May 31, 2014 Minutes

Pittsfield Planning Board
Town Hall, 85 Main Street
Pittsfield, NH 03263
Minutes of Public Meeting

DATE: Saturday, May 31, 2014

The meeting of the planning board convened at 9:18 A.M. in the town hall on 85 Main Street, Pittsfield, NH, in the audience of the meeting of the economic development committee (EDC). The meeting of the planning board was part of the EDC’s joint board/committee forum. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss means to revitalize the Commercial District.

EDC chair Ted Mitchell called the meeting to order at 9:18 A.M.

Planning board members present:
Clayton Wood, member and chair of the planning board;
Pat Heffernan, member and vice-chair of the planning board;
Jim Pritchard, member and secretary of the planning board; and
Bill Miskoe, member of the planning board.

Planning board members absent:
Eric Nilsson, selectmen’s ex officio member of the planning board, and
Gerard LeDuc, selectmen’s ex officio alternate member of the planning board.

Other town officials, employees, or contractors present:
Ted Mitchell, chair EDC;
Lyn Roberts, vice-chair EDC;
Ellen Barbasso, secretary EDC;
Linda Small, EDC/selectman;
Susan Muenzinger, EDC
Chris Hill, chair conservation commission;
Diane Westgate, conservation commission;
Bill Elkins, chair housing standards board;
Helen Schiff, housing standards board and Suncook Valley Regional Development Corporation;
Jesse Pacheco, building inspector;
John Freeman, Pittsfield School District superintendent;
Mike Williams, town administrator;
Matt Monahan, Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission;
Stuart Arnett, Arnett Development Group.

Members of the public appearing before the planning board: None.

“Members of the public appearing before the planning board” includes only members of the public who spoke to the board. It does not include members of the public who were present but who did not speak to the board.

Other member of the public present:

Nancy Carr, observer from the Barnstead Planning Board.

Ted Mitchell turned the meeting over to Matt Monahan.

Matt Monahan distributed a map of the downtown area and displayed on an easel the same large map.

Stuart Arnett discussed mission statements and vision statements. A mission statement says why an organization exists. A vision statement says where the organization wants to go. Stuart Arnett asked the various boards present, starting with the planning board, what their mission and vision statements are.

Clayton Wood discussed the planning board’s role in land use regulations and the need for consistency in applying the land use regulations. The planning board represents everyone and should treat everyone the same. The town’s official vision is the master plan. It was last updated in 2009, and the planning board is trying to update the master plan to 2015. The master plan has not been taken seriously in the past. Clayton Wood wants the master plan to get more respect. The master plan will give more consideration to zoning changes.

Linda Small said that the board of selectmen exists to represent the town impartially, to set policy and procedure, to oversee operations and budget, and to make sure that everyone lives together peaceably. The selectmen are societal leaders.

Chris Hill said that the attitude of the board of selectmen changes with personnel and economic conditions.

Stuart Arnett said that the board of selectmen is the face of the town in emergencies. Does the board of selectmen have a vision to 2015?

Linda Small said that the board of selectmen relies on the master plan.

Ted Mitchell said that the all-boards meetings are important to ensure a consistent attitude across the various town-government boards.

John Freeman said that the school district’s mission is “to ensure that their learners are supported in the achievement of their college and career goals. Through student-centered learning practices and strong partnerships with our community, we encourage and guide our students to become self-directed, life-long learners who demonstrate a high level of [inaudible] skills and social, emotional wealth through self-advocacy, self-government, and commitment to community.” The school district’s vision statement is “the Pittsfield School District is a school community in which all decisions are based on the best interest of our learners, supported by a learning environment that enables all of Pittsfield’s young people to be fully engaged in their own learning, pursue their college and career aspirations, and be strongly supported to realize their dreams.”

Ted Mitchell read the vision statement of the EDC: “The economic development committee envisions an economically prosperous community in which all decisions by town leaders are based on a unified plan for Pittfield’s future, supported by town officials and residents, and guided by Pittsfield’s master plan.” The mission statement is “to promote and improve the economic quality of life for the citizens of Pittsfield, to continue in our efforts to improve the size and diversity of the tax base, preserve and revitalize the downtown, provide guidance to the board of selectmen and the planning board on matters of economic impact, protect existing business, recruit new business, and educate the public on ways to enhance Pittsfield’s attractiveness.”

Chris Hill read the conservation commission’s vision statement: “The Pittsfield Conservation Commission is responsible for and promotes conservation of Pittsfield’s natural resources, helps protect our valuable watershed resources, supports conservation and preservation of our town’s natural areas, and strives to promote environmental stewardship and public understanding through education of sustainable, environmentally sound land-use practices in Pittsfield.” Chris Hill said that the conservation commission is lucky because it has representation from several town boards. Chris Hill said that open space is an important resource and an economic resource.

