. Impact Fees, you need Capital Improvements Program
in place. Growth management, a lot of towns has this in place using a
percentage. It can be challenged. Zoning can be looked at with maybe larger
lots, cluster development etc. Jim Mclaughlin challenged those in attendance
to consider being a member of the Zoning Board, Planning Board, or the
Conservation Commission; these Boards are always looking for people. By the
end of this meeting a number of people signed up for various Boards.
Comment - It was informed that Route 93 is planned to be widened.
Alice Chamberlin - With a process that allows the community and different
Boards to focus on ideas that can be accomplished, it’s important to have
carry through.
Selectman Brayshaw and Chairman O’Connor proposed to continue this
meeting for every third Tuesday of every month.
The meeting closed at 8:30 p.m.
Robert C. O’Connor – Chairman
John C. Brayshaw
Edward F. Mical