Jericho Planning Commission debates fourplexes in Forestry district while moving to ease rules elsewhere

The Jericho Planning Commission on June 2 continued work on an "Enable Housing" zoning package, debating whether to allow triplexes and fourplexes more broadly and asking staff to refine definitions for boarding houses before a June 16 follow-up session.

Town Planner Chris Shaheen presented staff recommendations and framing, saying the package aims to align permitted housing types with updated district purpose statements and to allow more housing outside Village Centers. Shaheen told commissioners the proposal would, among other changes, move some triplexes and fourplexes from conditional to permitted status in the Low-Density Residential district and consider allowing small apartment buildings in certain village areas.

Why it matters: the package would affect what housing types are permitted across roughly 74% of Jericho’s land base, potentially making it easier to add multi-unit housing while raising questions about impacts to habitat and neighborhood scale.

Commissioners debated the merits and tradeoffs. Sarahjane Dube, a commission member, urged caution about using conditional reviews as a gatekeeper: "There is a reason that housing advocates say that ‘conditional’ kills housing and kills projects," she said. Chris Brown said he was open to permitting more housing but worried about scale without a form-based code; he asked whether a code-lite could be completed with interns next summer to provide clearer guidelines.

On the specific question of small apartment buildings in Jericho Center (five to nine units), staff recommended treating them as a conditional use so the Development Review Board (DRB) would review scale and neighborhood impacts. Commissioners split on that approach: proponents of conditional review noted the DRB process notifies neighbors and permits public input, while opponents warned that conditional review can stall projects.

The commission reached a consensus on another change: moving triplexes and fourplexes from conditional to permitted in the Low-Density Residential district. Chris Shaheen described that change as intended to provide flexibility for smaller clustered housing types; commissioners indicated agreement during discussion though no roll-call vote on that policy change was recorded in the minutes.

Forestry district and conservation concerns dominated part of the discussion. Shaheen summarized outreach to conservation planners and noted that other towns restrict Forestry districts to single-family homes and duplexes with large minimum lot sizes to protect forest cover and wildlife. "I have not found any research that directly compares the impacts of a single-family home, duplex, and fourplex," Shaheen said, but he warned that intuitively more people in a smaller area tend to mean greater concentrations of activity. Several commissioners, including Sabina Ernst, said the town should "err on the side of caution" in a district where wildlife habitat is a stated priority; others, including Sarahjane Dube and Heidi Klein, said permitting triplexes or fourplexes without changing overall density could allow more compact development and reduce fragmentation.

Boarding houses and definitions: commissioners asked staff to return with a clearer definition distinguishing owner-occupied room rentals from commercial boarding-house operations. Shaheen agreed to draft language and a use table for special residential uses for the June 16 meeting; Sarahjane Dube specifically requested draft definitions and scale criteria before the commission closes that topic.

Other technical clarifications discussed included adaptive-reuse rules for older buildings (staff noted a rolling 50-year eligibility threshold for conversions), and density-number changes staff recommended across districts — for example, reducing minimum lot sizes in Village/Commercial districts from 1 acre to 0.25 acres and changing Low-Density Residential from 3 acres to 1 acre.

There was limited public comment (one resident, Jeffrey Rector, asked about how district boundaries relate to parcel lines). Shaheen also reported ongoing work on Riverside development scenarios and said the Small House Incentives working group would present recommendations soon.

Votes at a glance: the only formal recorded roll-call votes in the minutes were procedural. The commission approved the May 19, 2026 minutes (motion by Wendy Verrei, seconded by Heidi Klein; vote 6-0-0) and later adjourned by motion (Sabina Ernst moved, Chris Brown seconded; vote 6-0-0). Policy-level changes discussed (such as permitting triplexes/fourplexes in Low-Density Residential and staff recommendations for Rural/AG) were discussed and several drew general agreement but are scheduled for further refinement and formal action at future meetings.

What’s next: the commission asked staff to refine the boarding-house definition and to provide follow-up materials (including the Small House Incentives working group recommendations) at the June 16 meeting. Shaheen also noted that a modest form-based code "lite" could be developed next summer if the Selectboard prioritizes it, which some commissioners said would reduce concerns about scale.

The meeting opened at 6:34 p.m. and adjourned at 9:00 p.m.; the commission set its next meeting for June 16, 2026.