Special Town Meeting Preview

The Special Town Meeting, which begins 7:30 p.m. Monday at Milton High School, will tackle four key issues. Two of the articles pertain to the Green Communities Act, with a zoning change and a liquor license rounding out the Warrant.

The Green Communities Act, which began in 2008 was designed to help towns maximize energy efficiency through the implementation of five policies, including:

• Provide as-of-right siting in designated locations for renew-

able/alternative energy generation, research & development, or

manufacturing facilities.

• Adopt an expedited application and permit process for as-of-right

energy facilities.

• Establish a benchmark for energy use and develop a plan to

reduce this baseline by 20 percent within five years.

• Purchase only fuel-efficient vehicles.
• Adopt the new Board of Building Regulations and Standards

(BBRS) Stretch Code.

Article One is for the adoption of the Stretch Code. The code will apply to both new construction projects and renovations, with two different sets of rules.

The Warrant Committee recommends that Town Meeting accept the articles. The first reason is because it will generate $125,000 in grant revenue. The Committee also points out that the change will impact very few residents as only three new single-family residences were built in FY2010. In the same time period, 853 renovation permits were issued.

Article Three, is a zoning bylaw change pertaining to the permit process for wind turbines on town property, which also applies to the Green Communities funding.

The Warrant Committee concurs with the Planning Board that the new zoning language be adopted, so the town will be following the Green Communities requirements. This change was not made when Town Meeting approved the wind turbine project because at that time the Committee was not sure if the town would benefit from the Green Communities program.

Article Two, another zoning bylaw change, asks the town to set a high restriction for accessory structures within 30 feet of the rear lot line. While the Warrant reads that the accessory structures should not be greater than 14 feet in height, the Committee has followed the Planning Board's recommendation that the limit be set at 20 feet.

According to the Committee's comments, the Planning Board is reworking this section of the bylaws to be presented at the May Town Meeting. The comment also says that this change should be passed now to avoid further litigation on the matter while a more thorough review is being done.

Article Four is to authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the General Court for a liquor license for Ichiro Sushi. The Warrant Committee recommends that the town approve the request, which will allow the restaurant owner to serve sake, a traditional Japanese wine.

If Town Meeting does not vote on all four articles on Monday, it will reconvene at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Milton High School Auditorium.