PARIS — Selectmen and the Planning Board agreed Tuesday night to put a nonbinding question on the Nov. 2 ballot to gauge public support for a zoning ordinance.

Meeting together, the boards discussed the possible development of a planned growth ordinance that would address issues identified in the town’s comprehensive plan. They said the key is to make sure there is enough support for an ordinance before much work is done.

“Call it planned growth. Call it zoning. Call it what you will. What we’re doing is creating an ordinance around it (the comprehensive plan),” Planning Board Chairman Robert Kirchherr said.

The comprehensive plan identified a number of areas of concern that could be addressed through zoning. They included protection of the town’s ground water, maintaining the historic value of Paris Hill, maintaining open space and agricultural land, balancing the commercial development on Route 26 and minimizing the commercial strip on that highway.

Members agreed selectmen should establish a study committee to look at the responses from voters and begin to develop information that could be the foundation for writing an ordinance.

The issue of zoning arose recently when a dozen residents requested that the Planning Board convene a group to study the feasibility of zoning.

Town Manager Phil Tarr said before Tuesday’s meeting that Paris Hill residents were concerned about protecting that area, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That designation does not protect it from nonhistoric development.

“Paris Hill is a major issue,” Selectman Raymond Glover said. “It cannot have that kind of protection without the rest of the town getting zoning.”

Glover, a longtime former Planning Board member, said the idea of zoning was discussed many years ago, but residents rejected the idea.

“The details were getting us confused and discouraged, and we felt we had no public support for it,” he said of the attempt at that time.

Board members agreed that there are a number of ways that zoning could be implemented, but Selectman Ted Kurtz said he wanted to make it clear that he would only support a minimal type of zoning.

“This town has to plan for any future activity that comes along,” Selectman Lloyd “Skip” Herrick said.

The Planning Board is expected to begin developing a strategy to provide residents with information about the zoning question.

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