Firewood Processing as Special Exception in RR Zones
Proposal would allow industrial-scale firewood operations on residential lots, raising noise, environmental, and neighborhood character concerns.
A zoning amendment to permit firewood processing and sale as an accessory use in RR zones was introduced to resolve enforcement against an existing Porter Street business. The proposal advanced from a 2026-04-06 pre-application review to a continued public hearing on 2026-06-01 after commissioners requested revised regulatory text addressing noise, buffers, and qualifying conditions.
The issue arose from a cease-and-desist order issued to Rosemarie Chirico for operating a firewood business at 571 and 599 Porter Street in a Rural Residence (RR) zone, where such activity was not permitted. In a pre-application review on 2026-04-06, the applicant sought a zone change to RR combined with a regulatory amendment to legalize importing and processing logs as an accessory use, prompting initial commission discussion on whether the operation qualified as agriculture or constituted an incompatible industrial use.
This led directly to the filing of Zoning Regulation Amendment 27-2026, which proposed adding firewood processing and sale as a permitted accessory use in all RR zones. At the 2026-06-01 meeting, attorney Dori Riser presented the amendment to resolve the enforcement action against Chirico, citing similarities to nurseries and Christmas tree sales plus consistency with the POCD on local agriculture; the commission moved into public hearing and then continued it to allow revised text.
The continuation vote on the related zone change ZC-6-2026 (8-1) was explicitly tied to awaiting resolution of the regulation amendment, creating a causal sequence where the pre-application concerns shaped the formal hearing process. Opponents raised watershed, noise, and industrial-activity issues during testimony, while the board requested detailed conditions on sourcing radius, DEP certification, hours, and buffering before further action.
As of the close of the 2026-06-01 meeting, the amendment remains under active public hearing with no final vote taken, leaving the underlying enforcement action and potential zone change unresolved pending the June 15, 2026 continuation.
At the 2026-06-15 meeting the public hearing on the AA-to-RR zone change for 571/599 Porter Street was closed by a 7-2 roll-call vote after twelve residents testified against it, citing ongoing noise, clear-cutting, past violations, and the 2012 denial. The related text amendment 27-2026 was revised to a special-exception use with new lot-size and area-cap standards but was continued to July 6, 2026 by a 6-3 vote after commissioners expressed discomfort with the proposal and multiple motions failed.
Public hearing on zoning regulation amendment 27-2026 continued to July 6, 2026 regular meeting for applicant revisions and responses; commission will consider full record and POCD consistency before any vote on the zone change.
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