Citizen Portal
Sign In

Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!

Keene council amends Sunset Ridge PD to include fiber-cement in masonry definition, 4–2

Keene City Council · January 15, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

After a contentious public hearing, Keene City Council voted 4–2 to revise the Sunset Ridge planned development ordinance to define 'masonry' to include fiber-cement (Hardie board) and other materials allowed by the International Building Code; council members cited state code constraints and residents raised concerns about durability and property values.

Keene City Council voted 4–2 on Jan. 15 to amend Planned Development Ordinance 2023-665 for the Sunset Ridge subdivision so the ordinance’s requirement for exterior "masonry" explicitly includes fiber-cement (commonly sold as Hardie board) and other materials recognized by the International Building Code.

The change followed a public hearing in which residents warned that allowing fiber-cement could lower property values and reduce fire safety. "I would be opposed to taking that masonry away because we gave up something that ultimately will make our community a rental community," resident Gary Heinrich said…

Already have an account? Log in

Subscribe to keep reading

Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.

  • Unlimited articles
  • AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
  • Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
  • Follow topics and more locations
  • 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
30-day money-back on paid plans