The applicant has the burden of proving to the Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen that the application is satisfactory, and in conformity with the purposes and provisions of §
160-170F(3) and of Article
XXII.
The submission of a request for contract zoning under Article
XXII, the payment of application fees, or the expenditure of funds by the applicant in presenting such a request shall not create any vested rights in the application. The conduct of meetings and hearings, the review of the application, comments by Town officials, staff or consultants, preliminary votes, findings or determinations, preliminary subdivision approval, and the availability of contract zoning under this article
XXII shall not be construed as creating any entitlement to approval of a request for contract zoning. The decision whether or not to rezone remains subject to a vote at Town Meeting, exercising its sole and exclusive judgment as the legislative body of the Town of Alfred and will not be made until the Town votes approval of the contract zone.
Contract zoning changes approved by the Town shall expire, and
the property revert to its prior zoning district status, unless work
on the project is substantially commenced within 24 months of the
date of enactment and is substantially completed within a time frame
to be specified within the contract zoning agreement. These deadlines
may be extended by a vote of the Town Meeting.
Should any section or provision of this article be declared
invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall
not invalidate any other section or provision of this article. Should
any zoning district created pursuant to the sections of this article
be declared invalid, the area so invalidated shall automatically become
part of the zone from which it was originally extracted.
The effective date of this article shall be immediately upon
passage by Town Meeting.