WARREN — Close though it was, the Warren Planning Board made the right decision last week when four out of seven members present decided not to recommend a change to the town’s Comprehensive Plan land use map, a crucial document that dictates how development should be approached in the future.
Asking for the change was Metacom Avenue property owner Bob Avila, who has said he wants to change the zoning of his Wightman’s Farm land from residential to commercial, in part, to make it more salable. Mr. Avila still has a chance to see his six acres re-zoned when he appears before the town council next week, but he’ll not have a planning board endorsement in his back pocket.
Planning board members clearly made the right choice last week, and not because some, including some neighbors, have come out against Mr. Avila’s plan. Theirs was the right decision because the Comprehensive Plan, like the town charter, needs protection. The strategies and plans for the future contained within its pages need to bear weight. Unfortunate though it is for Mr. Avila, recommending a request to change the plan to accommodate the few does a disservice to the many.
The Warren Town Council next week will debate Mr. Avila’s separate request to re-zone his land. We’re confident that the same standard upheld by the planning board members will be applied.
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