Andover commission approves broad zoning text updates, amends Sunday amplified‑sound start to 11 a.m.

After a multi‑hour public hearing and discussion of specific edits, the Andover Planning & Zoning Commission voted on Nov. 18 to approve a broad package of zoning regulation changes discussed at the hearing.

The adopted package covers many chapters and sections, including changes to rear‑lot language (changing 'width' to 'frontage'), removal of minimum floor‑area requirements where state law no longer allows them, adjustments to front‑yard setback measurements (raising one calculation from 20 feet to 30 feet to account for roadway center‑line measurements), revisions to floodplain language prohibiting new residential construction, edits to kennel permitting to require public hearings for even small kennels, and the agritourism rules described at the public hearing.

During deliberations a resident raised a concern about the Sunday start time for amplified sound in the agritourism draft. The maker of the motion amended the package to change Sunday amplified‑sound start time from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The amended motion carried on roll call with all five voting members recorded as 'I.' The motion listed the affected articles and sections and approved the changes "as discussed during the public hearing." The commission also confirmed that special permits will continue to be subject to site‑plan review and conditions tailored to location and neighborhood sensitivity.

Commission members said the revisions respond both to changes in state law and to local policy choices. Staff noted that some notices had been published in an alternate local paper to meet statutory requirements after a missed usual placement; commissioners debated whether to hold the public hearing open but ultimately closed it before the vote.

The commission instructed staff to incorporate the agreed edits into the final text and prepare the adopted language for publication and implementation steps.