Keene council hears hours of testimony on proposed zoning changes to encourage housing; medium-density cap would rise from 3 to 6 units by right

The Keene City Council held a public hearing on proposed amendments to the city’s Land Development Code (LDC) that would encourage housing development, including raising the by‑right unit limit in the medium‑density district from three units to six.

Senior planner Mary Brunner presented the staff report, describing revisions that followed public workshops and joint committee review. She said the a‑version limits the larger build‑to requirements to principal buildings and explicitly exempts accessory structures. Brunner also described changes to the neighborhood business district, reductions to certain setbacks to make smaller lots buildable, and a new approach for treating split‑zoned parcels when a portion of a lot cannot be legally subdivided.

The ordinance’s petitioner, Jared Goodell of Emerald Street, told the council he drafted the measure to create more housing and to make better use of existing large historic homes. “We’re not removing a whole lot of guardrails here,” Goodell said, “we’re just creating another tool in the toolbox to create housing in Keene.”…