NORTHFIELD — Northfield residents have a final chance to weigh in on proposed zoning bylaw changes during a public forum Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Town Hall.
The Zoning Bylaw Revision Committee has been working since last year on a revised version of the bylaw, which would expand the possibilities for the former Northfield Mount Hermon School campus and create new districts with different construction regulations.
Following the final public forum, voters will be asked to endorse the final draft during a special town meeting Dec. 5.
Kathleen Wright, a member of the Zoning Bylaw Revision Committee, said the committee has held at least four public forums since last fall to get feedback on bylaw changes.
“We haven’t heard any really negative concerns,” Wright said. “We are optimistic that the town will accept it at town meeting.”
Wright said that, if approved, the new zoning bylaw will better support Northfield’s master plan goals to preserve open space and natural features, promote opportunities for recreation and community gathering, promote economic development and revitalize Main Street.
Primarily, the zoning bylaw rewrite proposes three new zoning districts:
a village center district to promote a mix of uses in limited areas on Main Street;
a recreational tourism district to support an increase in such activity in Northfield, which would include Northfield Mountain and Northfield Golf Club; and
a planned development district, which would include the former Northfield Mount Hermon School campus and allow for an expanded variety of uses.
“It’s always been an educational use campus,” Wright said.
At previous public forums, members of the public expressed interest in turning the campus into a retirement community. Under the new bylaw, the property could be used for education or research, or for mixed uses like condominiums and office spaces. The new bylaw also outlines what wouldn’t be allowed there, like a manufacturing site or sand pit.
“We thought (expanding the potential uses) would help the town and any potential developers to work together,” Wright said.
At previous public forums, residents expressed a desire to protect parks for camping and recreational vehicles to attract business to the town, and to promote the existence of dog parks, leading the Zoning Bylaw Revision Committee and its hired consultants to propose a recreational tourism district.
In the new village center district, retail would be allowed by right, but businesses would have a space limit of 1,500 square feet to support small businesses and keep out large corporations, protecting Northfield’s rural features. Larger businesses would require a special permit.
While new districts have been proposed, none of the currently allowed uses have been eliminated. The three new districts would be in addition to the current agricultural/residential and agricultural/residential/forestry zones.
Plus, Wright said, the new bylaw is simply more user-friendly, featuring indexes and appendixes, and would allow for more effective zoning enforcement. By comparison, much of the current bylaw is drastically outdated, having been enacted in the 1970s, Wright said, and not consistent with more modern state and federal guidelines.
“All revisions that are up for review will make the bylaws consistent with state laws,” she said.