Essex 2023 Special Town Meeting

Essex is holding a Special Town Meeting on Monday, November 13, 2023, at 7:30 PM where residents will vote on an updated General Use Zoning District, a community impact fee on both professionally and owner-occupied short-term rentals and a revised proposal for Essex to acquire land for the Apple Street Roadbed Elevation and Culvert Replacement Project. Please see a summary of each relevant warrant article below:

Article 4: If approved, Essex would amend the existing Essex Zoning Map and Bylaw to add a new General Use Zoning District. The General Use District (GUD) would allow single-family dwellings to be built by right, two-family homes allowed subject to listed standards, and multi-family homes and three-family conversions to be built by special permit. Commercial, agricultural, and light industrial uses will be allowed, however the moratorium on converting residential property to commercial or industrial uses would be extended.

Article 8: Approving article 8 would authorize the Board of Selectmen to acquire by gift, purchase, or eminent domain land associated with the Apple Street Roadbed Culvert Replacement project. Please note that a similar proposition was voted down at Essex’s Spring Town Meeting earlier this year.

Article 9: Impose a community impact fee of 3% on professionally managed short-term rentals. The fee would only be imposed if the owner or operator rents out more than one professionally managed short-term rental in a building that the owner/operator does not occupy.

Article 10: Impose a 3% community impact fee on all short-term rentals in Essex. Article 10 can only be approved if Article 9 is improved first.

Updates will be posted on the NSR blog.