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Bill to bar planning boards from treating units differently by bedroom count draws sharp debate
Summary
SB 174 would bar planning boards from differentiating residential units by bedroom count during approval and decision processes; sponsor said the bill prevents discrimination against families, while planners, septic designers and municipal officials warned it could conflict with wastewater, parking and other technical standards.
Senator Keith Murphy introduced SB 174, saying planning boards should not use unit bedroom counts to effectively exclude families from multifamily projects and that the bill aims to prevent boards from forcing small, one‑ or two‑bedroom unit mixes that limit options for families needing three‑ or four‑bedroom units.
Sponsor argument: "If you look at a lot of the apartment complexes that get built...the developer goes into the planning board, the planning board makes it very clear. We don't want any 3 or 4 bedroom units," Senator Murphy said, arguing the bill would remove that barrier and allow more three‑ and…
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