What is the House Files Project?

The Town has a file folder for every house in Town going back many years. The file contains all the information the Planning Commission has on each house, generally a collection of building permits. When the House Files project began in 2014, it was to summarize information already in the existing house files onto a single sheet at the front of the file so when a resident wanted to find information on the property it was easy to understand. Over time, the Planning Commission realized the information could also be used to identify ordinances which were too restrictive by the pattern of houses which did not conform to a specific ordinance. A good example is side setback for small accessory buildings like a shed or small garage. The setback is currently 10 feet from the side of the property in the RR1 zone (which is the largest part of Town). But on many small or narrow properties in RR1, this is unrealistic. Because of this the Planning Commission has sent a proposed Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA #2018-04)) to the Town Council which will change the setback for accessory buildings. In the new ordinance the side setback for an accessory building “under 15’ & not adjacent to street” will be “5’ for RR1, 3 & 4 zones 4’ for RR2” instead of the current 10’ in RR1, 3, 4 and 4’ in RR2. This ZTA will have a public hearing on July 9 before the regularly scheduled Town Council Meeting. Please plan on being there if you are interested! Copies of the full ZTA proposal are available at the Town Office or by contacting Kathy Lehman by email.