b'C H A P T E R E I G H TUnder a Red Sunrise Sky CHATHAM VOTERS: Join the Board of Selectmen, Planning Board and Finance Committee in their support of important upgrades of our zoning by-lawTEiey say tEiat growing old isVote YES on Articles 23,24, 25 and 27 not for sissies. If thats true, then itat May 14 Town Meetingmay be equally true that playingHere is what these proposed zoning improvements will mean for you and the future of Chathamzoning hardball is not for sissies,By votin g to adopt these regulations, you will: Help protect the towns valuable natural resources Help preserve the character of residential neighborhoodseither. Town Meeting 2001 may be Help sustain a superior Quality of Life for all residentsNOW is the right time to improve these zoning regulations because:part of Chatham historys gauzy Development continues toaccelerate least several years away Implementation of the Comprehensive Long Range Plan and a full-scale rewrite of the zoning by-law are at memory now, but, as far as theThe amendments FCW is proposing focus on cntical residential sections of The threat to our waterways and other natural resources already is substantialFCW-proposed Zoning BylawEach proposal has important benefits for everyone: verlay District adds protection Article 23 - Conservancy Buffer Zone Ofor wetlands by requiring special permits from the Zoning Board of Apamendments go, two of them arepeals for filling or grading within 50 feet of all Inland Conservancy Distncts.Article 24 - Criteria for Increases in Non-Conformity protects the rights of neighboring property owners, and adds muscle to the towns defense of still involved in a tense pitchers duel. legal challenges, by providing specific guidelines for the building inspector and Zoning Board of Appeals to use when considering applications for changes to non-conforming structures.A casual incident in theArticle 25 - Maximum Allowable Building Coverage saves rapidly dwindling open space and helps preserve neighborhood character by modifying allowable building coverage on larger lots. Lots under 20,000 square feet spring of 2002 suggests how regret would keep the present coverage limit of 15%. Lots over 30,000 square feet would have 10% allowable coverage. Lots between 20,000 and 30,000 square feet would have a sliding scale to transition from 15% to10%.Article 27 - Dimensional exemptions for grandfathered lots closes table things had turned in theloopholes in ambiguous wording by changing the language of two grandfathering regulations to exactly match State law.Friendss dealings with Town gov NEED TO KNOW MORE?Bring your questions to a special ernment. At a meeting of theCitizens By-Law Information Workshop Saturday, May 5, 10:00 AM to Noon Conservation Commission, boardEldredge Public Librarymember John Geiger was sittingThis message comes from Friends of Chatham Waterways. a group of over 500 caring individuals gdedicated to protecting our waterways and adjacent landsbeside Town Conservation AgentMX cmmum wwhways and Preservin9 the highest Quality of Life for all citizensKristin Andres. An application hadThe Cape Cod Chronicle May 3,2001Page 15come before ConsCom dealing withFCW put its money where its sentiment was. site alteration next to an inlandOn May 3, it ran a half-page ad in The wetland. There was somethingC hronicle.The cost:Almost $400.It different about the request, Geigerdescribed the four Bylaw amendments and urged voters not only to raise a hand for realized: it was unlike any of theYes! at Town Meeting, but also to come to applications presented over thean information workshop beforehand on May 5.previous five months.Leaning toward Ms. Andres, he whispered, This may be a good place to apply the new Zoning Bylaw on the conservancy buffer zone. Her reply gave him a jolt. Oh, she said, that Bylaw was rejected by the Attorney General. The A. G.s decision -actually, he asked for updated maps had evidently reached Town government in September 2001.Reality suddenly dawned on John Geiger: neither he nor Debby Ecker had been told of the turndown. Nor did the full FCW board know about it, either. But the developers knew about it, Geiger could now tell, because their (construction) plans were changing. We were back to where we were in the fall of 2001.Maybe the revered Yogi had it right: wasnt this deja vu all over again?142'