b"C H A P T E R E I G H Tconcerned a more sensitive matter: Maximum Allowable Building Coverage. This time, Moderator William Litchfield called for a hand vote; the response: 175, Yes; 46, No. And the last item, Dimensional Exemptions for Grandfathered Lots, passed with flying colors. The third-: j TOWN MEETING'QC WW ater W ays SPECIAL EDITION night crowd approved it unanimously. FCW to Present Four Articles for So, almost two years heavy-dutyImproved Zoning at Town MeetingIn an effort lo case threats to Chatham'sArticle 23 - Conservancy Buffer lifting by the Friends won votersvaluable natural resources, preserve theZone Overlay District adds proteccharacter of residential neighborhoodstion for wetlands by requiring special and maintain a high quality oflife forpermits from the Zoning Board of endorsement. FCW had heard theail residents, FCW will present fourAppeals for filling or grading withinThe warrant for this year's articles for improved zoning at the50 feet of all Inland Conservancy annual town meeting on May 14. TheDistricts.concerned voice of the Quality of Lifearticles cover diverse subjects, fromArticle 24 - Criteria for Increases inTown Meeting is extremely tighter conservancy district protectionfull, and there is a possibilto modified building coverage limitsNon-Conformity protects the rightsity that some of the proconference in September 1988: Whatand criteria forjudging the impact ofof neighboring property owners, andceedings, including the changes to non-conforming structures.adds muscle to the town's defense ofvote on our proposed Yet they all focus on a single criticallegal challenges, by providing specific theme: better management of the towns zoning improvements, will can we possibly do to manage growthguidelines for the building inspectorbe carried over to the next and Zoning Board ofAppeals to use when considering applications forevening. Therefore, we changes to non-conforming structures.more effectively? Soon afterward, theThe vote at town meeting will be theContinued on page 2 ask all supporters to clear culmination of a two-year effort in their calendars for Tuesday volving research, study, writing, publicevening. May 15, in the Ecker/ Geiger team had gone to workhearings, debate, editing, more hearingsYOU are the Deciding Vote event our articles are notand, finally, placement of the articles onPassage of zoning by-law amendthe Town Meeting warrant. In the lastments at Town Meeting requires a 2/3 to bring off this finale at Town Meetingseveral weeks, the articles received amajority. That is why attendance andthat attendance at second- welcome boost when the Board ofa YES vote by every supporter arenight proceedings gencr-Selectmen. Planning Board and Financecritical for success of our proposed 2001. As Jack Farrell observed, theyCommittee voted overwhelmingly toimprovements. Historically, votemcaningful. So plan to support them. tallies on zoning issues have been close. Even one vote either way can learned a great deal in the process, butswing the outcome. That one voteattend both nights of Town could be yours. We hope we canMeeting to make sure yourcount on you and your support on wound up with regulations that work,May 14.VOTEYESFOR ZONING IMPROVEMENT that accomplish what they want withoutSUPPORT ARTICLES 23, 24, 25 & 27 harming other interests. The package,AT TOWN MEETING MAY 14as reporter Tim Wood put it, wouldFCWs newsletterWaterWays told the limit the size of homes that can be builtBylaw story in clear terms.This issue while protecting the rights of ownerswas mailed to all members on May 7, a week before the Town Meeting where the of smaller, undeveloped lots.SpeakingZoning amendments would be voted on.for the developers, Riley had one shot left. The building coverage item, he said, encourages verticality, and would spawn, as reporter Wood heard him saying, ugly, box-like homes being built in order to maximize square footage.However, selectman Douglas Ann Bohman saw the evenings result in a different light. She thanked FCW for staying on task so well, after a somewhat rocky start. It should lead to an eventual rewrite of the entire Zoning Bylaw. To do that, voters at the meeting had already given the Town approval to spend $94,000.But, as that revered savant from New Jersey put it years ago, It aint over till its over. And in the case of FCWs Zoning Bylaw revisions, now part of Town law, the game wasnt over. Instead, it was going into extra innings.141"