001Welcome to the planning board of March 17th. Uh first order of business, uh we're going to go right into the minutes from the last meeting. Motion to accept the meeting minutes from March 3rd. I will second that. Okay, all in favor? Yes. I. Okay. Uh I wasn't here, so I'm going to abstain from that. Okay. Um there are no 81 piece. Um uh item three, um this is about the uh um the uh public hearing, and we're going to uh this is the uh section 2.5. Yes. >> We're going to skip on that. >> Yeah, I have to re-advertise it. I missed a critical piece of the uh form seven. Um so when you when you when you post these online, they go right to this website and then they get advertised on Milford Daily
002News. The thing I forgot to do was print it out and post it in Town Clerk's office. After that. So and that has to be up 14 days prior to the meeting. So since I missed that deadline, I had to re-advertise. So we still have time, so there's ability to do that. Yep, no worries. My own mistake, so that's on both of these. And uh so that applies also to the uh agenda number four for 2.4.8. Correct. Okay. Item five, um looks like the uh site plan application uh is going to be uh looks like it's going to be continued. They requested continuation to April 7th. Mhm. So you need a motion to accept that continuance. Okay. Um I I will move that unless Chris really wants to. I'll do the second. How's that? >>
003Okay. Okay, all in favor? I. I. I'm just to be clear, to continue to April 7th per the request of the applicant. Yes. Was that because they couldn't make the changes that we had requested or there was information Yeah. Just the Okay, item six, um the uh proposed amendments to the zoning laws, zoning bylaws. Yes, we have um a food truck bylaw that's kind of in the works. Um Chris, do you want to take this? >> Yeah, go ahead so far. Yeah. I guess yeah, as as Matt mentioned, yeah, so we we have been meeting a couple times on developing this food truck bylaw. Who's we? We would be myself, Matt, Liz, so town engineer, uh town planner, uh John Erickson, the building commissioner, um Amanda Wilson, the board of health representative, and uh Joanne,
004but I can't remember her last name, who was a board of health inspector. So Good team. Yeah, so great team, a lot of input. Um I think going back, said board of health is they're actually have an application. There are food trucks that are in uh certain locations that they are able to do the proper inspection and proper permitting process. Um the the current language certainly um creates a the ability to not really do food trucks anywheres. So we were hoping to again try to develop some language to try to allow food trucks at Celebrate Milford, at the car shows, and maybe any other events that potentially could have in a Tuesday night bandstand. What about even like Legion games, things like that? >> Potentially, right, yeah. Things of things of that nature. So of
005course what originally started as hopefully something simple got got more and more complex uh the more that more discussion that between the town planner, town engineer, um you know, building department, the complexity came about of where, when, public ways, residential areas. So what I think everybody has Everybody has this in front of them. So what you know, has the current language, had the new language, which basically started with the current language and then what you see in red was kind of new language that developed based on all of these discussions. Unfortunately, we're still in the works on all of these discussions. Um it's just again tr- as we talk, there's more questions that are coming up. So ultimately, still working on it. We're still looking at at at trying to finish this up as soon
006as possible. Just discussion between Matt and myself and John and myself, it doesn't look like we'll be able to make it to this town meeting. We just don't have enough time to really clarify the language, present it to the select board, get the uh the public hearing in line, and moving through. So we'll you know, we'll we'll push for the fall. So we'll still be able to push right now. Um I know it was an aggressive schedule at first and I was hopeful, but obviously um just need for even the uh the use table. That needs to be updated for something like this, so Yeah, I think I mean I I said this last time, I think we need to You need to continue to look down that way. I would take this I I
007wouldn't use this. I would take it out of the zoning bylaw and put this as a town regulation as opposed to us because I don't think we should be regulating it. I don't think there should be any reason why, especially because we can't react quick enough to it. It should be something that goes to the board of selectmen. They go through and the stuff that you're asking for here, Yeah. they, you know, you have board of health permit, you have the building inspector look at it, and that's it. Like I said, the only reason why it got put into the zoning, my recollection was to stop people from bringing food trucks into the town of Milford. It was the easiest place to do it. But if we're now going to allow them and try to
008control them, I really think it should just be a a town bylaw, not a zoning bylaw, and get it out of the out of the planning board totally. I mean, that isn't something that we monitor or do. Yeah. >> I think that's a good point. I I I had Yeah, and I raised that speaking off the cuff. >> Yeah. Yeah. But That point was I made that note from our meeting and brought that up at at one of the meetings. Um And it it was originally like, that's a great idea. Let's let the board of health and and just a general um bylaw, you know, town bylaw take care of this. The concerns were that the building department still needs some level of jurisdiction to be able to prevent what's currently hap- what what it's
009currently can prevent to prevent. So to strike it all together, Well, that's not through us, though. That's That's why it needs to be a town bylaw. It shouldn't be through us. >> Right. So the concern was if we keep it like it is, then it it prevents what we're hopeful for. So that's why I feel like we we still need it within the zoning bylaw to be able to allow certain the, you know, a allow the food trucks to happen. Um Well, I was having this discussion with Matt before you came. I don't know if you caught part of it, but I my only thing as to anything being in the zoning bylaw is that any trailer that is used for an approved use within the zone that it's that it's in that's going to
