Objections to zoning changes fail to sway Chester Select Board

By Shawn Cunningham
©The Chester Telegraph — 2014

On Wednesday, Sept. 17, about 25 Chester business owners and residents gathered at the Chester Select Board to express their views on several proposed changes to the town development bylaws. Most were concerns about two specific changes — raising a minimum residential lot size and rezoning a large swath of Main Street south of Maple to allow auto sales, service and gas stations as a conditional use.

Planning Commission member and engineer Naomi Johnson shows the crowd the map outlining the new allowance for gas stations, and auto service and sales on Main Street south. Photos by Cynthia Prairie

After the hourlong public hearing, the Select Board turned to its regular meeting where it adopted the new regulations without further discussion.

The portions of the zoning regulations that were at issue included a change in minimum lot sizes in the Residential 80 district from 80,000 square feet to 120,000 square feet.

Approximately 75 percent of the town is in the R80 district. During the process of drafting the rules, the reasons for making the change have varied from questioning whether a well and septic could fit on less than 3 acres to a town preference for large lots as expressed in a 2008 town survey. The increase from approximately 2 acres to 3 acres would reduce the number of building lots that could be created out of any piece of land, preventing some owners from subdividing their properties and potentially reducing the possible growth in the grand list.

The other change would add the sales of fuel, automobile servicing and auto sales to the downtown Residential Commercial (RC) district. That district runs along Route 103 south from St. Joseph’s Church to Pleasant Street and from Stone House Antiques to the new car wash just past Green Mountain Union High. These uses have not been allowed in the RC district since the adoption of zoning in 1975.

After a general presentation by Planning Commission member Naomi Johnson, Chester resident Douglas Somerville said the change “doesn’t seem to fit with the other conditional uses.”  He then asked why the commission had added fuel sales to the RC district.

“Planning creates a place people want to live in. The people who came before us set the table so we have a place we enjoy.”

Bill Dakin
Chester resident

“We felt it was an appropriate use,” Johnson answered. Pressed several times for the rationale behind the change by Chester resident Claudio Veliz, a visibly upset Johnson stated, “I’m not here to argue, but just to say what we recommend to the Select Board.”

Bill Dakin speaks to the history of planning and zoning in Chester.

Chester resident Bill Dakin noted that the idea behind the planning process is to improve the economic viability of the town so that others want to live here. “Planning creates a place people want to live in,” said Dakin.

Referring to the zoning regulations adopted in 1975, Dakin said, “The people who came before us set the table so we have a place we enjoy.”

He suggested that the area in question had the potential to look like Clinton Street in Springfield, which is dotted with gas stations and take out restaurants. He then asked that the town “keep it a community that’s attractive.”

“It sounds like the planning commission has spent a lot of time coming up with the new configuration,” said lister Wanda Purdy. “Chester is not growing as far as I can see. Change is inevitable and I think this town is stagnating.”

“It sounds like the planning commission has spent a lot of time coming up with the new configuration. Chester is not growing as far as I can see. Change is inevitable and I think this town is stagnating.”

Wanda Purdy
Lister

Chester resident Donna Whitney agreed saying, “Chester is really stale.” Neither mentioned the new restaurant nor three businesses that have opened on and around the Green in the last two months.

Barre Pinske had a different perspective, calling the fact that Chester hasn’t been taken over by box stores and McDonald’s “one of our greatest assets.”  “Even though it seems like we’re stagnant and there’s not a lot happening,” said Pinske. “We have a stage to build on. Once things change and you become like everywhere else, you lose some of that asset.”

Andover resident Ron Theissen pointed out that he located his business in Chester, he hires in Chester and pays taxes in Chester through his rent. He noted that he considered opening his office in Springfield where rents were cheaper. But he didn’t like the way it was developing. Instead, Theissen added, he chose Chester because of its quaintness. “I’d hate to see Chester become Anytown, USA.”

With sentiments on both sides, the question of appealing whatever decision the Select Board made was raised. The process includes petitioning for a town meeting and vote. “I wouldn’t mind if this went before the voters,” said board member Derek Suursoo. “The board has had difficulty with this.”

The public hearing was recessed with the vote scheduled for the regular meeting. When the time came, and with little discussion, the board voted unanimously to approve the Unified Development Bylaws as presented by the Planning Commission. Commission chair Tom Bock, who also sits on the Select Board and did not vote, praised the Select Board saying that the effort to review the regulations was 10 times what it was 20 years ago. “These guys are good,” said Bock.