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.” He argued conversions often need several units for projects to be economically viable and that the proposal would preserve neighborhood character by encouraging reuse rather than new, “cookie‑cutter” construction.

The hearing drew extensive public comment focused on the proposed medium‑density change. Several residents from East Keene and other neighborhoods said current streets are narrow, parking is constrained and aging sewer and stormwater infrastructure may not support additional units. Frank Richter, a former city code‑enforcement official, cited housing‑maintenance and waste‑management rules and warned that four to six units “almost always requires a dumpster,” raising concerns about access and overflowing containers when parked cars block pickup. Vicky Morton cited a 2024 Walker Consultants neighborhood parking assessment and said many local streets do not meet the width standards needed to safely accommodate parked cars plus two travel lanes.

Supporters said the change would add supply where demand is highest and that case‑by‑case review and existing code requirements (parking, site review and fire access) would still apply. Autumn Delacroix and Toby Towsley described existing multifamily buildings that already host the physical household densities opponents fear and urged changes to allow legal, safer unitization. Andy Holt and Sam Jackson said incremental or patchwork opposition citywide would stall any housing expansion and urged council action.

Councilors asked questions about downstream effects. One councilor asked whether other standards—parking minimums, impervious coverage or open space rules—were changing; Brunner replied the proposal changes only the by‑right unit cap in the medium‑density district and leaves other dimensional and infrastructure standards in place. On split‑zoned lots, Brunner said staff now apply each zone’s rules to the corresponding portion of a lot, but the proposal allows owners of lots that cannot be legally subdivided to apply the regulations of the district that comprises the largest share of the parcel.

The council closed the public hearing after more than an hour of testimony but left a written‑comment period open. The mayor said written comments would be accepted until 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, ahead of the Planning, Licenses and Development Committee’s September 10 meeting. No final vote on the ordinance was taken at the council meeting.

Why it matters: The proposed change targets dense neighborhoods near downtown where housing demand is strong. If adopted, it would lower a regulatory barrier that supporters say could increase rental supply and conversions of older large houses; opponents say it may worsen parking, trash and infrastructure stress without parallel investments.

What’s next: The ordinance will next be considered by the Planning, Licenses and Development Committee; the public may submit written comments through the clerk’s office before the Sept. 9 deadline.

Ending: Councilors and staff repeatedly noted that the change would not bypass existing site review or building‑code requirements; several speakers urged the council to pair zoning relief with investments in parking strategy, stormwater upgrades and stronger landlord oversight.