The Plaustow Planning Board on Aug. 6 reviewed a draft package of zoning ordinance amendments covering accessory dwelling units (ADUs), multifamily uses in commercial districts, temporary structures and storage containers, and related definitions. The packet was circulated for comment to several town bodies; the board asked staff to collect and return written comments before the board considers final warrant-article language.

Presenters said the ADU language requires revision to reflect recent state guidance allowing a separate electrical connection for ADUs; the draft currently limited ADUs to a single electrical service, which the presenter said conflicts with the newer state interpretation. The draft also includes language to permit multifamily residential uses in commercial districts under constrained, mixed‑use conditions — for example, requiring ground-floor commercial activity in multistory buildings — and allows towns to exclude lots adjacent to industrial uses from multifamily allowances. Those multifamily provisions were included in the draft as placeholders to preserve options; board members said the language can be removed or narrowed if the board prefers.

Board members raised multiple questions about temporary structures and storage containers. Participants noted that current practice allows many small structures to be erected without formal action and that anything over the building-permit exemption threshold (a 200-square-foot threshold in the town’s building-permit practice) may be unlawful absent a permit. The board discussed creating a narrow exemption for temporary structures under 200 square feet if owners submit a simple location plan so structures do not sit in setbacks, while clarifying enforcement thresholds and addressing repeated long-term “temporary” installations.

Members also discussed changes at the state level that limit local modification of the building code and the timing of local adoption. A speaker warned Plaustow has not formally adopted the New Hampshire building code as a town and that recent statutory changes may shift effective enforcement paths beginning in mid-2026; the board asked staff to draft a query to the town attorney for guidance on the timing and mechanism for adoption and enforcement.

No zoning amendments were adopted at the Aug. 6 meeting. The board directed staff to collect comments from the Zoning Board of Adjustment, selectmen, the town manager, building inspector and others, and to return a redraft with suggested warrant-language for subsequent consideration.