Essex Planning Board Advances Nine Zoning Articles Toward May Town Meeting

ESSEX — March 5, 2025 — Essex Planning Board holds public hearing on seven zoning articles bound for May 5 Annual Town Meeting. The board heard comment on proposals covering accessory dwelling units newly permitted under a February 2025 state law, a FEMA-required overhaul of the floodplain overlay district ahead of a July 8 map update, a buffer requirement between commercial and residential uses in the General Use District, and a clarification allowing standalone multifamily buildings in the Downtown District. Town Administrator Brendan Zubricki pledged to consult DCR contact Eric Carlson and a prior consultant about whether this cycle's flood elevation increases — some panels show Elevation 13, up from 11 feet after a successful Essex challenge in a prior cycle — are contestable, or whether they reflect a different methodology tied to sea-level rise data. Resident John Guerin pressed for clarity on whether ADUs can be stacked on top of the existing three-unit maximum that Section 6-7.1 allows on large lots, a question the board agreed to bring to town counsel. The board also previewed two additional articles — rezoning a 33-by-66-foot parcel at 11 Southern Avenue into the Downtown District, and establishing a minimum commercial component for mixed-use buildings — to be finalized March 19 and heard at a public hearing April 16, before the Select Board signs the warrant March 24.