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Deerfield planning board advises trustees to seek zoning relief for potential quarter‑acre lot at 15 Church Street
Summary
Trustees for Deerfield Community Church presented a conceptual plan to cut roughly a quarter‑acre lot from a 5‑acre parcel at 15 Church Street. Planning board members said the proposal will require variances for lot size and frontage and cautioned about setting a precedent for future nonconforming lots.
Anne Scholes, a trustee speaking on behalf of Deerfield Community Church, told the Planning Board on July 8 that the church is considering subdividing a roughly quarter‑acre parcel that would accompany a rental house at 15 Church Street and place the house on its own tax lot. "We're just considering some options whether we continue to invest church's resources and keep it rentable," Scholes said.
The board repeatedly told Scholes that the proposed split would run afoul of the town's 3‑acre minimum and frontage rules and therefore requires relief from the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Planning staff and members noted Upham Drive that serves the adjacent senior housing is a private easement and likely would not count as the statutory road frontage needed to create a conforming lot on Church Street.
Planning board members recommended the trustees pursue a sketch plan for the ZBA rather than spend on a full survey before determining whether variances are feasible. The board also raised technical items that a future application should address, including separate septic and well service for the new lot, permanent easements for driveway access and sight‑distance for any new entrance.
A recurring concern from several board members was precedent. A board member warned, "We have a 3 acre minimum for a reason," and said approving a substandard sale now could invite similar requests later, particularly as detached accessory dwelling units become more common. Board members emphasized the ZBA is the body that must find hardship and that the Planning Board should not preempt that process.
Trustees and board members discussed alternatives: a lot‑line adjustment with the neighboring Deerfield First Baptist parcel, selling the house lot to Southern New Hampshire Housing (which currently uses a driveway easement across the church property), or reconfiguring acreage to meet frontage requirements. Scholes said the church had been in contact with Southern New Hampshire Housing about access but had not negotiated a sale.
The board did not vote on the concept. It advised the trustees to consult the ZBA for variances on lot size and frontage, to prepare a simple scaled sketch for an initial ZBA filing, and then to return to planning with any ZBA outcome and a proposed minor‑subdivision plan. No formal approvals or transfers were made at the meeting.
