The Manchester Housing Commission voted to prepare and submit a formal letter backing the city’s draft land-use code update, with commissioners saying the revision represents a step toward more housing options even as they flagged gaps on affordability requirements.

Commissioners said the letter will be circulated to the full commission for edits and submitted to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) before the board’s consideration. The commission approved a motion to prepare the letter and to take a collaborative drafting approach by email with a September 20 deadline for suggested edits.

The vote followed an extended discussion of changes in the draft that affect ADUs, parking requirements and incentives for developers. Commissioners said state law enacted this year guarantees the right to an ADU in single‑family lots and establishes a minimum ADU size of roughly 950 square feet; the commission debated whether the local ordinance should require owner‑occupancy of homes with an ADU. Members also discussed a new state limit that will take effect in mid‑September requiring only one parking space per unit in some contexts, and the city draft’s proposed flexibility for small multiunit buildings.

Commissioners who spoke said ADUs can help seniors and provide modest new housing, but several members cautioned that removing an owner‑occupancy requirement could open opportunities for outside investors to buy single‑family homes and convert them to rental units. The commission discussed the risk of investor-driven purchases and short‑term rentals and weighed whether the land‑use code should include more tools to encourage permanently affordable units.

Members said the commission’s letter will emphasize aspects of the draft that they view as housing‑positive and may include up to three specific housing‑focused highlights to help aldermen who may not read the full draft. Commissioners asked staff to confirm the exact deadline and the procedural route for submitting an organizational letter to the BMA; they also agreed the final letter will be routed through the housing commission for sign‑off via email before submission.

The commission emphasized that the land‑use code is a zoning document, not an all‑purpose housing policy, and that some larger affordability tools (for example, inclusionary zoning or developer requirements tied to RSA 79‑E incentives) may require separate action by the board or additional fiscal study. The commission instructed its chair to collect members’ top three priority items from the draft and to prepare a collaborative draft for review.

Commissioners agreed to seek clarity from Planning & Community Development staff on the BMA schedule and confirmed they will circulate suggested edits by the agreed deadline.