It is the intent of this article to provide detailed review of uses and structures having substantial impact on the town, to prevent blight, to enhance the natural and aesthetic qualities of the town, to preserve the value of land and buildings and to protect and preserve the historic and cultural aspects and heritage of the town.
[Added 5-2-1994 ATM by Art. 20]
A.
The Design Review Board shall be appointed annually by the Planning Board and shall consist of five residents of the Town as follows:
(1)
Chair of the Planning Board or his/her designee.
(2)
One person qualified by training and experience in the fine arts or landscape design.
(3)
One person doing business in the Town or a citizen at large.
(4)
One person qualified by training and experience in the art or design professions.
(5)
One member of the Historic District Commission or a designee of the Planning Board.
B.
The Planning Board may also appoint up to two alternate members who shall be Town residents.
[Amended 5-6-2013 ATM by Art. 53; 5-6-2015 ATM by Art. 37]
The Design Review Board shall review applications for site plan review submitted pursuant to Article XX and applications for new signs requiring a building permit, provided, however, that the Design Review Board shall not have jurisdiction to review applications for signs over which a Historic District Commission has review authority. It shall evaluate such requests based on the design criteria set forth in this Article. With respect to site plan review applications, the Design Review Board’s written findings shall be advisory to the Planning Board and shall be submitted to the Planning Board and the applicant along with any recommendations and proposed conditions. With respect to sign applications, the Design Review Board’s written findings shall be advisory to the Director of Municipal Inspections and shall be submitted to the Director of Municipal Inspections and the applicant. Any such findings shall specifically identify each of the design criteria set forth in this Article to which they pertain.
[Amended 5-3-2004 ATM by Art. 30]
The Design Review Board shall review requests for site plan review based on the following criteria:
A.
Preservation and enhancement of landscaping. The landscape shall be preserved in its natural state, insofar as practicable, by minimizing tree and soil removal and any grade changes shall be in keeping with the general appearance of neighboring developed areas.
B.
Relation of buildings to environment. The proposed development shall be related harmoniously to the terrain and to the use, scale and architecture of existing buildings in the surrounding area that have functional or visual relationship to the proposed buildings. Proposed buildings shall be related to their surroundings with respect to:
C.
Open space. All open space, landscaped and usable, shall be designed to add to the visual amenities of the area by maximizing its visibility for persons passing the site or overlooking it from nearby properties.
D.
Heritage. Removal or disruption of historic, traditional or significant uses, structures or architectural elements shall be minimized insofar as practicable.
The Design Review Board may publish and make available to the public on request a booklet of guidelines based on the specific design criteria cited above to effectuate the purposes of this article.