Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sanbornton housing committee refines master-plan chapter, sets Planning Board review and public hearing dates
Summary
The Master Plan Housing Committee on June 8 reviewed edits to the draft housing chapter, agreed to add developer incentives to recommendations, questioned a proposed short-term rental ordinance for lack of evidence, and recommended presenting the chapter to the Planning Board on Aug. 6 with a public hearing on Aug. 20.
The Master Plan Housing Committee in Sanbornton continued its review of the draft housing chapter on June 8, approved minutes from April 27, and agreed to present a finalized chapter to the Planning Board on Aug. 6 with a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 20.
Mark Ledgard said he had worked with Danielle at LRPC and Selectman Brandon Deacon on edits and that Danielle updated outdated data in the draft. Chair Andy Sanborn said the committee should add a recommendation noting that the Planning Board “has the ability to offer incentives for developers such as delaying taxes,” and members agreed this option should appear in the Recommendations section. Nina Gardner said the chapter should explicitly list three housing-related RSAs the town must comply with; she pledged to locate and provide those RSAs for inclusion.
Committee member Lynn Martinez questioned one recommendation to develop a short-term rental ordinance, saying, “I have not seen any evidence that this contributes to limited housing stock or long-term rentals,” and urged that recommendations be tied to identified problems.
On procedural items, Mark Ledgard moved to approve the minutes of April 27, 2026; Selectman Brandon Deacon seconded and the motion passed with Catherine Farkas abstaining. The committee scheduled a follow-up meeting for Monday, June 22 at 6 p.m. to finalize edits. Selectman Deacon recommended giving the finalized chapter to the Planning Board for discussion on Aug. 6 and holding a public hearing on Aug. 20.
The committee discussed editing or deleting some images and captions in the draft and agreed that detailed descriptions of engagement sessions and surveys could be moved to an appendix while keeping Key Findings prominent. Audry Barriault stated that the Planning Board would be the body to propose any new ordinances that might flow from the master-plan recommendations. The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
What happens next: committee members will supply the requested RSAs and final edits; the chapter will go to the Planning Board on Aug. 6 and, if accepted for public hearing notice, the committee anticipates a public hearing on Aug. 20.
