ROCKPORT — A curbside vegetarian restaurant and a four-lot subdivision are two proposals that will go before the Rockport Planning Board for further review Wednesday, Aug. 26. The meeting was added to the calendar on the Town website on Aug. 24, and the packet of information for the meeting is now available on the website.

Stephanie Turner is seeking a change of use to the property at 330 Commercial Street to allow a “walk-up, take-out restaurant”, referred to in an application filed with the Town Office as “Street Food.”

The property, referred to in street signage as Rockport Center, includes Salon Suites and a bridal gown shop. Turner’s proposal involves serving a vegetarian menu of items from a newly built structure on the property.

The Planning Board will also be conducting a final review of a subdivision proposed by M. Richardson LLC, represented by surveyor Mark Ingraham of Ingraham Land Consulting. The four-lot subdivision is located on Town Map 6 lot 65-001, zone district 904, which is a residential zone.

The site is located off of Old County Road.

The board will also consider the approval of amendment’s to Rockport’s Land Use Ordinance (LUO) which were proposed by members of the Ordinance Review Committee (ORC.)

Street Food

An application filed on Aug. 12 by Turner describes a take-out restaurant which will operate from a 400-square-foot building on the 330 Commercial Street lot, which is owned by Douglas Clayton or Rockport Center LLC.

“Our foods would be plant-based only with minimal seafood at some point. We will not be using high temperatures [for] grilling our sauteeing. Our hours of operation are 7 a.m to 7 p.m., Monday thru Saturday. Included in our design will be three tables with chairs/benches located directly on the South side surrounded by raised planters underneath an attached canopy,” said Turner.

The application states that construction on the building is expected to be finished by the middle of September, and the proposed first day of business would be Nov. 1. The building is currently connected to electricity and town water. Turner initially appeared before the Planning Board in June to seek approval for the project, at which time board members advised that a change of use would need to be granted first.

Included in the materials Turner provided for the upcoming meeting are “before” and “after” photos of what appear a portion of the building which was remodeled from a car dealership to some of the salon suites, as well as a rendering of the newly-constructed 20-foot by 20-foot building, which would house the take-out restaurant.

These include an indoor bathroom, although in her application Turner writes that a portable toilet would be located on the east side of the property.

Four-lot subdivision

In June, Mark Ingraham came before the Planning Board presenting the subdivision proposed by M. Richardson. The Planning Board maintained a continuance on the project and requested that a variety of documents be provided by the time of the Aug. 24 meeting. These include a storm water plan and a hydrogeologic study, both of which have since been submitted to the town and appear online.  

Three of the four lots would be approximately two acres; the remaining 18 acres would be divided into two parcels: one 9 acre lot would be developed, and the remainder lot of 9 acres would be retained by the owner, M. Richardson.

Changes to Land Use Ordinance

Members of the ORC have submitted changes to two sections of Rockport’s LUO, Chapters 700 and 405, for consideration by the Planning Board.

Chapter 700 includes the organization of the board, the power and duties of the Chair and Vice Chair, as well as the procedure for how applications and appeals are heard by the board. Notes on this chapter provided by the ORC include:

“Current subsection 703 under section 702 (section 702(3) in the revised draft) is vague in that it allows “every party” to participate in the appeal. The intent, obviously, is to focus on the participants involved in the dispute but others might read it to include any busybody who is seeking a forum. Suggested language is added to section 702(3) making it consistent with limiting the participation to the petitioner, which is consistent with the following subsection.”

The proposed amendment to Chapter 405 of the LUO deals with who amendments to the LUO themselves are adopted, but also refers specifically to petitions and petitioners. It reads as follows:

“No land use regulation or amendment thereof shall be adopted until after the Select Board of the Town of Rockport have (sic) held a public hearing thereon at least ten (10)
days before it is submitted to the legislative body for consideration. Public notice of the hearing shall be made at least seven (7) days prior to the hearing. Amendments to this Ordinance shall be considered following a citizen petition pursuant to Article II § 14 of the Rockport Town Charter, recommendation of the Planning Board or motion of the Select Board. Petitioners are encouraged to work with and request assistance from the Planning Board so that proposed changes and amendments can be of greatest benefit to the citizens of Rockport. Petitioners shall be responsible for paying for all required advertisements and notifications.”

The Ordinance Review Committee offered the following explanation for this amendment:

“The purpose of this amendment is to avoid any perceived difference between the Town Charter and Land Use Planning Ordinances in terms of how citizen petitions can be used to amend Land Use Ordinances. The technique is to add to the relevant provision in the Land Use Ordinance a cross reference to the relevant provision of the Town Charter effectively incorporating the relevant Town Charter provision by reference.”

The Planning Board meeting will be held Thursday, Aug. 26, at 5:30 p.m. at the Rockport Opera House.