Mary,

I would like to correct one comment you made in the June 11 posting titled “Newburyport, The Infill Ordinance”. You stated:
“The revision would have limited how big an addition one could make to a two family home.” The rest of your sentence should have read “without applying to the Planning Board for a Special Permit.”

The Planning Board does not want to restrict unconditionally property owners’ rights to build extensions to their homes. The Planning Board wants to ensure that extensions beyond a certain size get discussed and approved in a public forum, which the Special Permit process provides. Part of the challenge in crafting the amendment to this IX-B zoning ordinance is determining what’s the appropriate number, percentage or ratio to use to trigger an application to the Planning Board.

I want to say one more time: it is not the intent of the Planning Board to arbitrarily or unconditionally limit extensions and additions to residential structures or uses. It’s fine to refer to the IX-B zoning ordinance as the “infill ordinance”. I also hope that residents will learn more about the positive aspects of “infill” so that they can make informed decisions about what they want for our neighborhoods and community…but as you often state yourself Mary, that’s the topic of another posting!

Thank you,
Bonnie Sontag
Newburyport Planning Board member

(Editor’s note: A very big “thank you” to Bonnie Sontag of the Newburyport Planning Board.)