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Zoning Bulletin January 25, 2012 1 Volume 61 No. 2 <br />MASSACHUSETTS <br />Danvers' Board of Selectmen have voted to propose a home -rule peti- <br />tion this spring that would ask the commonwealth to count the town's <br />mobile homes as affordable housing. If passed at the Danvers' Town <br />Meeting in May, the home -rule petition would be sent to the legislature <br />for consideration. Under the Massachusetts law, known as Chapter 40B, <br />residential developers can bypass local zoning if less than 10% of the <br />community's overall housing is affordable as defined by the statute, and <br />the developer meets other requirements. Currently, "mobile homes don't <br />meet the law's definition of affordable housing." Reportedly, Salisbury <br />passed as similar home-rule petition that was sent last year to the state <br />legislature. That resulting bill has reportedly been sitting in the Joint <br />Committee on Housing since July. <br />Source: The Boston Globe; www.boston.com <br />NEW JERSEY <br />Egg Harbor Township recently passed an ordinance that "brings its <br />residential housing codes into compliance with state affordable housing <br />rules." Under the new ordinance, the township now requires developers <br />meet certain criteria to set aside 20% of their units for low- and moder- <br />ate-income housing to be spread throughout developments built in Pine - <br />lands Regional Growth Zones. The ordinance also calls for developers to <br />purchase Pinelands development credits. Reportedly, the ordinance is "a <br />direct result of a pending lawsuit between the township and a developer <br />who wants to build affordable housing units in the township." <br />Source: Shore News Today; www.shorenewstoday.com <br />PENNSYLVANIA <br />The state senate recently passed an amended version of House Bill <br />1950, which would impose an impact fee on oil and gas companies and <br />would require towns to allow drilling in every zoning district. The bill <br />now awaits a House vote on the amended version. <br />Source: The Intelligencer; www.phillyburbs.com <br />SOUTH CAROLINA <br />The City of Columbia has a new law that sets restrictions on sexu- <br />ally oriented businesses. Among other things, the law requires a 700 -foot <br />buffer between any establishment that sells sex items and the nearest <br />protected structure. <br />Source: The State; www.thestate.com <br />i 2012 Thomson Reuters 11 <br />