Planning Board to send proposed changes to Section 200 — removing 'family' definition and aligning manufactured-housing language with state law

The Brookline Planning Board opened a public hearing on proposed changes to Section 200 of the zoning ordinance, which would remove the ordinance’s definition of “family,” change references to “single-family dwelling” to “single-unit dwelling,” and replace an outdated manufactured-house definition with the state’s definition in RSA 674:31.

Committee members told residents the intent is to refocus the zoning code on the physical dwelling rather than on how occupants are related. One board member summarized the rationale: “the focus of the ordinance is the dwelling unit itself,” and by updating cross-references the town avoids preserving an antiquated definition that the board cannot practically enforce.

Several residents said scrapping the “family” definition could make it harder to manage situations with many unrelated occupants. “I’m just furious,” one resident said, pressing whether the change could permit large numbers of unrelated tenants in a single house. Board members responded that the old definition included detailed relational language that was seldom enforceable at the unit level and that the proposed change removes that redundant text while keeping use and occupancy controls in other parts of the ordinance.

The board also discussed replacing the local manufactured-housing description with language that defers to RSA 674:31 and its subsequent amendments. A board member noted that if the state changes the statutory definition, Brookline’s ordinance would automatically remain in alignment: “By removing all of that extraneous language, whatever 6 74 31 says, that’s the definition we use.” Residents asked whether the change would include tiny homes or factory-built modular dwellings; staff clarified that HUD-numbered manufactured housing is distinct from smaller tiny-home units and that modular buildings typically follow building-code requirements separate from the HUD-manufactured definition.

After public comment and limited back-and-forth, the board closed the hearing on Section 200 and voted to recommend that the Select Board place the proposed amendments on the March 2026 warrant for town consideration.

What happens next: The Planning Board’s recommendation will be transmitted to the Select Board for placement on the warrant; the amendments would be decided by voters at the March 2026 town meeting/election process.