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The Planning Division provides professional "in-house" planning services to the Town offering guidance on land use issues to the Board of Selectmen and the Town Administrator. The Division staffs the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals, and other temporary land use study committees established by the Town. The Division represents the Town at regional and state meetings involving land use matters. The Division also works closely with other town departments seeking grants for historic preservation, affordable housing, open space, and transportation.
Jay Szklut, Planning and Economic Development Manager, and Jeffrey Wheeler, Planning Coordinator, currently staffs the Planning Division. Meetings with either of them should be scheduled through the support staff. Voice messages or facsimiles can be left 24 hours a day at (617) 993-2666 and (617) 993-2651 respectively. Please feel free to contact Jay via e-mail at jszklut@belmont-ma.gov and Jeffrey at jwheeler@belmont-ma.gov.
The Planning Staff receives policy direction from the Board of Selectmen and reports to the Town Administrator. It is responsible for providing staff and technical support to the Board of Selectmen, Town Administrator, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals
and various committees on an "as needed" basis. The staff implements the policies of the Board of Selectmen and researches land use issues, meets with the public on a daily basis and directs the completion of various reports and plans. The staff also attends meetings of these Boards and committees when necessary and is directly responsible for the implementation of the McLean Land Use plan as adopted by the Town.
Zoning Enforcement is handled through the Building Division. The Building Commissioner is responsible for issuing violation notices, making formal determinations on zoning related questions and denying building permits - all of which may be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Such appeals to the Zoning Board of Appeals must be filed with the Town Clerk within twenty (20) days from the date of the Building Commissioner's response. Visit the
Zoning Board of Appeals website for further information on the appeals process.
The Board of Selectmen commonly appoints Temporary Land Use Committees. These committees are usually provided a specific issue to focus upon, a limited time frame to study it and a directive to return to the Board with recommendations. The Town has found this method of addressing land-use problems to be an effective and inexpensive alternative to retaining the services of professional consultants for each problem. The town is fortunate to have an abundance of talented volunteers to staff these committees. The Planning Division commonly coordinates and supports the activities of these committees. Staff typically performs all of the administrative duties such as arranging and posting meetings, providing technical and secretarial support, producing final reports and attending the meetings as necessary. Meetings are required to be posted and all
are open to the public. Please contact the Planning Division for further information on the land-use committees currently in service.
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