This is the third and concluding article of my series about cell towers (see the April 30th and May 14th Villager issues for the first two articles). As promised, I will talk about alternative options to cell towers. In order to get the benefits of wireless communications (who does not like their cell phone or …
A Towering Issue – How Do Towns Plan For it? Part 3 Read More »
In the first part of my Villager article series (April 30th, 2010), I outlined some of the benefits and challenges presented by cell towers. I cited the inevitability of more telecommunications facilities being built or updated in order to keep pace with the needs and wants of our technology-driven society. In this second part, let …
A Towering Issue – How Do Towns Plan For it? Part 2 Read More »
There are many benefits from wireless technology. We use our cell phones in our cars (hands free, of course) or walking around. When we call for police, fire or medical help, adequate telecommunications coverage is vital. Your town’s public works, schools and buses, farms, businesses, and tourism use such resources to stay in communication. Yet, …
A Towering Issue – How Do Towns Plan For it? Part 1 Read More »
In my last article, I talked about site plans being an important part of how your town’s planning and zoning commission reviews various types of proposed land use activities. Equally valuable are site walks. Although not always required for small, “simple” proposals, site walks complement and add to site plan reviews. A site walk is …
Towns use zoning regulations to provide order to land use and development, following a master municipal plan that is the town’s vision for how it wants to guide future growth. Planning and zoning commissions create these regulations and then make decisions based upon them. In the early 1900’s, however, these concepts were not comprehensive, cohesive …
My last article talked about “traditional” neighborhood design. This article will talk about “conservation” design. A “one size fits all” approach to residential design does not always work for each and every parcel of land. Different geographic areas in a region have variety and uniqueness to them. So too do different parts of our towns. …
How to Build a Neighborhood(?) Part 3: Conservation Subdivision Read More »
In a continuation of my article from last month, I will talk some specifics about how your town’s zoning and subdivision regulations can provide for and affect the residential (housing) make up of your town. In the early 20th century, communities undertook efforts to protect residential areas from the expanding presence of manufacturing and industrial …
How to Build a Neighborhood(?) Part 2 “Traditional” Read More »
How to build a neighborhood. How to build a neighborhood? These are the same words but the question mark changes the meaning. Why do I bring up this fine point of grammar? Because it has a serious meaning to the work of your town’s planning and zoning commission pertaining to the development of new residential …
Zoning regulations allow our towns to guide growth and development. When created and used in a practical, common sense manner, they can balance the interests of individual property owners and of the whole community regarding the present and future potential uses of land. But, what does one do when zoning regulations unfairly limit a landowner …
Government is good at making rules. It is an easy thing to do. It is also tricky thing to do. Laws can take on their own lives. They can populate faster than rabbits. They can expand into things that may not be related to their original intent. They can become outdated, burdensome and even unfair …