ROCKPORT — As part of its preparations for fall Town Meeting on Monday, the Planning Board’s has created a map showing existing and proposed zoning for the Downtown Zoning District.
Several zoning articles are on the warrant, and the board plans to use the map make its case for Article W that aims to prohibit the conversions of professional home office spaces to residential uses downtown without a special permit of the Planning Board.
Fall Town Meeting begins 5 p.m. Monday at the John Lane Auditorium at Rockport Middle/High School, 24 Jerden’s Lane.
The Downtown Zoning District is an area that includes portions of Broadway, T-Wharf, Main and Beach streets and Bearskin Neck.
Planning Board members met Thursday to plan for their role at Town Meeting and consider whether to display the new map there.
“I would venture to say that most members of the public have no idea where the Downtown Zoning District is and will be need to be shown that on a zoning map,” Chair Jason Shaw said at the meeting.
The map will be instructive, he said.
“Most people, if you ask them ‘Where’s the Downtown Zoning District?’ they would have no idea,” Shaw said. “This is good. We need to show them. This is the area that’s going to be affected.”
The map of the Downtown Zoning District also shows town-owned land and residential properties.
“I think this is a pretty good depiction,” Vice-Chair Tom Mikus said of the map. “It’s familiar.”
“I think this pretty reasonable,” Planning Board member Robert Simmons said.
Planning Board member Peter Kuttner said the board is striving to be open.
“We’re as transparent as possible,” he said.
Stephen Hagan may be contacted at 978-675-2708, or shagan@gloucestertimes.com.