Clayton Wood agreed. Open space is a selling feature. Even in-town development seeks open space.

Chris Hill emphasized that the conservation commission an advisory committee.

Jim Pritchard discussed the functions of the zoning board of adjustment (ZBA): administrative appeals, variances, special exceptions, waivers of dimensional requirements, and application of administrative gloss. Jim Pritchard emphasized that the ZBA’s function is judicial and is not to impose what the ZBA members think should happen.

Jesse Pacheco discussed his function as the administrative officer, and the importance of consistency in policy across the town boards.

Ted Mitchell asked attendees to e-mail suggestions for drafting mission and vision statements for the EDC’s joint board/committee forum.

Matt Monahan returned to his map showing the Commercial District (in purple) and the tax-incentive district (purple and green).

Clayton Wood went to the easel and discussed a map showing the lots in the Commercial District and whether they have conforming uses or nonconforming uses. Creating the original zoning map in 1987/1988 was very difficult in appeasing various property owners. Clayton Wood said that buildings suitable for business in the Commercial District are scarce. Pittsfield has an advantage in a technically-skilled workforce pool.

Matt Monahan distributed a table of the uses allowed in the five zoning districts of Pittsfield (an unofficial version of zoning ordinance article 2, table 1, zoning districts and uses).

Clayton Wood continued discussing the purple and green map of the Commercial District.

Jesse Pacheco explained how the Commercial District had evolved from mixed use—business on first floor and apartment on second floor—to mostly residential.

Stuart Arnett said that the pressure on real estate is usually to replace apartments with businesses, not the other way around.

Jim Pritchard said that the major problem in the Commercial District is the lack of enough parking spaces for any use, residential or nonresidential, that might be there. Jim Pritchard thought that any plan for the Commercial District would have to start with increasing the number of available parking spaces. Jim Pritchard asked Clayton Wood to comment.

Clayton Wood agreed that space for parking was a big problem and that a parking plan would be necessary.

Jim Pritchard noted Stuart Arnett’s observation that residential uses are displacing commercial uses. Pittsfield’s downtown appears to be attracting people who do not have cars. Jim Pritchard noted that the zoning regulations are not a problem for parking in the Commercial District because the zoning ordinance does not require parking spaces for nonresidential uses in the Commercial District. (Zoning ordinance article 16, section 4.) Jim Pritchard opposed changing the zoning regulations to permit residential uses without first solving the parking problem, because the change would simply make the existing problems worse.

Jesse Pacheco said that rental residential was a profitable, growing business.

Bill Miskoe said that uses, whether commercial or residential, will create parking spaces if a demand exists for the underlying use.

Clayton Wood, still standing next to the map at the easel, said that the meeting was getting ahead of his presentation. The town is not doing its job with the existing apartments situation and the existing regulations. The number of apartments continues to grow despite the town’s regulations.

Stuart Arnett said that renovation of existing space is much more expensive than demolition and constructing new.

Jesse Pacheco said that the expense problem that Stuart Arnett presented would apply to any use, no matter what the use was.

Clayton Wood agreed and said that the expense problem that Stuart Arnett presented applied to residential uses too. Any time that the town is permitting a new apartment residence, the town should make the owner bring the apartment up to the appropriate standard. The approval should involve site plan review with the building inspector’s recommendation.

Jesse Pacheco said that another problem is unauthorized subdivision of buildings into apartments.

Diana Westgate did not understand the parking problem. She has no problem finding a parking space when she shops downtown.

Clayton Wood explained that the zoning ordinance has a requirement that it ordinarily applies (in districts other than the Commercial District).

Clayton Wood said the zoning ordinance allows 22 uses in the Commercial District, but the only residence type allowed is the combined dwelling and business. In the combined dwelling and business, the residence does not have to be upstairs. Why are home occupations allowed? The town is not treating people the same when it holds businesses to site plan review but does not hold multi-dwelling-unit apartments to site plan review. The town needs to enforce the regulation on abandoned nonconforming uses. Clayton Wood cited the cellar holes on Depot Street and Main Street as long abandoned and said that they cannot become residences. Other towns enforce their regulations. Clayton Wood said that the town needs to change the definition of “combined dwelling and business.” RSA 79-E can be used for residential buildings if local regulations allow the use. Changing the definition of “combined dwelling and business” would be a step in the right direction and would be much easier than changing the use table or the zoning map. The three boards—the planning board, the ZBA, and the board of selectmen—should have a consistent policy relative to the proliferation of apartments.

