The draft regulations revisions will be sent to the Planning Commission to review for consistency with the Plan of Conservation and Development.

Public hearings on O&G Industries' two applications for permit renewals at the Stiles Road Quarry and Park Road Quarry will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 10, at the Annex Conference Room, 297 Main St. South.

The Woodbury Cemetery Association withdrew its application for a special use of temporary lighting for soccer practice.

Selectman George Hale talked with commissioners on increasing building coverage in the town's Middle Quarter commercial district, from 10 to 20 percent.

Mr. Hale told Voices that increasing the building coverage would have a positive impact, including potentially increasing the property value of businesses, decreasing costs of construction and providing more efficient areas for shopping.

"Due to the economy of scale, a reduction in per square foot production costs will yield more affordable rents," he said. "It would allow a greater opportunity for the local businesses that we already have to prosper and maybe some new businesses to emerge."

Other benefits include less pressure to build out structures in a piecemeal manner, which makes for a more aesthetically pleasing business setting, said Mr. Hale.

"Tax revenue to the town would increase due to the increase in real estate value," he said.

Mr. Hale said the maximum building size allowed, of 10,000 square feet, would not change based on what he is hoping to accomplish with the building coverage.

"So a building that is 6,000 square feet can't go to 12,000 square feet," he said. "It would not exceed 10,000 square feet, and that's a good number because that keeps, by definition, the big box stores out and tends to encourage smaller businesses."

With increased density, Mr. Hale said one has to be mindful of the impact of traffic. He suggested ways to minimize the impact, such as encouraging property owners to consolidate curb cuts and combine ingresses and egresses.

"Generally, the idea is to encourage low-impact design," he said. "One other thing we could do is encourage property owners to share parking."

Mr. Hale said that if a business is busier in the morning and a neighboring business is more active in the afternoon and evening, perhaps there is a way to design plans in a way that allows for shared parking.

One other facet to note is encouraging the safe mobility of pedestrians across and in between parking facilities, he said.

The next step is to discuss the matter at a joint Planning Commission and Board of Selectmen meeting and try to get the ideas incorporated into the Plan of Conservation and Development, said Mr. Hale.

"That's where it needs to be in order for the Zoning Commission to work on getting it into the regulations," he said.

Lastly, commissioners ap-proved the following motions: to authorize the zoning enforcement officer, Joe Chapman, to issue a permit for the Woman's Club of Woodbury's annual house tour, and to authorize Mr. Chapman to issue a special event permit for the Woodbury Junior Women's craft fair.