Essex Town Meeting expected to last two nights - GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA

ESSEX — Proposals to create a residential and agricultural zoning district for John Wise Avenue, reduce spending on the Essex Youth Commission, approve a bylaw governing windmills, and take the latest step toward selling a portion of land on Conomo Point highlight a hefty 43-article Town Meeting warrant officials expect will take until Tuesday to settle.

Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki on Thursday said he thought it was likely this year's lengthy Town Meeting agenda, filled with articles touching on a few of the town's most controversial issues, would carry over from Monday into a second night. Earlier in the week, the selectmen approved renting a sound system for the meeting for a second night.

"Two days are likely," Zubricki said Thursday. "Last year it was two nights, the year before that it was one. You will find it is about equal between one-night meetings and two."

The zoning measures and Conomo Point proposal promise to spark significant debate and follow a number of critical financial articles, including authorization to spend $13.6 million in fiscal 2009.

The spending includes the town's $5 million operating budget and $5.7 million assessment to fund the Manchester Essex Regional School District budget.

To avoid asking voters to override tax-limiting Proposition 21/2, the Finance Committee did not include spending for capital items in the budget and cut $125,000 in departmental requests.

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Youth Commission funding

Those cuts include chopping $16,000 to fund the salary of the 20-hour-per-week Essex Youth Commission director, a move the Youth Commission voted in March to oppose.

The Finance Committee has argued that the amount of programming provided by the commission in the fall, winter and spring does not provide sufficient return for the $35,000 in salary and benefits that go into having a year-round director. The committee has proposed funding the commission's programs entirely through user fees — which cover the summer program — and voluntary contributions.

The Finance Committee initially recommended cutting the entire $26,000 that the town spends on youth program funding, but restored $10,000 of it in April after outcry from residents and the commission.

Essex Youth Commission Director Marilyn Klypka-Simpson said yesterday that without the full $26,000 from the town, she would likely not be able to continue in her position. She said the town would have to go back to one part-time employee running the summer program and little programming for the remainder of the year.

"People like the idea that there is one person who oversees things and knows all the children," Klypka-Simpson said. "You will lose that."

Overlay district

Zoning restrictions have been a divisive issue in Essex for years and the latest attempt to limit commercial development by creating a Residential-Agricultural Overlay District has divided property owners on John Wise Avenue, Route 133.

Approval of the overlay district would mean new construction on John Wise Avenue — from Western Avenue to the Ipswich line — would only be allowed if it is for farm or residential use.

Supporters of the district said it is necessary to protect the rural character and scenic appearance of John Wise Avenue from being covered in commercial projects ranging from boat storage lots to mini malls. Currently, the town's zoning does not limit land use by district (aside from wetlands restrictions).

But several John Wise Avenue landowners said the town does not have the right to limit what they can do on their property while other areas of town have no restrictions. Many said they fear that the restrictions will lower their property values and make it more difficult for them to obtain loans.

Other opponents of the article said they support the idea of zoning, but think it should be done townwide and not just on one street.

Under the article, existing commercial uses not linked to agriculture would be "grandfathered."

Windmills

Another zoning-related article expected to draw debate is a proposed bylaw establishing guidelines and restrictions for the installation of wind turbines.

The bylaw would allow building-mounted units that do not increase the height of a building by more than 20 percent, but require those looking to build free-standing structures to obtain a special permit from the Planning Board.

No windmill of any kind could exceed 150 feet in height and, in an effort to limit wind farms, only one turbine would be allowed per acre of land. The bylaw also includes color, noise and setback requirements for wind power units.

The Planning Board drafted the bylaw to give it some control over the kind of wind power projects built in town, while encouraging small units and noncommercial projects.

But some landowners with an interest in building turbines have said the height restrictions, especially for the building-mounted units, were too severe to make building a turbine attractive.

Planning Board member William Holton said this week that he would be open to amending the height restrictions for building-mounted units, within reason.

The windmill bylaw precedes seven other zoning-related articles on the warrant, including changes to the flood plain district bylaw, added restrictions on the construction of a second building on one lot, and a proposal to remove Planning Board decisions from the list of things subject to reversal by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The Planning Board proposed the article so that it, an elected board, would not be subject to being overruled by the Board of Appeals, an appointed board.

Board of Appeals Chairman Ed Perkins said he opposes the article because it would force anyone aggrieved by the Planning Board to go to court.

Conomo Point

The Conomo Point article would authorize the town to start searching for a planner to study and subdivide lots at Conomo Point on land south of Robbins Island Road in a way that would maximize value for the town should it choose to sell it.

The Conomo Point Committee has proposed selling the land south of Robbins Island as way to generate revenue and pave the way for a plan for the remainder of the point.

Some residents have objected to the idea that the town sell any of its land at the point.

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