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City planning staff previews master plan update; council asks boards for annual briefings
Summary
City planning staff told the Keene Zoning Board of Adjustment that a comprehensive master plan update is underway with a June 3 summit and an upcoming public survey; City Council has requested annual briefings from boards and commissions, and Mayor Jay Khan urged the zoning board to consider including appeal volumes and concerns in its report.
City planning staff told the Keene Zoning Board of Adjustment that the city is finalizing a comprehensive master plan update, will release a draft at a June 3 summit, and expects to distribute a public survey seeking final feedback on strategic pillars and actions.
Staff encouraged board members to review keenemasterplan.com and noted work on a future land use map to evaluate zoning districts against current development patterns, with an emphasis on identifying additional housing opportunities. The staff update emphasized that the master plan process will inform potential changes to zoning and land-use policy.
Staff also reported that City Councilor Haas has asked the council to receive annual briefings from all city boards and commissions. The briefing can be delivered in person by the board chair or representative, or provided as a brief letter; staff offered to assist with preparing the material. The planning staff suggested the exercise would generally be low effort and recommended coordination with staff for content and scheduling.
Mayor Jay Khan attended the meeting and encouraged the zoning board to include concrete metrics and examples in any report to council, such as the number of appeals heard and items approved or sent back. Khan suggested timing the report for a window that would be useful to council — the mayor proposed considering an October delivery but also indicated flexibility, and he said the chair should attend the council meeting to answer questions.
Board members discussed the suggestion and staff noted potential upcoming state-level legislative changes affecting municipal zoning authority, recommending that boards follow the legislative session and contact state representatives with input if they have concerns.
No formal action was taken on these updates during the meeting; staff asked the board to consider whether it preferred to submit a letter or present in person when the council requests the annual briefing.
