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Richmond Planning Board adds monthly Master Plan meeting, begins rewriting energy chapter
Summary
The Town of Richmond Planning Board on April 14 approved adding a monthly meeting devoted to updating its Master Plan and began revising chapters — including an energy chapter that will prioritize small-scale solar, wind and micro-hydrology and avoid commercial farms.
The Town of Richmond Planning Board voted April 14 to add a standing monthly meeting dedicated to a comprehensive update of the Master Plan and moved to rewrite several chapters, including an energy chapter that will emphasize small-scale residential renewable systems rather than commercial farms.
Chair Doug Smith said the special meeting was convened for Master Plan review and presented an AI-generated summary of responses from a SurveyMonkey export. According to Smith, respondents most frequently raised friction between zoning and land-use expectations, concerns about wetland restrictions, a preference for low-impact housing in rural areas, minimal support for aggressive economic growth, and interest in recreation trails.
The board approved a motion by Doug Smith, seconded by Selectman representative Doug Bersaw, to add a third meeting each month on the second Tuesday specifically for Master Plan work. The minutes record votes in favor from Lisa Traeger, Melissa Axtman, Doug Bersaw, Thomas Glod, Greg Butko and Doug Smith; the motion carried.
Board members then conducted a cursory chapter-by-chapter review to identify which sections to keep, delete or rewrite. The board directed that the Introduction include a historic reference and that a consolidated “Summary of Recommendations” be added based on the updated chapters. The Vision and Land Use chapter will be retained (noted as required by law); the Historical material will be moved into the Introduction. The Utilities and Natural Hazards chapters were flagged for removal or consolidation, while Housing and Neighborhoods, Transportation (with an eye toward a capital improvements plan for roads), Economic Development and Natural Resources will be retained and updated.
The Energy chapter discussion focused on policy scope and scale. Members expressed that the updated chapter should not promote commercial-scale solar or wind farms; instead, it should encourage small-scale, residential or accessory installations to supplement household energy use. The board discussed cluster-zone approaches to allow shared accessory systems, said height limits would be determined later, and instructed staff to ensure new wording remains compliant with RSA references specified for the town’s planning documents.
The board directed staff and board members to produce an outline and draft wording for Chapters 1–5 to review at the next Master Plan meeting. Members will compare the AI-generated draft language with the current Master Plan text and return with proposed revisions. The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Next steps: the board will reconvene on the newly created Master Plan meeting date to review draft chapter text and further refine the Energy chapter’s specific standards (including any proposed height limits and cluster-zone language).
