The Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee voted Jan. 14 to forward a comprehensive list of suggested updates to zoning and land-use regulations to an internal work group for review and prioritization. Committee members emphasized the need to identify short-term, medium-term and long-term priorities and to provide Town Meeting–ready language where appropriate.

Several members urged the committee to prioritize measures that are likely to move through the approval process more quickly. Dave Iverson (Planning Board representative) and others said a flood-hazard overlay district could be a constructive near-term adoption; others noted the state-level standards to implement such a district are still being finalized and must be reconciled with state guidance.

Gary Beller raised the idea of elevating the “hold harmless” concept — proposals brought to Town Meeting in 2015 and 2019 that failed — as a high priority for the committee to revisit. Committee members discussed wording suggested at prior meetings to describe the hold‑harmless approach as protection for the town from tort-law claims arising from climate‑change developments affecting landowners and residents in high‑risk areas.

Members also discussed protecting the working waterfront and public access to the water (Chapter/Article 90/91 issues were raised in the discussion). Doug Rose and Matt Fee moved to send the full suggestion list to the internal work group; the motion was approved by roll-call vote. The work group will include planning staff and a Planning Board member, and will be asked to identify low-hanging fruit, prepare prioritized groupings (short/medium/long term) and return recommended draft language and an implementation timetable to the committee.

The committee reiterated that some zoning changes and funding proposals may require Town Meeting approval and that the finance director and other town staff must vet any proposals before being scheduled for Town Meeting.