Zoning Articles for April 2023 Town Meeting

At 6 p.m. on March 9, 2023, in Conference Room A at the Town Hall, the Planning Board held an in-person public hearing on proposed changes to the zoning bylaws.  These proposed changes were scheduled to be heard as Warrant Articles at the January 18, 2023 special town meeting, but the meeting was postponed because of a lack of a quorum.  The Planning Board still wants to hear from members of the public on these zoning changes before they are again scheduled to be voted on at a town meeting on April 1, 2023.  If town residents have any comments, suggestions, or criticisms, please contact us.

Copies of the Zoning Bylaw Warrant Articles for discussion on March 9 are on file with both the Town Clerk and the Planning Board Office.  

Additionally, the Planning Board discussed the MBTA Communities multifamily zoning requirements of the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).  The DHCD issued guidelines last summer that would require Rockport to change its zoning to allow for a minimum of 657 multifamily housing units by the end of 2024. (This would include existing multifamily units).  Currently, other than the 12 acres around the train station, Rockport has no multifamily zoning districts in the town.  The Planning Board is not proposing any multifamily zoning bylaws at the  Spring 2023 Town Meeting. 

Thanks to those who attended the meeting. For those who did not attend, the attached file contains the presentation materials used at the meeting.

1623 Studios is broadcasting a recording of the meeting on Channel 20. Check the schedule at https://1623studios.org/channel-listings .

1623 Studios has also posted the recording on YouTube. Here is a direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EbwJUhn5kc .