HomeMy Public PortalAboutVision Planning Committee -- 2023-06-05 MinutesTOWN OF BREWSTER
VISION PLANNING COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
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Monday, June 5, 2023, at 3:30PM
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Sharon Tennstedt, Chair, convened the Brewster Vision Planning Committee in person with members: Amanda Bebrin,
Vice Chair, Suzanne Kenney, Patricia Hess, Andi Gesner, and Alex Wentworth were present. A quorum was determined.
Also present: Jon Idman, Town Planner, Kari Hoffman, Select Board Liaison (virtual), and Fran Schofield (resident)
The Chair read the Recording or Taping Notification: This meeting will be conducted in person at the time and location
identified above. This means that at least a quorum of the members of the public body will attend the meeting in person
and members of the public are welcome to attend in person as well. As a courtesy only, access to the meeting is also being
provided via remote means in accordance with applicable law. Please note that while an option for remote attendance
and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated
if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast or affect remote attendance or participation, unless otherwise
required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda, which includes an
applicant and its representatives, should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly.
To submit public comment or questions to the Vision Planning Committee, please email: brewplan@brewster-ma.gov.
• Review and approval of May 15`h meeting minutes
Sharon requested an amendment of the minutes, changing her position to Chair and striking the word approved
under the second bulleted item. Amanda made a motion to approve the May 15th meeting minutes as
amended, Suzanne seconded the motion, a roll call was taken, and the May 15th meeting minutes were
unanimously approved. Sharon acknowledged Fran Schofield from the public attending.
• Review of recent edits to the draft LCP version 4
Sharon Tennstedt referred to version 4 of the document focusing on edits made since the last meeting, and a
document with a summary of the edits.
She started with the Executive Summary stepping through the updates. Sharon noted in Section 3 Building
Blocks under "Brewster Today" Current Land Use Patterns a key will be added to the diagram and updated in
InDesign the publishing software program. Sharon reminded the Committee that it was agreed to use the term
"town centers" throughout the document.
Community Character was updated to reflect houses built prior to 1925, as suggested by Patricia at the previous
meeting.
Andi questioned the edit under Local Economy "to own or to rent" and the Committee discussed rewording.
The Committee moved on to "Key Issues" and stepped through minor changes and suggestions for additional
clarity. Updates were made to Coastal Management confirming and the number of parking spaces and language
referring to Dennis Bass Hole to Rock Harbor Orleans was updated. In Water Resources, the text for the
Stormwater Bylaw was updated and reference to the Water Resources Taskforce was included. The Committee
discussed additional minor changes to the Governance, Community Infrastructure and Solid Waste Building
Blocks.
The Committee moved on to the Action Plan highlighting minor changes. In Local Economy, the term "form
based code" was not used and made considerably simpler using more neutral terms and Community input will
be added to the diagram under Implementation and Performance Monitoring.
Amanda made a motion to approve the version with edits made at the meeting for submission to Town Staff for
further review, Suzanne seconded the motion, a vote was taken and the Committee unanimously voted to
approve.
Sharon informed the Committee that the version that will be sent to Town Staff for review will not include track
changes, but a separate summary of changes document will accompany the draft.
• Begin discussion of public outreach and education, including timeline.
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Sharon referred to the document outlining activities and a schedule. Stepping through the schedule first, the
Committee discussed each item by month. Sharon informed the Committee that the focus is to create
communications. Upcoming events were discussed. The first event will be the Ponds Summit on June 16th. She
referred to the handout created by Amanda to potentially use for the Ponds Summit. For the other public
events Sharon suggested a VPC presence to handout materials and talk to people attending the events.
Sharon suggested that Brewster Conservation Day would be a good event because it brings young families which
has been a challenging group for outreach in the past. The Committee discussed a public information session to
be held either at the Town Hall or the Ladies Library no later than August. Sharon informed the Committee they
need to reach as many residents as possible to educate them on the LCP. A big push should be scheduled in
September and October prior to the Town Meeting. Andi asked how does the Committee break the LCP down
so it is understandable for the residents. Jon suggested a comprehensive FAQ. Amanda suggested the Action
Plan be used since it is the meat of the LCP along with the FAQ. It was suggested to start with what was written
last year. The Committee discussed the length and content of the document. Fran Schofield, who has created
documents for the VPC in the past and a past VPC member addressed the Committee suggesting the best format
and content to include in order to get the message across. The Committee discussed other methods of reaching
out to the residents. It was suggested social media and interviews on the Brewster channel. Sharon spoke with
Bronwen Walsh from the Cape Cod Chronicle to provide coverage on the LCP. It was suggested Touch a Truck
and the Brewster Conservation Day would be events to target young families. Also, discussed was sending a
communication in the Children's backpack or distribution through the parent's email. It was also suggested to
have a table at the Farmer's Market. Sharon was approached to attend the annual Brewster part time resident's
organization. Other public events were also discussed. Alex suggested a sign with a QR code to access more
information on the LCP. Sharon will send out a list from the discussion today for the Committee to review and
add to if needed. Jon suggested a FAQ tailored to young families. It was also suggested communication be
tailored to other groups.
It was decided the Committee will continue with the meeting schedule of the first and third Monday of the
month from 3:30-5 and if needed meetings can be cancelled. At the next meeting, the meeting schedule will be
discussed for July due to the first Monday of July being the 3rd and considered a holiday weekend.
The Committee discussed the Ponds Summit flyer Amanda drafted. Fran Schofield provided feedback on the
document and the Committee discussed updates. Amanda will update and send it to the Committee. Sharon
and Jon will be attending the Ponds Summit.
• Discuss and vote on Committee liaison reappointment
Amanda made a motion to retain Suzanne a.s the VPC liaison to the Pond Property Planning Committee, Andi
seconded the motion and the Committee voted unanimously to approve.
• Update on Select Board appointment for VPC vacancy
Kari updated the Committee informing them of the nomination of Fran Schofield as the appointee for the VPC
vacancy. She indicated the Select Board will be voting on the appointment that evening.
• Review Action Items from the May 151h meeting
No outstanding items.
• Update from Bay and Pond Property Planning Committees
The public forum for the Bay and Pond properties on May 20th included approximately 400 attendees. The
survey is complete with approximately 1000 participants. Data derived from the public forum and the survey
will be used to identify the interests of the residents. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the pool will be held on
Sunday, June 25tH and pool opening on Monday, June 26tH
• Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair:
None at this time.
• Next Meeting Monday, June 26th
Amanda made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Suzanne seconded the motion, a roll call vote was taken, and the
meeting was unanimously adjourned at 5:03 pm.
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