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Temple Planning Board forwards zoning and PRD amendments to warrant; workforce-housing overlay passes 5–2
Summary
At its Jan. 20 meeting the Temple Planning Board voted to submit a package of zoning and PRD amendments and a new solar ordinance to the town warrant. One workforce-housing provision (Section 26 C) passed on a 5–2 roll call vote after members expressed concerns about management and oversight.
The Temple Planning Board voted on Jan. 20 to submit a slate of zoning amendments, revisions to the town's Planned Residential Development (PRD) rules and a new solar ordinance to the town warrant for voters to consider.
The package included multiple legislative edits (Article II definitions; Article IV sections 4, 7A and 7B; Article VIII sections 7 and 8) and a series of PRD changes (notably several edits in Section 19, including subsections A, B1, B4a/B4b, B5, B6, B9 and C). Each section was moved, seconded and approved by roll call with unanimous support unless otherwise noted.
The workforce-housing amendments drew the sharpest disagreement. The board approved most workforce-housing sections unanimously, but Section 26 C passed on a 5–2 roll call vote: Jim Medeiros, Bruce Kullgren, Christine Robidoux, Russ Huntley and Bill Ezell voted in favor; Carter Sartell and Matt Cabana opposed. Opponents said they were worried the overlay felt premature without a clear management or oversight plan; supporters — including Robidoux and Medeiros — said the Planning Board already handles review and oversight for workforce-housing proposals and urged that voters be allowed to decide the policy change.
Sarah Bollinger of the Southwestern New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission (SWRPC) told the board that the workforce overlay’s intent was to allow additional uses on the parcel next to the elementary school, not solely to guarantee workforce-housing construction. As an example, she said permitting other uses such as a solar PV array on part of the site could help fund workforce-housing construction, and she noted the PRD ordinance currently requires 50% of the land remain undeveloped in perpetuity, which limits some revenue-generating options.
The board also voted unanimously to forward a proposed Solar Ordinance to be added as Article 14 of the zoning ordinance. Christine Robidoux said she will follow up with the town counsel to finalize warrant-article language before the warrant is posted. Board members thanked Bollinger for her assistance during the drafting process.
What happens next: The Planning Board will work with town counsel to finalize the exact warrant language. The amendments and the Solar Ordinance will appear on the town warrant; the minutes note that the public hearing for the amendments had been the second hearing and that the board closed the hearing at 7:27 p.m. on Jan. 20.
Votes at a glance: Approval of the Jan. 6 minutes passed with all in favor except Russ Huntley, who abstained. Section 26 C (workforce-housing) passed 5–2 (Medeiros, Kullgren, Robidoux, Huntley, Ezell for; Sartell and Cabana opposed). Most other listed sections passed unanimously by roll call vote.
