Dying to hold a concert in the Center Cemetery? That strange dream could come true in 2023. At the Planning Board’s Dec. 5 public hearing on the proposed bylaw that would create an entertainment overlay district in the center of town, the board agreed to expand the district to include the schools, churches, library, Town Hall, fire station, and Hildreth House. The cemetery was included to keep the properties in the proposed district contiguous.
The bylaw was introduced to allow the General Store and Fivesparks to continue offering entertainment despite both being in an area zoned only for agricultural and residential use. The Select Board had been granting annual entertainment licenses to those two entities, not realizing that it was running afoul of existing zoning laws. The current licenses expire Dec. 31, and the board hopes to bring the new bylaw to a Special Town Meeting in January so entertainment can continue at both locations. Should the bylaw pass, the Select Board would still need to grant, and set conditions for, entertainment licenses in the district.
When the Planning Board held its first public hearing on the bylaw last week, it came to light that many of the traditional events that have been held on the Common and the field between the Bromfield School and Mass. Ave. should also have had entertainment licenses. This week, the list grew longer (see map below). Although town-sponsored events on town-owned land do not require a license, there are a few events held in town buildings, such as Celebration, Bromfield’s after-prom party, that are not sponsored by the town. According to Town Counsel Mark Lanza, those activities, if entertainment was provided, should always have had a license, and will now require one.
Town Hall was added because Upper Town Hall is sometimes rented out for private events. Entertainment is held in the churches, including the Unitarian Universalist Church’s Fellowship Hall, so all three churches were added. The annual turkey raffle held in the fire station put that building on the map, and Hildreth House was added since it is large enough to be a possible entertainment venue.
The library has entertainment in Volunteers Hall, and it allows other town organizations to use that space, so it is in the new proposed district. Both schools were included to allow Celebration and similar events to continue to be held there. Town counsel advised making all the properties in the district contiguous; as a result, the Center Cemetery and the Bromfield parking lot were added to connect the General Store and St. Theresa Catholic Church to the high school and the library.
The board’s expanded map of the town center overlay district was delivered to the Select Board in time for its Dec. 6 meeting, and members approved of the plan. The bylaw language will be amended to reflect the new boundaries of the district, and the Planning Board will discuss the new version at its continued public hearing on Dec. 19. The Select Board hopes to approve the final bylaw language at its meeting the following day, in time to get it on the warrant for Special Town Meeting. In the meantime, Town Administrator Tim Bragan told the board it could issue one-day entertainment licenses for both the General Store and Fivesparks in the new year provided it held a public hearing for each requested license date.
Agricultural bylaw needs work
The bylaw amendment to allow entertainment as an accessory use on agricultural properties is proving to be more difficult to define to the Planning Board’s and the public’s satisfaction. It is intended to allow annual entertainment licenses to be granted to farms that are in areas zoned for agricultural and residential use. But the Planning Board told the Select Board that its proposed one-sentence amendment lacks clarity on the definition of entertainment as well as the parameters, such as frequency, noise, lighting, and traffic.
In both sessions of the Planning Board’s public hearing on the agricultural amendment, residents and board members said that, unlike town center entertainment venues, farms are in quiet residential areas, and that requires more guardrails. At a Dec. 6 Select Board meeting, a few residents spoke to the vagueness of the amendment’s language and asked that more time be taken to consider its impact on all farms and neighboring properties.
While the agricultural amendment was not on the Dec. 6 agenda, Chair Rich Maiore said he would be open to holding a joint meeting with the Planning Board to “take the slings and arrows,” and hammer out the language. Maiore said his board had essentially pulled the pin on a hand grenade, given it to the Planning Board, and said “Can you hang onto this for a second?” Members Erin McBee and Kara Minar agreed. “I think we owe them,” Minar said. The Planning Board’s hearing on the amendment will continue on Dec. 19.
Proposed Town Center Entertainment District
The green area indicates the proposed new overlay district within which the Select Board can issue licenses and set conditions for entertainment events.
