Last modified: Friday, November 6, 2009 2:53 AM EST

Questions keeping zoning off Foxboro meeting warrant

FOXBORO - A barrage of questions about the effects a Route 1 re-zoning proposal would have on traffic, development and tax revenue has convinced the zoning bylaw review committee to pull the article from the Dec. 14 town meeting warrant.

The article would have opened the state highway to "very major change," the advisory committee wrote.

After receiving the advisory committee's questions and opinions last week, the committee that wrote the re-zoning article decided to abandon the article.

Building Commissioner William Casbarra, a member of the zoning group, said there was too little time before town meeting to answer the questions.

The advisory committee said that given its scope, the article to rezone Route 1 belongs on an annual town meeting, when voters can give the measure proper attention.

But Casbarra said he's unaware of any plan to resurrect the measure in May.

The bylaw committee's handout contained a claim that "the revised by-laws will not affect the ability to develop any vacant land that you own."

Advisory committee members wrote that such statements appear to downplay the actual effects of the proposed change on the Route 1 area.

The S-1 district extends about three miles from North Street to the state police station, but does not include the stadium and Patriot Place complex.