Chris Hill said that the town could have made the Washington House lot (tax map U-5, lot 14) a parking lot but had not done so. (2002 town meeting warrant article 21, which was defeated.) Yellow Block could have been a parking lot. The town could buy the cellar holes in the ground on Depot Street and Main Street and create metered parking spaces. The town could relieve the parking problem, raise revenue, and avoid another apartment building, all at the same time.

Stuart Arnett said that the meeting attendees should focus on defining the problems before they propose specific solutions.

Helen Schiff said that the landlords prefer to rent to people on assistance instead of renting to hard-working, employed people. When people on assistance rent apartments, landlords do not have to worry about tenants complaining about building-code violations.

Stuart Arnett said that he had seen cases of owners milking their rental-apartment buildings to death. The owners would rent to tenants and would collect rent but would not pay utilities or even taxes and would walk away from the buildings when the creditors foreclosed. Stuart Arnett said that the bad landlords are a problem for the good landlords. The bad landlords create a “race to the bottom.” A plan to enforce existing regulations will encourage the bad landlords to leave.

Bill Miskoe said that banks regard nonconforming uses as substandard collateral. Changing the zoning classification in the Commercial District will change the existing nonconforming uses to conforming uses and will make these properties better candidates for improvement financing.

Jim Pritchard noted Jesse Pacheco’s comment that low-rental apartments are a growth business. Jim Pritchard said that Helen Schiff had added a lot of substance to Jesse Pacheco’s comment. Jim Pritchard said that low-rental apartments were a growth business because of two reasons: (1) the town’s failure to enforce existing regulations and (2) the inadequate number of parking spaces. Jim Pritchard noted Bill Miskoe’s suggestion to allow residential uses as principal uses by right so that improvement can happen. Jesse Pacheco had said that Bill Miskoe’s suggestion was risky, and Bill Miskoe had said that he was willing to take the risk, but Clayton Wood had pointed out that the town already knows from the character of the neighboring Urban District whether the improvements would happen. The improvements such as Bill Miskoe predicts are not happening in the Urban District. Jim Pritchard said that the town needs to focus on solving the “race to the bottom.”

Stuart Arnett asked John Freeman to comment on how the town’s residential character affects the school system.

John Freemen said that a high-poverty population brings high-poverty-related problems to the school. The school’s reduced-cost lunch rate, which schools use to measure poverty, is 58%. In the 15 years of John Freeman’s tenure, Pittsfield has always been more than twice the state average.

Chris Hill said that the poverty conditions make the job of the faculty in Pittsfield more difficult. Faculty members will want to move to better jobs, and this pressure to move will make the schools even less attractive to more affluent people.

John Freeman said that the school’s faculty turnover in recent years does not result as Chris Hill was suggesting because the Pittsfield School District has become very aggressive in the school’s probationary practices.

Mike Williams said that he lives in Chichester and that neighboring towns consider regionalizing local services. Pittsfield comes up in such discussions because Pittsfield is a hub of the area, but Chichester residents do not want to spend their tax money on Pittsfield’s downtown-area problems.

Matt Monahan said that Pittsfield needs to advertise the good things and Pittsfield’s high volunteer activism. Perception becomes reality.

Jesse Pacheco said that Pittsfield’s volunteer activism is a big asset and has the potential to solve the problem of lax code enforcement.

Linda Small noted the concerns that Clayton Wood and Jesse Pacheco had stated about lax code enforcement. She noted too that nonconforming uses exist. Good leaders anticipate the long-term consequences of their decisions.

Helen Schiff said that 86 Main Street and 17 Depot Street have very high turnover in tenants. The town needs to persuade the landlords to improve their business practices. Helen Schiff said that the apartment rents are not excessively cheap.

Bill Elkins said that improving a certain apartment building and increasing its rent did attract tenants willing to pay higher rent and wanting to stay longer. (But this apartment building had off-street parking spaces for the tenants, whereas most apartment buildings in Pittsfield’s downtown do not.)

Bill Miskoe said that Pittsfield has essentially two police departments: one for the rural area, and one for the urban, downtown area.

Ted Mitchell called a brief recess from 11:10 AM to 11:15 AM.

Matt Monahan said that parking, code enforcement, and the race to the bottom are the three important topics of the meeting so far. Matt Monahan said that the town committees need to decide where they think the downtown is and then determine whether the on-the-ground reality matches perception. Matt Monahan suggested that the town may want to distinguish between the Light Industrial/Commercial District on Route 28 and the Light Industrial/Commercial District in Pittsfield’s downtown area.

Matt Monahan said that the Town of Warner is authenticating its zoning ordinance to determine what language and district boundaries the town meeting actually approved in its zoning ordinance and zoning map.

Clayton Wood said that Jim Pritchard had finished authenticating Pittsfield’s zoning map, so the town can now proceed with digitizing the map and attaching district names to the individual lots. The task of authenticating and correcting the language of the zoning ordinance is nearly finished.

