The Planning Board in every town votes on whether or not to approve new building projects for development within the Town. This includes everything from schools to supermarkets to apartment buildings to retail stores and solar fields. What type of land gets used for new building developments and where new projects go often has the most impact on residents in the town, in terms of quality of life, health, safety and welfare, and the environment.
In order for the Planning Board to consider YOUR written comments when they vote to approve or deny a new project, you have to follow a very specific set of procedures, called a “Finding of Fact.”
Luckily, writing a Finding of Fact is SIMPLE, and can be done by ANYONE.
Read on for how to submit a “Finding of Fact” to the Wareham Planning Board.
Get involved in your town today! Local decisions have the most impact on our lives and the environment! You CAN make a change! The time to get involved is NOW!
How to Write a Finding of Fact for the Wareham Planning Board:
- Start the letter with a salutation to the Planning Board. Include your name, address and contact information.
- Tell the Planning Board what project you are commenting on, including name of project, its address, and application number.
- Tell the Planning Board what conclusion you want them to draw from the evidence you are about to present.
- Tell the Planning Board what section of the Zoning bylaw you think the project either A) Violates or B) Upholds
- Present scientific evidence, policy documents, legal precedent or or other facts to support the conclusion you want them to draw
- Present your evidence in an organized manner.
- Evidence has to be credible, traced back to a source.
- Describe how the evidence applies to the project.
- If you present figures or maps, label and number them.
- Include citations to published documents.
- Tell the Planning Board what you want them to do with this information.
- The Planning Board can DENY the project.
- The Planning Board can APPROVE the project as-is.
- The Planning Board can add CONDITIONS to the project to make it safer or more environmentally-friendly.
Download a full guideline to submissions to the Planning Board:
How to Submit Personal Testimony During a Planning Board Hearing:
Any resident of Massachusetts can speak during the public comment period at an open public meeting. Personal testimony can be a powerful message to give the Planning Board about first hand experience with a proposed project or planning site. Residents of a town often have the best local knowledge in regard to native species, stormwater patterns, rare flora and fauna, health and safety and general site conditions. If you choose to give personal testimony during a hearing, follow these guidelines:
- Tell the Planning Board how you will be personally affected by the project. State whether you are an abutter to the property, a Town resident, a member of an environmental justice community, or a local business owner.
- Provide eyewitness accounts of observations. If you have credentials to make statements or observations on a certain topic, state them.
- If possible, back up your comments with evidence from scientific or other research studies on the matter, or public policy documents.
- Tell the Planning Board what you want them to do with this information: Approve, Deny, or Condition the project.
Where to Find Information on Upcoming Projects
The Town Calendar of upcoming municipal meetings is here. The agenda for each meeting will be posted 48 hours in advance.
The Wareham Planning Board website, which lists upcoming meetings, is here.
Use this website to search for plans and information on proposed projects. Type in the address and hit search.
This website also has helpful information about the Planning Board process.
Remember, the Planning Board want to hear from YOU!
They want to make decisions based on the will of the residents of the Town, and want to go forward knowing they made decisions based on the best interests of the Town.
The time to get involved is today!