Council to consider drive-through businesses in Village
By Elizabeth Prata

Gray--At their regular workshop meeting Monday, the Council reviewed the new zone names, preambles, and uses that they are proposing for the changes in the town-wide zoning process that has been underway for two years.

Monday night the Council reviewed uses within each newly named zone. In the Village Center Zone, uses being are added multi-family and senior housing, commercial recreation (like bowling alleys), hotels and motels, medical facilities, nursing and convalescent homes, redemption centers, and drive-through and drive ins.

Two years ago, the council struck drive-ins and drive-throughs from the allowed uses because the already constricted Village was laboring under traffic woes and traffic-dependent businesses did not make sense there. For the last two years, only financial institutions with drive-throughs were allowed.

Council Chair Pam Wilkinson said that "because some zones [including Village Center] are being expanded in area, there is a potential for drive throughs to be managed within the Center, particularly if there are performance standards associated with the permitting process such as traffic counts. The traffic flow would not be compromised," Wilkinson said.

In the Business Development zone, technical, trade, and other schools would now be allowed, along with business, professional, scientific, and technical services, research labs, communications and information businesses, call centers, data centers, electronic manufacturing, and computer businesses. Eliminated in the BD would be mineral exploration animal husbandry, and nursing and convalescent homes.

The full list of new proposed uses and uses that proposed to be eliminated are available at Town office, downstairs, or by calling Town Planner Dick Cahill at 657-3112.