Stuart Arnett asked attendees to define standards of success in the downtown.

Jesse Pacheco said that the downtown will be successful when it attracts new business.

Clayton Wood said that the downtown will be successful when it is a societal center of the community. Clayton Wood cited page 8-2 of the master plan.

Bill Miskoe said that the Pollard Funeral Home (the Governor Hiram Tuttle mansion) is an invaluable historical building that the town must save. It is now for sale, and some developer may buy it and demolish it.

Stuart Arnett suggested that Bill Miskoe’s concern could be stated as a standard of success in that the downtown will be successful when valuable historic buildings have an economically viable use.

Helen Schiff said that the downtown will be successful when it or other parts in town have specific destinations that draw affluent people. Helen Schiff said that Ted Michell’s plans for trails would likely draw people looking for places to hike. A major restaurant would be a good draw.

Mike Williams said that the downtown will be successful when the tax revenues exceed the liabilities for services.

Bill Miskoe suggested that the downtown should have a fire-service museum.

Mike Williams said that the Globe Manufacturing Company had thought about creating a model fire department to showcase the company’s fire-fighting products.

Stuart Arnett said that the downtown will be successful when it is showcasing successful business (like Globe Manufacturing) to other towns.

Jesse Pacheco said that the town should have other activities available to people who come to the summer balloon rally.

Helen Schiff said that a health club would boost the downtown. Pittsfield needs a medical center to replace the one that moved from Loudon Road.

Ted Mitchell said that a medical center is considering moving into the Loudon Road building.

Stuart Arnett said that the downtown will be successful with the reconversion of the former fuel-oil sites.

Clayton Wood said that the downtown will be successful when it offers more hub services, such a general store or a health club.

Bill Miskoe said that a store selling outdoor clothes or work clothes could succeed.

Mike Williams said that Pittsfield needs a major grocery store.

Ted Mitchell suggested a special-needs food store for people with diabetes, peanut allergies, or other similar problems.

Stuart Arnett suggested that a toy store could succeed.

Jesse Pacheco said that the local customer base had not adequately supported the Toy Box store, located in the old Maxfield’s Hardware store at the corner of Carroll Street and Depot Street.

Ted Mitchell said that the Toy Box had not adequately advertised itself.

Ted Mitchell said that the town should have an events committee to ensure that events of public interest happen frequently.

Stuart Arnett described a special-interest event in another town where all motor-vehicle laws are suspended for a three-day weekend. This motor-vehicle free-for-all draws many people.

Matt Monahan said that Pittsfield needs to find ways to increase local support for local business.

Matt Monahan distributed a booklet titled “Welcome to Pittsfield, New Hampshire,” a survey of amenities and services in Pittsfield.

Chris Hill said that Pittsfield needs a FedEx, UPS, DHL, or similar shipping store.

Helen Schiff said that a shipping store would use a substation in a store such as a hardware store.

Helen Schiff said that the downtown will be successful when tenant turnover in the apartments is lower and when the downtown has enough parking spaces.

Bill Miskoe said that the 55-and-over population of New Hampshire is growing but that the 25-to-45 population is shrinking.

Bill Miskoe and Helen Schiff said that Pittsfield should try to exploit the older-age demographic.

Stuart Arnett said that Pittsfield needs eating accommodations open after 2:00 PM.

Clayton Wood said that Pittsfield needs to find better ways to advertise its commerce. Clayton Wood said that the UPS substation is a good idea.

Jesse Pacheco said that Ace Hardware (Maxfield’s) already has a UPS substation. Many people are unaware of this service.

John Freeman said that the downtown will be successful when parents feel that their children are safe when out and about in the downtown. The children themselves want recreational facilities.

Attendees discussed better opportunities for eating and refreshments for families during the balloon rally.

Chris Hill said that the town needs to do a better job of keeping the main entrances to town (such as Route 107 off of Route 28) clean.

Jesse Pacheco said that a campground a little closer to the center of town then the campground on Jenness Pond Road would be a good draw.

Stuart Arnett said that Pittsfield had received good press coverage for Pittsfield’s handling of the Rustic Crust fire.

Ted Mitchell said that Pittsfield needs to project itself with confidence because perception becomes reality.

The meeting attendees agreed to schedule the next all-boards meeting to the second week in September (September 13, 2014).

The meeting adjourned at 12:03 P.M.

Minutes approved: June 19, 2014

______________________________ _____________________
Clayton Wood, Chairman Date

I transcribed these minutes (not verbatim) on June 6, 2014, from notes and a tape recording that I made during the meeting.

____________________________________________
Jim Pritchard, planning board recorder and secretary