Letter: Williamstown Planning Board Proposals
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To the Editor:
An elected planning board member tells us that voting on the zoning proposals at town meeting will let the Planning Board know how we "feel." Any zoning changes passed at town meeting will be "forever," and virtually irreversible. Cite the research that indicates what effect these changes will have.
Perhaps the Planning Board should have spent more time reaching out to all the town's citizenry long before any town meeting. These articles were approved by the Planning Board long before this unnecessarily delayed town meeting will be held. Better yet, place the items for a vote at the town election, even if as non-binding questions if legally necessary. Why are major decisions being made by a small number of citizens at the broken town meeting?
How do all and any articles affect property evaluations and property taxes, but only for some landowners if some but not articles are passed?
Why is a town master plan being conducted if it is totally meaningless?
Perhaps all items should be voted down, as a group, rather than tabled so the Planning Board can start from scratch and ready their proposals for the 2024 town meeting. All town households should be mailed paper copies of the new proposals well in advance of the 2024 town meeting.
Finally, who serves to benefit the most from passing any or all of these failed proposals???
Ken Swiatek
Williamstown, Mass.
Tags: zoning,
