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Francestown planning board votes to hold new hearing and set proposed backland-lot setback at 250 feet
Summary
On Jan. 20 the Francestown Planning Board voted 5–1 to hold a new public hearing and to amend the proposed backland-lot setback to 250 feet after concerns from neighbors and an attorney about how earlier language changes would affect an abutting property.
The Francestown Planning Board voted Jan. 20 to hold a new public hearing and to amend proposed changes to its backland-lot rules by setting a 250-foot setback, after residents and an attorney raised concerns that the earlier draft would allow closer building on adjacent lots.
The motion to hold the new hearing and amend the setback was made by Planning Board member Sarah Pyle and seconded by Chair Gerri Bernstein; the board voted in favor 5–1. Board members said the change responds to concerns raised at the first public hearing and by property owners during the second review.
Members discussed a draft change that had removed references to single-family dwellings and eliminated what had been a 400-foot setback (item D) in earlier language. Betsy Hardwick, a Planning Board member, said she supported language removal from a conservation perspective and referenced material from the Society to Protect New Hampshire Forests. Board member Robert Lindgren said he supported removing the language for new backland lots but wanted protections retained for preexisting lots.
Resident Sue Jonas told the board she agreed with Lindgren and asked for clearer wording to address previous lots. Attorney Will Reddington, speaking for Diane Gelinas, said removing the 400-foot reference could allow a lot abutting Gelinas’s property to be developed as close as about 100 feet from her front porch; Gelinas submitted a dated letter asking the board to withdraw the ordinance change. The board’s motion did not adopt the removal of item D but instead set the draft to return for further public comment with a 250-foot setback proposed.
The board set the follow-up public hearing for Monday, Feb. 2, at 4:30 p.m., when members expect to consider revised language and additional public input. The hearing record will include the Jan. 19, 2026 letter submitted by Diane Gelinas asking that the change be withdrawn.
Next steps: the Planning Board will take public comment at the Feb. 2 hearing before any final vote on changes to the backland-lot provisions.
