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Fall Town Meeting was in the air Monday night as Selectmen met with the chairman of the Rochester Planning Board to discuss five bylaws ranging from medical marijuana to roadside farm stands.
Rochester Planning Board Chairman Arnie Johnson said now that the state regulations for medical marijuana treatment centers have been finalized, the town could vote to create an overlay district for the facilities similar to appropriate overlay areas created for adult entertainment zones. The bylaw states that a medical marijuana treatment center would be prohibited from being located within 1,000 feet of a school, church, rehabilitation center and other specific types of facilities.
A second bylaw would amend the definition of a roadside stand and define regulations for a farm stand.
The Planning Board worked with the Rochester Agricultural Commission on the definitions, Johnson said. Currently, the produce and other goods sold at a roadside stand in Rochester must be grown or produced on the premises of the stand. The new proposed definition would amend the definition so that the products must only be grown in Rochester. "It promotes local agriculture," Johnson, who will open a new construction fruit and produce store on Route 6 in Marion next spring, said.
The new definition would allow someone to purchase produce grown in one area of the town and sell it on their premises where they grow other crops.
The farm stand definition would require only 25 percent of the goods sold must be produced in Rochester with another 50 percent produced in Massachusetts.
"It's a way to help encourage local agriculture and keep land open," Johnson said.
The three other zoning changes would largely eliminate inconsistencies and clarify the language in the bylaws.
The accessory structure bylaw would add a table for ease of use and not make any changes to setbacks and the site plan review and site plan approval bylaw changes would be for clarification purposes only.
Selectmen voted favorably to all five bylaws.
Rochester Town Administrator Richard LaCamera said that with the departure of dual Rochester and Wareham Town Planner John Charbonneau, the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) would step in to provide interim services. Charbonneau has resigned from his town planner job in Rochester and Wareham to take a full-time town planner position in Raynham.
LaCamera also brought up the state funding for the local schools and Chapter 70 money.
Budget disagreements between Gov. Deval Patrick and the state legislature have resulted in increased assessments for the regional schools.
Acushnet, Carver and Lakeville will see a $21,000 decrease in Old Colony assessments, but Rochester will have to come up with an additional $20,000. Conversely, Marion has a $14,000 ORR increase and Mattapoisett has an $82,000 increase, but Rochester's assessment would decrease by $91,000.
While LaCamera said that the ORR change "benefited us," he said that the three Tri-town Town Administrators met with the school superintendent on the matter of town and school budgets and the need to have the state financial contributions ironed out early on.
"We can't continue to function this way," LaCamera said.
Much time and resources are put into developing the town budget in time for Town Meeting, LaCamera said only to have the state government make changes down the road.
"Any swing either way has an effect on our budget," he said, adding that he felt sorry for Mattapoisett's $82,000 gap.
"It's the wonder ball that has been passed around between the three of us," Rochester Selectman Chairman Naida Parker said of the Tri-town's ORR school system.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: wickedlocal.com
Author: Gretchen Grundstrom
Contact: Wicked Local Marion Contact Us
Website: Rochester fall Town Meeting to tackle agricultural bylaws - Marion, MA - Wicked Local Marion
Rochester Planning Board Chairman Arnie Johnson said now that the state regulations for medical marijuana treatment centers have been finalized, the town could vote to create an overlay district for the facilities similar to appropriate overlay areas created for adult entertainment zones. The bylaw states that a medical marijuana treatment center would be prohibited from being located within 1,000 feet of a school, church, rehabilitation center and other specific types of facilities.
A second bylaw would amend the definition of a roadside stand and define regulations for a farm stand.
The Planning Board worked with the Rochester Agricultural Commission on the definitions, Johnson said. Currently, the produce and other goods sold at a roadside stand in Rochester must be grown or produced on the premises of the stand. The new proposed definition would amend the definition so that the products must only be grown in Rochester. "It promotes local agriculture," Johnson, who will open a new construction fruit and produce store on Route 6 in Marion next spring, said.
The new definition would allow someone to purchase produce grown in one area of the town and sell it on their premises where they grow other crops.
The farm stand definition would require only 25 percent of the goods sold must be produced in Rochester with another 50 percent produced in Massachusetts.
"It's a way to help encourage local agriculture and keep land open," Johnson said.
The three other zoning changes would largely eliminate inconsistencies and clarify the language in the bylaws.
The accessory structure bylaw would add a table for ease of use and not make any changes to setbacks and the site plan review and site plan approval bylaw changes would be for clarification purposes only.
Selectmen voted favorably to all five bylaws.
Rochester Town Administrator Richard LaCamera said that with the departure of dual Rochester and Wareham Town Planner John Charbonneau, the Southeast Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) would step in to provide interim services. Charbonneau has resigned from his town planner job in Rochester and Wareham to take a full-time town planner position in Raynham.
LaCamera also brought up the state funding for the local schools and Chapter 70 money.
Budget disagreements between Gov. Deval Patrick and the state legislature have resulted in increased assessments for the regional schools.
Acushnet, Carver and Lakeville will see a $21,000 decrease in Old Colony assessments, but Rochester will have to come up with an additional $20,000. Conversely, Marion has a $14,000 ORR increase and Mattapoisett has an $82,000 increase, but Rochester's assessment would decrease by $91,000.
While LaCamera said that the ORR change "benefited us," he said that the three Tri-town Town Administrators met with the school superintendent on the matter of town and school budgets and the need to have the state financial contributions ironed out early on.
"We can't continue to function this way," LaCamera said.
Much time and resources are put into developing the town budget in time for Town Meeting, LaCamera said only to have the state government make changes down the road.
"Any swing either way has an effect on our budget," he said, adding that he felt sorry for Mattapoisett's $82,000 gap.
"It's the wonder ball that has been passed around between the three of us," Rochester Selectman Chairman Naida Parker said of the Tri-town's ORR school system.
News Hawk- Truth Seeker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: wickedlocal.com
Author: Gretchen Grundstrom
Contact: Wicked Local Marion Contact Us
Website: Rochester fall Town Meeting to tackle agricultural bylaws - Marion, MA - Wicked Local Marion
