Williamstown Finalizes Torrey Woods Road Utility Pole Plan

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board Monday OK'd a plan for new utility poles on Torrey Woods Road after hearing that the residents who originally raised questions were satisfied with the final configuration.
 
In a special, single-item meeting, the board wrapped up a public hearing that began in July.
 
Last Monday, at the first continuation of the hearing, the board left with a sense that the property owners on both sides of the road that would be impacted were close to an agreement.
 
This week, National Grid's Nicholas DeRosa was back before the board.
 
"At the meeting last week, we discussed a possible third option to shift Pole 2 away from the guard rail and shift Pole 1 further east," DeRosa said. "After looking at that in the field, we determined the first solution, the original plan, would be the best course of action."
 
The new poles are necessary to continue utility service to 88 Torrey Woods Road, a lot where a new home is under construction. The owners of neighboring 150 Torrey Woods Road brought their concern that Pole 1 was set to be installed directly in front of their home.
 
Chair Stephanie Boyd confirmed that the residents of 150 Torrey were part of the site visit DeRosa made last week and mentioned that the agreed upon plan is a little east of the house.
 
"I ran into Kristy Edmunds [one of the 150 Torrey owners], and she told me she was good with this plan," Boyd told her colleagues. "Plan No. 1 in the meeting packet from last week is the one we are going with."
 
Boyd, Peter Beck and Matthew Neely, who attended the special meeting, voted, 3-0, to approve that plan.
 
"I want to thank Nick DeRosa from National grid and all the homeowners who were thoughtful and respectful about their concerns and their neighbors' concerns," Boyd said. "I think the process worked well."
 

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Williamstown Planning Board Asks for Seasonal Communities Designation, Talks Tiny Homes

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Planning Board this month voted unanimously to recommend that the Select Board ask town meeting to accept the provisions of the provisions of the commonwealth's Seasonal Communities law.
 
If town meeting members agree at the May 19 annual town meeting, the town would have the ability to take steps to allow or create workforce housing, and it would give the town the ability to compete for grants to support year-round housing.
 
The tradeoff is that, under the terms of the Seasonal Communities program, Williamstown would need to enact zoning bylaws that allow the construction of residential housing on undersized lots, provided it is not used as a seasonal home or short-term rental "of less than six months." And the town would be required to enact zoning that permits so-called "tiny houses" of 400 square feet or less in floor area — again, only to be used as year-round housing.
 
The town would have two years to enact the zoning changes through subsequent town meetings while enjoying the benefits of the Seasonal Communities program from Day 1 if adopted at the May meeting.
 
The Legislature enacted the Seasonal Communities program to help communities address housing needs when those municipalities meet certain characteristics, including when "excessive disparities between the area median income and the income required to purchase the municipality's median home price," according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (formerly the Department of Housing and Community Development).
 
The Seasonal Communities program initially was targeted at towns on Cape Cod, where the inaccessibility of workforce housing has been a concern for decades. More recently, the EOHLC has designated some towns in Berkshire County as eligible for the Seasonal Communities designation.
 
The Planning Board at its March 10 meeting voted 4-0 (with Cory Campbell absent) to recommend the Select Board agree at its Monday, March 23, meeting to put the Seasonal Communities question on the annual town meeting warrant.
 
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