Hillsborough planning board will correct subdivision regulation indexing, postpone zoning change to town meeting

Planning Director Robyn Payson told the Hillsborough Planning Board on Aug. 21 that the town’s Subdivision Regulations contain an indexing error that incorrectly ties a lot’s required buildable area to the minimum lot size.

The board discussed whether the provision applies appropriately across zoning districts. Alternate Dana Clow raised whether setbacks should be counted as buildable area and suggested the requirement might belong only in Rural zones; Payson said the provision currently applies to all zones, including Commercial. The board decided not to place a zoning change on the upcoming Town Meeting warrant so members could focus on the Gateway Zone and the TIF this year. Payson said she will correct the indexing in the regulations.

Payson also noted the town’s current regulations permit subdivisions on Class VI roads while most municipalities do not. She said she reviewed the matter with town counsel, who advised that standards for subdivisions on Class VI roads may properly belong in the Zoning Ordinance rather than the Subdivision Regulations. Payson said she will retrieve prior versions of the regulations that contained standards for Class VI subdivisions and present them to the board for review.

The board did not take formal votes on regulatory changes at the meeting. The action items the board recorded were that Payson will (1) correct the indexing in the Subdivision Regulations and (2) compile historical provisions and related counsel guidance on subdivisions on Class VI roads for future consideration.

The Planning Board will revisit the items at a future meeting before deciding whether to place any amendments on a warrant for voters.