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Hooksett zoning board debates tightening continuance rules and application requirements
Summary
Board members discussed limiting continuances, requiring earlier notice for continuance requests, and asking applicants to provide photos and plot plans to reduce late changes and improve public notice; no formal rule change was adopted, but staff was asked to work with members on potential language.
Board members spent a substantial portion of the meeting debating how to reduce last-minute continuances and improve the quality of application materials.
Several members said repeated last-minute continuances have inconvenienced residents who attend hearings only to find cases delayed. Board member Tim Stewart noted that state law restricts who may request a continuance and said the board could require written justification and limit continuances: "They can't be here...the 2nd one's considered a withdrawal." Members proposed deadlines (for example, four days before a meeting) to file a continuance request so staff can notify abutters, and discussed mirroring trial-court procedures that require earlier notice. One board member proposed imposing fines or stricter rules for last-minute, non-emergency continuances.
The board also discussed requiring applicants to submit at least one set of photographs and an up-to-date plot plan with lot dimensions to help members and the public better understand application sites. Members said photos would be a modest burden for applicants but would meaningfully improve deliberations and reduce uncertainty about unit numbering and lot lines. The board asked staff to take these suggestions and work on draft rule language and application-form changes for a future meeting.
