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The Facts About Emergency Zoning in Dalton

July 30 at 7 p.m. is the Special Town Meeting to deliberate and vote on Emergency Temporary Zoning in Dalton. Voting is by secret ballot, in person only. It will be conducted during a two hour period following the conclusion of the deliberations at the Dalton Municipal Building. 

If this passes it will give the Town a critical tool to prevent a landfill from being built in Dalton. A landfill is something that would have destructive effects on the North Country for generations to come. 

If you are registered to vote in Dalton, please be sure to attend and vote yes. 

If you are not a Dalton voter, please contact your friends and acquaintances who are and encourage them to vote yes.

Here are two key points to know about the zoning ordinance:

  1. The emergency zoning is temporary.
    If we vote YES at the Special Town Meeting on July 30th, the Emergency Temporary Zoning Ordinance will only be in effect until the 2021 Town Meeting. Dalton voters could craft a permanent zoning ordinance before then, but have no obligation to do so. If there is no further action on a zoning ordinance by the 2021 Town Meeting, the emergency zoning simply expires – in less than two years.
  2. Emergency zoning means Dalton decides its own future.
    All current homeowners, businesses, and land uses would be allowed to continue as they operate now – they would be “grandfathered in”. The Emergency Temporary Zoning Ordinance only applies to new land uses.

    Restrictions on land uses listed in RSA 674:25-27 include the following: “No business, commercial or industrial venture or use shall be permitted which could cause any undue hazard to health, safety, or property values or which is offensive to the public because of noise, vibration, excessive traffic, unsanitary conditions, noxious odor, smoke or other similar reason” RSA 674:27, I (bolding added for emphasis)

Enacting the Emergency Temporary Zoning Ordinance would give the Dalton voters a chance to carefully consider whether a landfill fits with the landscape and lifestyle of the town. It puts the choice in the hands of Dalton voters instead of the decision being made primarily by developers Casella.

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Tips on Reducing Waste

While preventing a landfill from being built in environmentally sensitive wetlands is our immediate concern, we should also be thinking about how to stop or reduce the need for landfills in general. Angela McShane recently wrote an article for the Littleton Coop’s newsletter The Radish about reducing waste from grocery shopping and meal prep. Excerpts of this are included here with the author’s permission, plus you can read the full article in the linked PDF below or on Issuu.

Reusable bags & jars

One of the things Angela discusses is how to avoid taking plastic bags home from the supermarket. The idea is simple – the less plastic bags you bring home, the less plastic bags you are sending to a landfill.

Whenever I leave the house by car, my bag of bags is in the back seat. I have a beautiful mesh bottom “last bag” from www.eqpdgear.com (pronounced “equipped.”) The mesh bottom allows crumbs to fall out which leaves me with less cleaning to do. My ‘last bag’ is filled with mesh produce bags (for produce and bulk items), chalkboard painted wooden clothespins (I bring chalk in a tin and write bulk PLU #s on the pins), tupperwares (prepared salads, meat,) glass jars (oils, soaps, vinegar, vanilla, honey, etc.) and two extra grocery bags. As long as I have my “bag of bags” with me, I’m free for that last minute run to the Littleton Coop, Home Depot or… any store!

Since I invested in reusable mesh produce bags and ‘last bag’ grocery bags, I’ve had a hard time taking single-use plastic bags from any store for any reason. It seems unnecessary and careless. The “last bag” I have from eqpdgear is rated to 90 lbs, so any heavy items I buy get loaded into that bag. My favorite produce bags are made by earthwise. The spare grocery bags are for the rest of my items. My bags rarely need to be washed, maybe every few months.

What to do with food waste

Another topic Angela addresses is how to reduce food waste at home – by composting!

There’s one more step to waste free shopping that really helps reduce the amount of waste going to a landfill. Do you compost at home yet? Composting at home is about as simple as it gets. And, once you have a finished batch, you can nourish your gardens and raised beds. It’s a wonderful cycle that I really enjoy seeing through. You need 4 bins.

To compost at home you need a one gallon and a ten gallon stainless steel compost bins for your kitchen counter and just outside the back door. Both can be found at Home Depot. The one gallon bucket is the bin to chuck all compostable materials from within the kitchen. Coffee grounds, food and veggie scraps, paper towels, melon rinds, leftovers, etc. Any food waste except for liquids and meat can go into the compost. The ten gallon stainless steel bucket serves as a mid-way station before you get to the tumblers in the backyard. Once the ten gallon bucket is filled, take it out back to the tumblers. Easy!

If we can reduce the amount of waste going to landfills, we reduce the need for new landfills. It’s a long-term goal worth pursuing while we continue to fight to preserve the natural resources of New Hampshire’s North Country.

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Emergency Zoning Update

The Dalton Select Board will be holding a public hearing on July 23, 2019, at 7:00 PM to discuss the Emergency Zoning ordinances (attached below, RSA 674:24-29). On July 30, 2019, at 7:00 PM, there will be a Special Town Meeting in Dalton to vote on enacting those provisions as zoning ordinances for the town. Anyone can participate in the public hearing (on the 23rd), but only Dalton residents may participate in the Special Town Meeting (on the 30th).

These ordinances would provide defense for the town against new constructions such as a landfill. A couple of relevant sections of the ordinances:

674:25 Districting Under Interim Zoning Ordinance

For the purpose of regulating the use of land and the location and construction of buildings, any town adopting the provisions of an interim zoning ordinance shall be considered as one district with the following regulations and restrictions:

I. It shall be a district of residential agricultural use only. Business, commercial and industrial uses are prohibited in this district except as hereinafter provided.

[…]

674:27 Commercial Exceptions Under Interim Zoning Ordinance.

 Business, commercial or industrial ventures other than those mentioned in RSA 674:25 or 674:26 may be given special exception by the board of adjustment upon submission and approval of a site plan; provided, however, that the following regulations and restrictions shall be observed:

I. No business, commercial or industrial venture or use shall be permitted which could cause any undue hazard to health, safety or property values or which is offensive to the public because of noise, vibration, excessive traffic, unsanitary conditions, noxious odor, smoke or other similar reason.

[…]

Get reminders when these meetings are coming up by marking that you are “Interested” on these event pages on Facebook:

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Emergency Temporary Zoning Petition

On May 20, 2019 a petition was delivered to the Dalton Select Board seeking Emergency Temporary Zoning. The petition, signed by over 100 residents, calls for a Special Town Meeting to vote on whether the Emergency Temporary Zoning and Planning Ordinance found in RSA 674:24-29 should be adopted. The Emergency Zoning would be in effect until the March 2021 Town Meeting or a permanent zoning ordinance is adopted, if that comes sooner.

NH RSA 674:24-29