Zoning Amendments Notice of Public Hearing
Town of Hubbardston
Notice of Public Hearing for Zoning Amendments
On Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. at the Slade Building Conference Room, 7 Main Street, the Hubbardston Planning Board will hold a public hearing regarding the following proposed changes to the Hubbardston Zoning Bylaws, to be considered at Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday, June 6, 2023.
The Planning Board is proposing an article to see if the Town will vote to amend the Hubbardston Zoning Bylaws to change all gender-specific references to gender-neutral references and to standardize references to the Building Commissioner position by replacing:
a. the words “Board of Selectmen,” wherever they appear, with the word “Select Board;”
b. the words “Selectman” or “Selectmen,” wherever either appears, with the words “Select Board Member” or “Select Board Members,” respectively; and
c. the word “Chairman,” wherever it appears, with the word “Chair;” and
d. the words “Building Inspector”, wherever they appear, with the words “Building Commissioner”.
The Planning Board is also proposing additional amendments to the Hubbardston Zoning Bylaws for clarity and consistency with Massachusetts General Laws (MGL). Most of these changes could be considered “housekeeping” items, but they still require Town Meeting approval. The most substantive changes involve eliminating the special permit requirements for child care facilities and commercial greenhouses as allowed uses. These changes are necessary to be in compliance with MGL Ch. 40A Sec. 3, which specifies that local regulations cannot require a special permit for these uses.
The full text of the proposed changes are available below as PDF files in either summary format showing only the sections with proposed changes, or as a comprehensive document showing the changes within the context of the entire Zoning Bylaw.