010be over a certain number of days. Right. That stays in and can come to us. But to me food because it could be it could be somebody selling if if we wanted to allow somebody selling clothes out of the back of a truck, out of a trailer. If they're doing it for one or two days, it it should be the the board of selectmen saying, "Yeah, that's okay." or not. And and so if it's a permanent installation or what we consider whatever that differentiation and that group needs to make that distinction what that differentiation is. If it goes to a permanent, then it comes to us because it should meet all the other requirements that we have. If it's less than that, it doesn't come to us and and the you know, that's not to
011say that as a as a town bylaw, the selectmen should certainly get input from the town planner, the town engineer, the building commissioner, and you know, and the board of health. That that that goes without saying is part of this, but they're the ones that are responsible for issuing that, whether they want to delegate to that to the town administrator or whatever, that's up to them. But however they want to work it, but I think that's how it should be as opposed to a regular, you know, ours type of schedule. Right. So any of these trucks that they want to end up in a fixed location, then they're going to fall under the definition of the bylaw, whether it's a restaurant use >> Yes. or retail use or something like that. And then they have
012to submit a site plan. Right. >> Yeah. Yeah. Right. But if it's mobile, Yeah, I I kind of agree with Joe. It should be governed elsewhere. No, I'm Right. Again, I'm just hearing I haven't been engaged in the discussion much, but that struck me as really logical with Joe's suggesting. Joe just invited himself to the next town. There you go. So that way that way I don't have to write down all the notes or in in in get into his head. He can come and present it. So which It's questionable as to whether I can remember all of it. No, which which I would hope though. I I will extend you the invitation to the next meeting to to be able to verbalize that and and it's I follow you what you're saying. I brought
013that up and it was kind of the the conversation went full circle and came back to, all right, let's eliminate it to let's keep it to now let's eliminate. So, I think yeah, we're just we're we're kind of circling around and with the hope that we can get something that's a little bit, you know, what is in the best avenue to get this going. And I agree, like if we eliminated this all together and put it on the other departments to govern it because again, you don't need a site plan, you don't really need zoning board approval or anything like that, then why should it be on within our uh rulings. So, yeah. Well, and I think again, it goes it goes back to my other comment, too, is that if we decide if they
014decide because it's it's still that overriding thing of the fact that these people are not they they may be paying to have the Board of Health inspect their vehicle, but they're not paying any type of taxes. If they were to do that, that's much easier to do as a selectmen's fee, then there's no way for us to do it. And then we'd have to be changing everything in our zoning bylaw to try to be able to pick that up, and I I don't think we want to do that. >> Another good point. I'm with him. But again, I mean, this isn't to say, you know, I'm against the the things or all. I just saying I think that's where >> direction That's the direction we need to go in. And again, like that, we just
015the more the longer we go, the more questions we ask, and we're trying to to really fine-tune it. So, again, we'll we'll we won't be pushing for this town meeting, but we'll, you know, but we'll still continue with these um these discussions and see where things go. We're hopefully in hopefully, fingers crossed, for the fall town meeting. Sounds good. Okay. As far as uh rules and regulations, uh do we have anything? So, I'm going to I'm going to wait till Town Council gets a chance to weigh in on these. We've reviewed them three or four times, and we're kind of waiting for them to look at it. Okay. So, until Town Council reviews it, I'll keep it on our agenda just as a as a bullet point, but until they review it, I won't have
016any updates. Okay. Any other updates besides that? Yes, I have a town planner update. So, um we have a grant application that we're applying for. The deadline is Friday. It is for our MVP 2.0. It's an action grant. >> for you what for what? Our Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant. >> Um it's a ongoing thing that's happening. Uh we have like bi-weekly meetings about it. Uh it's a community resilience grant. So, what we're trying to get at is I think this grant is to fund a position for community coordinator. And it's also to improve one of our parks in town. I forget which one. It's either Bancroft or this one right at Pearl Street over here. Um but um What was the basketball? Yes. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, um we're just looking for a letter of
017support from the Planning Board. I can read you what I drafted, then we can take a motion. So, Milford Planning Board hereby supports the Town of Milford's grant application for MVP Action Grant FY27 to advance the community resilience parks enhancement project. The proposed project is consistent with the goals of our recently completed 2025 comprehensive plan, from which the Planning Board was very involved. If awarded, this grant project would achieve multiple community benefits and identifies a community priority prioritized action identified throughout our consistent community outreach programs already conducted by our MVP 2.0 core team. That's the letter of support we're looking for. You guys want to Um I have what might be not might be a somewhat stupid question. In this context, resilience, I assume it's like climate resilience? >> Yes. Okay. Yes, that's right. Glad
018it wasn't a stupid question. No, that's right. I don't have any suggestions to enhance that. I'm Is that is that a letter from us? >> Yes. So, I make a motion that the Planning Board chairman sign the the letter. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye as well. Unanimous. Great. Thank you, Matt. Yep. Good enough. for working on that grant. Great. Thank you. And that's all we have for tonight. Okay. Come on, Molly. Any town engineer updates? Uh she's out today. Okay. Um I don't have any updates, Joe. No, I'm good. Okay. And any uh member updates? Okay. All right. Uh our next meeting is uh April 7th and 21st. Uh what's the pleasure of the board? Motion to adjourn. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Unanimous. Thank you. Aye. I won't be at the
019meeting. I won't be around for the 21st.