March 13 Zoning Changes Would Benefit Few

[Last update 3-8-2018]

On Tuesday, March 13, Bedford will hold its voting for the Town and School.

Did you as a voter ever notice how the various town and school boards are allowed to place their "recommendations" on the ballot? This practice could be very misleading in that people might assume these recommendations are made with the taxpayers' best interests in mind. As we have discovered, that assumption is not always true.

Take for example some of the zoning changes that are proposed.

Sample Town Ballot
https://bedfordnh.org/DocumentCenter/View/1929

The full zoning amendments/table of uses can be read at the town website here:

https://www.bedfordnh.org/DocumentCenter/View/2605

ARTICLE 2: AMENDMENT 1: "Relative to the Table of Uses, Permitted uses in the Performance Zone and Definitions would be changed."

One of the new uses to be added to the table is to ALLOW the building of a "MINI WAREHOUSING/SELF STORAGE FACILITY: A building or group of buildings, with controlled access, which contains individual, compartmentalized stalls or lockers for the storage of personal property, goods, or wares" .

Further clarification from the town states: "Self storage was previously considered a “warehousing” use and permitted in all districts that allow “warehousing.” The zoning amendment intends to create a new and distinct definition for “self storage” and prohibit the use in all districts except the Service Industrial District.

The recommendation remains the same. - VOTE NO.

"Event/Conference Centers" will also be added as a previously prohibited use.

Not sure if Bedford needs any more of these, considering we have old and new establishments that serve this purpose.

ARTICLE 2: AMENDMENT 2: "This amendment is intended to define short term rental housing and clarify the town’s existing policy that the use is prohibited in all zoning districts."

This is interesting but it is highly unenforceable. What right does the town have to say whether you can have guests in your own home? - VOTE NO.

*ARTICLE 2: AMENDMENTS 6 and 7: This provides for a limit to cell phone tower heights to 75 ft instead of 130 ft and establishes required setback distances. - VOTE YES.

*ARTICLE 2: AMENDMENT 8: "Licensed Surgical Centers shall not be permitted uses." This is one of those instances where the passage of the amendment is supported by the planning board. You have to ask yourself, why would the planning board create a situation that BANS ALL COMPETITION to a similar, existing business, an action that would ONLY benefit existing businesses and hurt the taxpayer? - VOTE NO.

Note that while surgical centers will now be prohibited in that particular area, adult shops, helicopters, and "workforce housing" will be allowed in others.

*Please note that some of the above positions are different from the green BTA flyer you may have gotten in the mail. BTA thinks limiting cell towers is 'anti-business'. However, nothing is more anti-business than allowing one person to stop all competition with amendment 8. However, they took no position to stop it.

TOWN COUNCIL CANDIDATES

Phil Greazzo spent 4 years as a Manchester Aldermen and has the experience and knowledge to serve on this board. I am confident that he will act in the best interests of the taxpayers. Incumbent Bill Duschatko has a fairly good record as well.

SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES

Sample School Ballot
https://bedfordnh.org/DocumentCenter/View/1931

Spencer Dias and Jay Nash have given reasonable answers to our questions and concerns regarding curriculum content, preservation of parental rights, and assurance of civil behavior and attitude of the school board members toward voters who come before them with questions.

ARTICLE III: The default budget is $2M lower than the proposed. Not sure why we need to add $2M to an already bloated school budget! - VOTE NO.

REMEMBER WHEN THEY SAID THE HIGH SCHOOL WOULD COST "JUST THREE DIMES"?

http://www.cnht.org/pdf/three_dimes_front.pdf
http://www.cnht.org/pdf/three_dimes.pdf

2018 ELECTIONS for STATE OFFICES
The filing period is the first week in June.