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Winchester Planning Board discusses warrant-article ideas on data centers, tiny homes and manufactured housing
Summary
At its May 18 meeting, the Winchester Planning Board approved minutes, seated an alternate and reviewed a new Planning Board handbook and outdated ordinances while flagging potential warrant-article topics including data centers, tiny homes, studio apartments and manufactured housing rules.
The Winchester Planning Board met May 18, 2026, approved the minutes from April 6 and discussed updating its Planning Board handbook and several town ordinances as it considers potential warrant articles for a future town meeting.
Chairman J. Sharra opened the meeting at 7:02 p.m. and announced that Alternate Robert Browne would serve as a full member for the night in place of Todd Kilanski. "Seats Alternate Robert Browne as a full member tonight in place of Todd Kilanski," the chair said.
The board unanimously approved the April 6, 2026, minutes after a motion by Chairman J. Sharra and a second from M. Sharra. "Made a motion to approve the minutes from 04-06-2026 with grammar corrections," the minutes record.
During the substantive portion of the meeting, members reviewed the newly received Planning Board handbook and noted that some town ordinances are outdated. Vice Chairman Neal Stetson pressed for more technical standards for site plans, saying he "felt that site plans should be engineered plans/scaled drawings." The comment framed a broader discussion about what level of detail the board should require on submissions.
Board members identified several potential warrant-article topics to research and possibly place before voters. Those items included rules for data centers; clarifying the distinction between "tiny homes on wheels" and fixed tiny homes; regulations for studio apartments; and whether to allow manufactured housing on single-family lots, including whether double-wide manufactured homes should be treated differently from single-wide units and how density limits would apply.
Selectman's representative Trevor Croteau said the board should "revisit the town's Master Plan," and member Ann Ryder pointed to the town's Capital Improvement Plan as connected planning work. Margaret Sharra noted the scope of revising the Master Plan, saying the board had previously updated four of eight chapters and that completing the remainder would require substantial time and money, with costs anticipated to come from the Land Use budget.
Chairman Sharra asked the land-use administrator to contact regional planning for additional information; the minutes say "LUA to contact South Reginal Planning for more information." The board closed its business shortly thereafter, with a motion by Neal Stetson and a second from J. Sharra to adjourn at 7:45 p.m.
The minutes were respectfully submitted by Kathy Moyehouse, the town's land-use administrator. The transcript does not record public comment or formal votes on ordinances or warrant articles; the board's discussion focused on preliminary planning and research steps.
