BERLIN– A minor controversy about the role of the town’s Planning Commission is now no controversy at all, following a clarification issued by Planning Commission Chairman Chris Denny.
The role – and the competence – of the commission briefly came into question during a Berlin Mayor and Council meeting on Sept. 8. The conversation arose out a discussion about a proposed Dollar General expansion and architectural standards in Berlin.
Denny, who served on the commission for 16 years, said the mayor phoned him on the day after the meeting.
“The whole thing was through an inner-office email about a scheduled meeting,” Denny said. “One member had said, ‘We don’t have time to fiddle with (developing the standards),’ and the member that fed the information to (a Berlin councilmember) said he didn’t feel like he was qualified. That was interpreted as we all didn’t know what we were doing, which is just not true. We haven’t operated for over 100 years with no plan. It’s just a ludicrous thing.”
Mayor Gee Williams said he and Denny had a “very productive conversation.”
“My impression was – and he agreed – was that it was time to make a decision and make a recommendation to the council, and he assured me that he felt confident the planning commission would accomplish that in the immediate future,” he said. “I didn’t ask for a deadline, but I’m certainly expecting something sooner rather than later, and I have absolute confidence in them. I recognized that they have some tough decisions to make, but that’s why they’re there.”
Denny said there was no conflict – and no real controversy – inside the commission, which is on schedule in developing uniform architectural standards for the town.
“It’s something I feel – not that it shouldn’t have been public – but it was interpreted wrong and never should have been brought up in that forum,” he said. “We’re looking at adopting the county’s plan (for standards), and that’s what we’ve been discussing for three or four months. One or two people in the commission don’t like the plan for whatever reason. But if it’s good enough for the county – they spent 10 years working on it from what I understand.”
“It’s just people’s interpretation of what buildings should look like,” Denny continued. “It’s a common sense thing. You can’t have seven architects on the board.”
Williams said it was his impression that the commission would use county standards as a template.
“They could make adjustments or changes as needed as it pertains to Berlin,” he said. “There is something out there – it’s not like there’s no precedent for the immediate area.”
According to Denny, the commission never saw the plan for the Dollar General store that sparked the entire debate.
“It was something that never should have been brought up,” he said. “It was a non-issue. The whole thing was misinterpreted. I’m not even the longest-tenured person there, but I haven’t heard one complaint in the whole 16 years that I’ve been there.”
The next scheduled Planning Commission meeting is Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at Berlin Town Hall on 10 Williams Street.
The role – and the competence – of the commission briefly came into question during a Berlin Mayor and Council meeting on Sept. 8. The conversation arose out a discussion about a proposed Dollar General expansion and architectural standards in Berlin.
Denny, who served on the commission for 16 years, said the mayor phoned him on the day after the meeting.
“The whole thing was through an inner-office email about a scheduled meeting,” Denny said. “One member had said, ‘We don’t have time to fiddle with (developing the standards),’ and the member that fed the information to (a Berlin councilmember) said he didn’t feel like he was qualified. That was interpreted as we all didn’t know what we were doing, which is just not true. We haven’t operated for over 100 years with no plan. It’s just a ludicrous thing.”
Mayor Gee Williams said he and Denny had a “very productive conversation.”
“My impression was – and he agreed – was that it was time to make a decision and make a recommendation to the council, and he assured me that he felt confident the planning commission would accomplish that in the immediate future,” he said. “I didn’t ask for a deadline, but I’m certainly expecting something sooner rather than later, and I have absolute confidence in them. I recognized that they have some tough decisions to make, but that’s why they’re there.”
Denny said there was no conflict – and no real controversy – inside the commission, which is on schedule in developing uniform architectural standards for the town.
“It’s something I feel – not that it shouldn’t have been public – but it was interpreted wrong and never should have been brought up in that forum,” he said. “We’re looking at adopting the county’s plan (for standards), and that’s what we’ve been discussing for three or four months. One or two people in the commission don’t like the plan for whatever reason. But if it’s good enough for the county – they spent 10 years working on it from what I understand.”
“It’s just people’s interpretation of what buildings should look like,” Denny continued. “It’s a common sense thing. You can’t have seven architects on the board.”
Williams said it was his impression that the commission would use county standards as a template.
“They could make adjustments or changes as needed as it pertains to Berlin,” he said. “There is something out there – it’s not like there’s no precedent for the immediate area.”
According to Denny, the commission never saw the plan for the Dollar General store that sparked the entire debate.
“It was something that never should have been brought up,” he said. “It was a non-issue. The whole thing was misinterpreted. I’m not even the longest-tenured person there, but I haven’t heard one complaint in the whole 16 years that I’ve been there.”
The next scheduled Planning Commission meeting is Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. at Berlin Town Hall on 10 Williams Street.