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Planning Board approves lot-line adjustment at Myrtle Street despite neighbor concerns
Summary
The Hillsborough Planning Board on Oct. 1 approved a lot-line adjustment moving a property line between 12 Myrtle Street and 14–24 Hoyt Lane; the change reallocates the 0.59-acre tract into a 10,616 sq. ft. lot and a 15,012 sq. ft. lot and drew neighbor complaints about a removed fence and pedestrian access.
The Hillsborough Planning Board approved a lot-line adjustment for properties at 12 Myrtle Street and 14–24 Hoyt Lane (Map 23 Lots 94 & 104) at its Oct. 1, 2025 meeting. The board voted unanimously to approve the application with the condition that the development comply with all local, state and federal laws and regulations.
Surveyor Peter Mellen told the board the entire tract is 0.59 acres (25,628 sq. ft.). "After the lot line adjustment, Lot 94 will be 10,616 sq. ft. and Lot 104 will be 15,012 sq. ft.," Mellen said. He said the applicant, P.J. Elgin LLC, owns both properties and intends to expand parking for the apartments on Lot 94. Planning Director Robyn Payson introduced the application and said it was complete and ready for review.
During the public hearing, resident Kristin Connolly asked whether the new line would be closed off by a fence and said that after a neighbor removed a fence people had been walking through nearby yards. Connolly said the applicant had mentioned putting an access road between her house and 12 Myrtle Street and expressed concern for children in the area. Vice Chair Dana Clow and other board members responded that no road is proposed on the plan and that fence placement or trespass are not matters the Planning Board can regulate as part of a lot-line application.
"It is a legal construct that just moves a legal property line from one place to another," Chairperson Susanne White said, explaining that the board's review is limited to the plan before it. Robyn Payson advised Ms. Connolly that the issue sounded like a civil matter between neighbors and suggested discussing the problem with the property owner or, if necessary, the police.
Steve Livingston moved to approve the lot-line adjustment with findings of fact indicating the property is in the Village Residential District, used residentially, and that the application conforms with Chapter 201 of the Subdivision Regulations; Dana Clow seconded and the motion carried unanimously. The board recorded that no waivers were required and that the application was presented by Peter Mellen of Donald R. Mellen Surveyor, LLC on behalf of owner P.J. Elgin LLC.
The approval changes the legal boundary between the two lots; how the property owner chooses to use or fence the land remains subject to other civil or regulatory processes outside the Planning Board's jurisdiction.
