Ordinance and Administration Committee

By City Clerk at 5:47 pm, Feb 16, 2023 City of Amesbury Office of the City Clerk 62 Friend St. Amesbury, MA 01913 City Council Ordinance & Administration Subcommittee Meeting Minutes November 21, 2022, at 7:00 PM Virtual – Teams meeting Chair Adrienne Lennon called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. Roll call was taken and present were voting members Chair Adrienne Lennon, Councilor Anthony Rinaldi and non-voting members Atty. Bethany Raffa and Atty. Leonard Johnson. Councilor Peter Frey was absent. Also present were Nipun Jain, City Planner Minutes for approval- October 17, 2022 Councilor Rinaldi moved to approve the minutes of October 17, 20022 as presented. Councilor Lennon seconded and said motion passed unanimously 2-0. Public Comment- • Virginia Noon, 24 Merrimac St., spoke in opposition to 2022-086 and expressed concerns about lightning at the marina and its overflow parking. • Sally Nutt, 335 Main St., spoke in opposition to 2022-086 and asked that more parking specifications be included in the zoning ordinance amendment. • Tracy Chalifour, 25 Clarks Road, agreed with the concerns expressed by the two previous speakers. 2022-086 An Ordinance to amend the Amesbury Zoning Ordinance to allow restaurant use at marina facilities in the City of Amesbury. -Mayor Sponsor Councilor Lennon read the summary as follows: Communities along the Merrimack River are increasing their appreciation of this natural resource and exploring ways to increase access to the river for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike. One of the uses that Amesbury is exploring is allowing restaurants. In this proposed amendment, the restaurant use would only be allowed if it is connected to an active marina. The proposed ordinance seeks to amend certain provisions of the Amesbury Zoning Ordinance as follows: 1. Amend Section II by adding a definition of “Banquet Hall” 2. Amend Section V – Table of Use Regulations, by allowing restaurant use at active marina facilities by Special Permit from the Planning Board (S1) and Site Plan Review in the zoning districts where marinas are allowed and adding a new note after current note #14. • Nipun Jain, City Planner, shared the most current red line version of the ordinance. • Councilor Rinaldi stated that most of his concerns have been expressed and addressed.  • Atty. Raffa stated that while she had not seen the red line version until this meeting, she had no comments or questions at this time. • Councilor Lennon expressed concerns that while the ordinance requires a marina be active in order to comply with zoning requirements, city does not require an actual marina license and no entity is responsible for oversight of such. Councilor Lennon opined that some language should be included in the ordinance to ensure proper licensing in the future and to ascertain that the marina is in existence. • Mr. Jain stated that note #15 could be revised to include a new subsection “G’ that could read as the following: “At the start of every fiscal year, the operator of the marina facility shall provide written evidence to the Zoning Compliance Officer to establish that i) the marina is in compliance with local, state and federal regulations to operate and ii) the marina can operate at that location as a business by providing the business certificate from the City Clerk, and upon receipt of satisfactory evidence to this effect, the Zoning Compliance Officer shall issue a written letter certifying that the marina is operational for such fiscal year”. Councilor Rinaldi offered a motion to refer 2022-086 back to the full council with a positive recommendation subject to the revisions discussed at this meeting. Councilor Lennon seconded and said motion carried 2-0. 2022-147 An Ordinance to amend the Section V Schedule I (Parking) of the City Traffic code to limit parking on the south side of Cedar Street from the corner of R street and Cedar St to the Eastern end of the property of the Lofts on Clark Pond- Councilor Deschenes Sponsor Councilor Lennon read the summary as follows: Since the opening of the Briggs Mills apartments residents have been using the south side of Cedar St from R street intersection to the Eastern end of the Lofts at Clarks property as a permanent parking lot instead of using their designated parking lot on Poplar St. This situation causes the following. 1. Reduced visibility for vehicles turning Right onto Cedar St. from R Street. 2. Reduced visibility for vehicles tuning into and out of the main and visitor parking lots @ the Lofts at Clark Pond. Councilor Rinaldi offered a motion to continue 2022-147 to the December 19, 2022 meeting of the Ordinance & Administration Committee. Councilor Lennon seconded and said motion passed 2-0. Councilor Rinaldi offered a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:19 PM. Councilor Lennon seconded and said motion passed 2-0. Respectfully submitted, Jennifer E. Smith