The Worcester County Planning Commission voted Jan. 2 to forward a favorable recommendation for a text amendment that refines definitions and uses in the commercial marine district and creates a defined use for public utility operations.

Jennifer Keener, Director of DRP, told the commission she was directed at the prior commissioners’ meeting to "prepare or to evaluate the marine uses, specifically in the commercial marine district, and find ways to strengthen and protect our commercial fishing industry." Keener said the draft amendment adds definitions for terms such as marine yards, creates a new use category for public utility operations, and clarifies purpose and intent statements where the code previously lacked precise definitions.

Keener said the commercial marine district affects about 26 properties immediately around the harbor on both the northwest and south sides, and that the proposal is not a rezoning. Asked whether the amendment would affect properties that do not touch the water, Keener said the modified commercial marine district "would strictly be those touching the water" and that other districts were only adjusted for clarity. The presenter also said she included the 1999 resolution that established the district in the meeting packet for context.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the geographic scope and cited the 1999 resolution. After discussion, a commissioner moved and the commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation for the changes to the commercial harbor language. No rezoning was proposed or adopted at the meeting; the action was a recommendation to the next step of the county’s ordinance/amendment process.