Lebanon DEI Commission endorses accessibility-focused housing proposal and will send it to City Council

The Lebanon Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission voted unanimously to endorse a phased proposal to increase accessibility in housing and agreed to forward the endorsement to the City Council for consideration.

Dr. Kendra LaRoche, of the Special Needs Support Center, told the commission the Upper Valley is seeing rising self‑reported disability rates and that incremental accessibility features installed during initial construction can avoid far larger retrofit costs later. "Households with disabilities are 3 times more likely to face inadequate housing," LaRoche said, and she cited local survey and ‘pick count’ figures showing a recent increase in people reporting a disability.

LaRoche described a three‑phase approach: Phase 1 would introduce pattern‑zoning guidance and education for builders and voluntary incentives; Phase 2 would evaluate large residential developments and federally funded projects that already follow accessibility codes; Phase 3 would review results and consider incorporating standards into future zoning or the city master plan. She also proposed exploring grant‑funded design templates and retrofit loan programs to help homeowners pay for later modifications.

The proposal included specific design elements LaRoche called high‑impact and low‑cost when addressed early, such as step‑free entrances, wider doorways and reinforced bathroom walls for future grab bars. LaRoche summarized cost findings from other municipalities, saying retrofit expenses homeowners reported typically ranged from about $20,000 to $100,000, while adding accessibility features up front increased new‑construction costs by less than about $3,000 on average in the examples cited.

Commissioners asked whether the proposal requires building‑code or zoning changes. LaRoche recommended beginning with the city’s pattern zones book as guidance and education for builders and, after evaluating results, deciding whether formal code changes are warranted. "Phase 1 would be education and encouragement, not immediate standards," she said.

After questions and discussion about whether to route the idea first to the Planning Board or to send it directly to the City Council, Lucas Mendelson moved that the DEI Commission endorse LaRoche’s proposal and forward it to the City Council for consideration; a colleague seconded the motion and the commission voted in favor. The Chair declared the motion unanimous.

Commissioners said a council representative or the city manager would pass the endorsement to the mayor and manager for scheduling; they noted the City Council is not expected to meet again until mid‑August and that staff would notify LaRoche about next procedural steps.

What happens next: the DEI endorsement will be shared with the city manager’s office and mayoral staff, and the commission and Dr. LaRoche will await scheduling on a forthcoming City Council agenda for formal consideration.