WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board is moving forward on its objective of opening up housing options in the Village Beautiful.
Earlier this month, the panel developed a narrative outlining its concerns to submit to two Eastern Massachusetts consultants who hope to work with the town.
The Massachusetts Housing Partnership wants to hire Boston's CoUrbanize and Brookline's Civic Moxie to work with the town on potential zoning bylaw changes to address housing needs in the 21st century.
At Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting, Community Development Director Andrew Groff told the panel that MHP is developing the contracts with the consultants. He warned the planners that they may need to schedule a special meeting next month if there are any questions back from MHP or the consultants.
The 215-word narrative drafted by the board lays out its concerns in broad terms.
It opens by mentioning the population decline in Berkshire County and asserts that both nationally and statewide people are "looking away from traditional models of housing."
"Trends show that folks are looking at smaller places to live, different and more efficient ways of living, and how to leave a smaller footprint," the Planning Board writes.
As evidence of this trend, the board cites the success of the Cable Mills apartments on Water Street, where more than than two-thirds of the units were occupied within three months of the ribbon cutting.
The board told the consultants that it wants to make sure the town's zoning bylaws meet the needs of the "next generation of workers, employers, families and seniors."
At a meeting last month, Groff told the board that the consultants will help the town's planners collect input from the community and use that data to help craft bylaw changes that can be brought to town meeting.
"With the cooperation of our friends and neighbors, the board hopes that the town can institute some forward thinking and unique zoning changes to respond to broader changes that are occurring, all while protecting what makes Williamstown a unique community," the Planning Board's narrative reads.
In other business on Tuesday, the Planning Board discussed a regular schedule to hear reports from its members on various planning projects — ranging from agriculture to parking — that each has agreed to tackle this year.
On the parking front, Groff told the board that Town Hall has not been fielding the same number of complaints this summer as it did in 2015 — either from Williams College’s construction project near the Village Business District or the Clark Art Institute, where last summer's wildly successful Van Gogh exhibit led to consistent use of South Street for on-street parking.
"We haven’t seen any major [construction-related] issues, and it seems like the college’s logistics plan is working quite well," Groff said. "We have had a couple of minor complaints, but they’ve been handled immediately."
The Clark, meanwhile, has been trying to more actively manage its parking demands by focusing on when it schedules special events and where its employees park, Groff said.
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Williamstown Charter Review Panel OKs Fix to Address 'Separation of Powers' Concern
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter.
The committee accepted language designed to meet concerns raised by the Planning Board about separation of powers under the charter.
The committee's original compliance language — Article 32 on the annual town meeting warrant — would have made the Select Board responsible for determining a remedy if any other town board or committee violated the charter.
The Planning Board objected to that notion, pointing out that it would give one elected body in town some authority over another.
On Wednesday, Charter Review Committee co-Chairs Andrew Hogeland and Jeffrey Johnson, both members of the Select Board, brought their colleagues amended language that, in essence, gives authority to enforce charter compliance by a board to its appointing authority.
For example, the Select Board would have authority to determine a remedy if, say, the Community Preservation Committee somehow violated the charter. And the voters, who elect the Planning Board, would have ultimate say if that body violates the charter.
In reality, the charter says very little about what town boards and committees — other than the Select Board — can or cannot do, and the powers of bodies like the Planning Board are regulated by state law.
The Charter Review Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to endorse an amended version of the compliance provision it drafted to be added to the Town Charter. click for more
Developer David Traggorth asked the trustees to make the contribution from its coffers to help unlock an additional $5.4 million in state funds for the planned 54-unit apartment building at the south end of the Cable Mills site.
click for more
The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, say the gift reflects their desire to not only support Williams but also President Maud S. Mandel's strategic vision and plan for the college.
click for more
Neighbors of a proposed subdivision off Summer Street last week asked the Planning Board to take a critical look at the project, which the residents say is out of scale to the neighborhood. click for more