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Planning Board discusses adopting State of New Hampshire ADU changes; considers 750‑sqft cap and septic requirements
Summary
At a work session the Planning Board reviewed proposed State of New Hampshire accessory dwelling unit (ADU) changes and discussed drafting a warrant article to allow one ADU per lot, a 750‑sqft limit, occupancy caps, and septic‑system requirements.
At its Oct. 2 meeting the Planning Board conducted a work session on accessory dwelling unit (ADU) changes coming from the State of New Hampshire and discussed possible revisions to the town Zoning Ordinance to implement those changes via a warrant article in March.
Board members outlined draft provisions under consideration: permitting one ADU per single‑family residential lot; limiting ADU living area to 750 square feet; restricting occupancy so that each of up to two bedrooms may be occupied by two individuals; and requiring septic systems to be sized to match the total number of bedrooms (with contingency language described in the minutes as an "on the shelf" case in case of failure of the current system).
The discussion was framed as a work session rather than a final vote; the board did not adopt ordinance language at the meeting but identified the items to be developed for a potential warrant article in March. Zoning Coordinator Tim Bray was recorded as present for the discussion.
Board members scheduled follow-up work at the Oct. 16 meeting to continue ordinance drafting and to handle other agenda items, including short‑term rental site plan updates and other subdivisions.
Next steps: Planning Board staff and members will continue drafting specific ordinance language and be prepared to bring a warrant article forward for the March town meeting if the board votes to proceed.
