Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Density topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges lower lot sizes to help preserve Weybridge Elementary
Summary
At the April 14 meeting Tim Berthiaume, co-chair of Friends of Weybridge Elementary, urged the Planning Commission to lower lot-size requirements so more families can move to town and help preserve the small elementary school; commissioners said the input will inform a Town Plan survey.
Tim Berthiaume, a Weybridge homeowner and co‑chair of the Friends of Weybridge Elementary, used the Planning Commission’s public comment period to urge changes to local lot‑size rules that he said would help preserve the town’s small elementary school.
Berthiaume said he owns 5.86 acres on Weybridge Road zoned Planned Agricultural/Residential (PAR) with a 5‑acre minimum and is “taking a preliminary look into the possibility of either subdividing the property or adding an ADU, Accessory Dwelling Unit.” He told commissioners the group’s letter “encouraged us to lower building density requirements to enable more families to move to Weybridge.”
Commissioners and staff responded with procedural and planning context. Jeff Olson noted a subdivision waiver was unlikely because the parcel cannot yield two “almost 5‑acre” lots, but he said an ADU could be added under current regulations. Robin Foster Cole observed that Berthiaume’s property lies near Weybridge Hill, an area the commission has discussed as a candidate for smaller minimum lot sizes in conjunction with a revised Town Plan.
Zoning Administrator Nikhil Plouffe and other commissioners said the concerns raised by Berthiaume and the Friends of Weybridge Elementary will be addressed through the town‑wide survey Gale Hurd is developing for the Town Plan revision. No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting; the matter will be considered as part of the Plan process and future hearings.
