Erving Planning Board Votes to Delay Zoning Overhaul Until Special Town Meeting

ERVING — February 11, 2021 — Erving Planning Board unanimously votes to skip May town meeting, aims for special zoning session in late 2021. The board, meeting February 11 via remote video, voted to abandon an already-tight timeline for presenting zoning bylaw changes at the annual town meeting in May, citing the collapse of the floodplain bylaw deadline and insufficient time to complete required legal advertising, public hearings, and map approvals. Members discussed proposed marijuana delivery zoning rules with a local police sergeant, who said he had no legal objection to delivery services but flagged uncertainty about enforcement oversight, noting "the rules are the rules, the laws are the laws." The board informally coalesced around a 350-foot school setback and 50-foot residential setback for marijuana establishments, though no formal vote was taken on the figures. The chair said he would draft a memo to the Select Board requesting a special town meeting focused exclusively on zoning, with individual members assigned to research noise bylaws, accessory dwelling unit standards, special permit procedures, and wireless communications rules ahead of future sessions.