News

Gray Zoning Review Timeline
By Elizabeth Prata

The Gray Town Council has been reviewing zoning in Town for two years. The previous Council began by looking at changing the zoning on Route 100 South of the Gray Plaza so as to increase business possibilities. The area is mostly residential now, but the original proposal to disallow future residences from that area drew vocal opposition from the neighborhood.

Soon after, the Council's zone review gravitated to a review of zones town-wide.
Along the way, developer who proposed a project in the Village Center needed a zone change in that section of Town in order to complete both phases of his project. A request for a zone change was sent to the Council, who added it to their deliberations, albeit on their back burner. The area south of Gray Plaza was expected by the Council to become the new downtown center when the Post office (building back center) moved from the Village proper to the south of town.
The Monument: Kathy Tombarelli photo


This Village Center zone change request drew vocal opposition from the people in the potentially impacted neighborhood and they began to get involved in the zone review process and their concerns and ideas were added to the present Council's deliberations. The discussions take place at Council workshops. These are meetings held on the first and third Mondays at 6 p.m. in Stimson Hall. The workshop on the third Monday is entirely dedicated to zone change and review discussions.

Below is a timeline of the process. Its purpose is to illustrate what has been discussed and where the review stands to date. The timeline does not include each and every nugget of discussion but it is a comprehensive presentation of almost all of the public portions of the discussions to date. Above, some residents in the Village Center express their feelings aobut the proposed zone change with signs on the lawn and wear similar tee shhirts to the meetings. The Monument: Tombarelli photo

April 13, 2003: Memo from Town Manager to Council to identify key points and questions regarding the proposed rezoning of Route 100 South from village to Cumberland line

May 8, 2003: Council in process of reviewing proposed zone change

June 3, 2003: Council meeting - Order #87 review and action on proposed changes in zoning on Route 100 South, Business Development Corridor/Business Development Transitional (BDC/BDT); Order #88 first reading of Route 100 proposed zone change. Left, citizens say that blueberry barrrans such as these would be destroyed if the proposed changes are allowed to stand. The Monument: Tombarelli photo

July 10, 2003: Planning Board hearing on proposed amendments to zoning ordinance that would create BDC/BDT from Gray Meadows to the Cumberland line. Planning Board made no recommendation.

August 5, 2003: Council meeting - 2nd reading of Route 100 proposed zone change. Vote on change was 2-2-1. Motion failed for lack of a majority.

August 11, 2003: Council Workshop - Decision to have committees talk about and review plans for proposed BDC

September 8, 2003: Council Workshop - Elements and priorities of Route 100 South proposed Business Development Corridor

September 25, 2003: Draft of proposed Business Development 1 on Route 100 South. New name and new boundaries

October 14, 2003: Council Workshop - Review and discuss BD1 draft of proposed zone change

October 21, 2003: Revised draft of proposed BD1

November 13, 2003: Planning Board meeting - Discussion of proposed BD1 and a vote on the change. Vote was 3-2 against the proposed zone change.

February 23, 2004: Workshop - Village area zoning

August 9, 2004: Workshop - Discussion of proposed VAP zone change

August 30, 2004: Discussion proposed VAP zone change

Sept 13, 2004: Workshop proposed VAP zone change

October 26, 2004: Draft by Lynn Olson - Concepts for potential zone changes

November 22, 2004: Workshop - Review town-wide zones, purposes, lines and criteria

January 3, 2005: Draft of preambles for proposed zoning districts

January 10, 2005: Workshop - Review of map indicating zone line changes

January 18, 2005: New draft of preambles for proposed zone districts

January 25, 2005: New draft of preambles for proposed zone districts

February 7, 2005: Workshop - Agritourism proposal by Libra (request to amend zoning)

February 17, 2005: New draft of preambles and proposed zone changes

February 28, 2005: Workshop - Uses within proposed zone changes

March 7, 2005: Workshop - Agritourism discussion of proposed zone change

March 15, 2005: Council meeting - Order #65 to direct the proposed agritourism ordinance amendment to Ordinance Review Committee and Gray Water District