Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 7 as proposed by the Planning Board for the Hampton Zoning Ordinance as follows?
Amend the Zoning Ordinance to add new Article XIX-B, the “Liberty Lane Overlay District”, which includes the following sections: 19-B.1 stating the purpose of facilitating development of real property primarily accessed from Liberty Lane. 19-B.2 citing the boundary as consisting of any and all real property bounded between the New Hampshire Turnpike (Interstate 95) to the West, New Hampshire Route 101 to the East and North, and Towle Farm Road to the South.
19-B.3 stating that the dimensional requirements for the Liberty Lane Overlay District shall be the same as those provided for the underlying Industrial Zoning District but with respect to any residential use, the maximum number of units per structure shall not exceed 120. 19-B.4 citing the permitted uses to include Residential Dwelling Units: Single Family, Two-Family, and/or Multi-Family; Condominium; Outdoor recreation areas for picnicking and pet exercise; Retail Sales and Services; Restaurants; Business and Professional Offices; Personal Services Establishments; Hotels; Health Care Facilities; Health/Athletic Clubs; Private Schools; Light Manufacturing, including Research and Development; Electric Vehicle Charging Stations; and Accessory Uses. 19-B.5 requiring Site Plan Review. 19-B.6 requiring all uses to comply with the parking standards provided in Article VI of the Zoning Ordinance, requiring a minimum of one electric vehicle charging station for every 100 residential units, and requiring a minimum of one electric vehicle charging station for every 50,000 square feet of non-residential floor area. 19-B.7 requiring any development or redevelopment to be consistent with the purposes set forth in Section 19-B.1 and to be subject to the Architectural and Site Design Guidelines and other related requirements in the Town of Hampton Site Plan Review Regulations. 19-B.8 stating that signs shall be governed by the provisions of Article V of the Zoning Ordinance, shall adhere to the requirements for the Industrial District in Tables 1 and II of said Article V, and shall be subject to the Architectural and Site Design Guidelines and other related requirements in the Town of Hampton Site Plan Review Regulations.
Also, Amend Article III – Use Regulations to add a note cross referencing Section 19-B.4 for the Permitted Uses and Facilities in the Liberty Lane Overlay District.
What it means:This creates and provides details for a new Liberty Lane Overlay District that includes new uses other than industrial, to include residential, retail, services and other currently prohibited uses.
Those in favor say:No one spoke specifically in favor of the article, other than to clarify questions or concerns from the attendees about the intent of the Article (see below).
Those opposed say:There was concern expressed over the burden that might be placed on municipal services including sewer, police, fire, traffic, etc. To that point, it was explained that this is only expanding the allowed uses in the district. It is not the approval of any particular project, which would need to go before all the appropriate boards for a site review process. Further, recent projects on the west side of town have had to join a sewer agreement, whereby the transportation of sewage to the Transfer station is the responsibility of the sewer consortium, and there are restrictions on the amount of sewage that can be deposited.
One speaker said that the reason it was zoned industrial in the first place is that it provided a natural buffer for the residential areas from the noise of I95 traffic. By allowing residential development there, you remove that buffer and increase evening and weekend traffic.