Development in Exeter - Not a favorable climate

     Town Planner, Sylvia von Aulock, sits along side the Planning Board at hearings as their technical advisor and is an active participant.  Apparently this is as it should be, but what is troubling is the manner in which she participates.  Witness past meetings wherein she kept coming forward, from meeting to meeting, with additional requirements for the Exeter Sportsman Club to respond to.  Finally, to put a stop to what appeared to be delaying tactics on her part, the Board was requested to prepare a complete and final listing of their concerns (there ended up being about 17) and to present them to the Club to respond to at a future meeting.  A satisfactory response would then lead to approval to proceed.
     The problem with von Aulock sitting on the Planning Board is that we see her bring her personal opinions forth instead of declaring whether the project conforms to the regulations and to the Technical Committee's comments.  In fact, the Site regulations state that she (the Technical Committee chair) is supposed to submit the Technical Committee's written comments to the Board before the hearing on a project.  This has not been the case.  She often hits the developer with her personal comments either the day before, or day of, the hearing or, more troubling at the hearing.  Is she so busy she cannot meet the requirements of the Site regulations?  The fact is that the regulations specifically state that all review by the technical committee, which she is the head, MUST be completed at least 10 days before the hearing to allow the public notice to be published. Yet year after year, time and again Ms. von Aulock violates the regulations by adding additional issues and personal comments of her own at the last minute causing additional delays in the approval process.
     Her failure to respond as required is a disservice to the developer.  It likely leads to unnecessary additional hearings as the developer and/or architect is unable to prepare for what could be a shorter, more focused meeting and a follow up meeting is bound to be required.  This type of approach leads to nit picking and personal agenda items not supported by regulations and drives up the project costs for the developer.  So, one continues to ask, "Is Exeter really a favorable place for developers to do business?"