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Select Board endorses model river‑corridor bylaws to increase state flood aid
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended adopting regional model river-corridor bylaws; the board voted to use the model to update town zoning, a move the board said could increase state reimbursement rates for flood costs to approximately 17%.
The Planning Commission asked the select board whether it wanted to adopt model river‑corridor bylaws. The commission representative warned that adopting river-corridor regulations would expand the number of properties subject to conditional-use hearings, including some sites that have not historically flooded, but argued the change could raise the town's percentage of state flood-aid.
Supporters noted that adopting the model would likely increase the town's reimbursement tier from the state—"This will bump us up to 17%," one member observed—potentially reducing the town's share of future FEMA/state flood recovery costs. Opponents cautioned about additional permitting requirements and potential costs to homeowners who would face conditional‑use hearings for certain improvements. The select board moved to use the model regional bylaws to update Londonderry's zoning bylaws and approved the motion by voice vote.
The planning staff said they would work to craft language that balanced regulatory benefits with homeowner concerns and that the change should be timed with state guidance; no immediate code enforcement actions were taken at the meeting.
