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Planning Board debates growth-management approach after NESDEC data flagged
Summary
Board members weighed whether a Growth Management Ordinance should be school-capacity–based or broader in scope; members agreed to review a NESDEC enrollment study and consider a joint meeting with the School Board before advancing a GMO.
Resident Matt Rounds told the Planning Board that it "may want to consider not pursuing a GMO or a moratorium," signaling some public skepticism about immediate restrictions. The Board then debated the scope of any Growth Management Ordinance (GMO), with Chairman Jacob Cross favoring a simplified, school-capacity approach and Member Payal Ballaya urging a broader, 360-degree review that would include aquifer impacts, police and fire services, and occupancy patterns in existing homes.
Vice Chair Jack Gattinella said Windham’s population trends differ from many nearby towns, noting that "New Hampshire’s K–12 enrollment had decreased by 24% over the last 20 years; Windham’s had increased by 37.2%." Several members said they would review the NESDEC enrollment study and that collaboration with the School Board would be useful; one reason the GMO stalled previously was a lack of a joint statement with the School Board.
No formal motion to adopt a GMO was made. The Board agreed to review NESDEC’s report and consider inviting NESDEC or the School Board to a joint meeting before deciding whether to pursue a GMO or a moratorium.
The discussion will inform whether the Board pursues a narrow, school-capacity GMO or a more comprehensive ordinance addressing utilities and public services.
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