City Works is a regular feature designed to provide a preview of upcoming Planning and Zoning and Board Meetings.
PLANNING BOARD
BUSINESS MEETING
The Planning Board held their monthly Business Meeting on Thursday, December 15. This meeting is available to watch on demand. The following cases were discussed and approvals were granted.
- PDSP2022-005: Property located at Hackett Hill Road and Countryside Boulevard, Residential Suburban Multifamily Zoning District, Ward 12
- CU2022-028 & SP2022-015: 21-31 Central Street, Central Business District, Ward 3
- S2022-009: 965 Union Street, Residential One Family High Density Zoning District, Ward 1
- S2022-010: 464 Laydon Street, Residential One Family High Density Zoning District, Ward 5
- S2022-011: 399 Concord Street, Residential Two-Family Zoning District, Ward 4
- CU2022-027: 637 Harvard St., Urban Multifamily Zoning District, Ward 7
SCHOOL IMPACT FEES
The members of the Planning Board reviewed proposed changes to Article13. Impact Fees of the Zoning Ordinance. In addition to some minor language changes, the bulk of changes are represented in the School Impact fees table, as show below:
The Planning Board approved a motion to bring these proposed changes before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for approval at a future meeting. As a reminder, impact fees are assessed to cover any potential capital expenses that may be incurred by a municipality due to the addition of housing. This includes items such as wastewater, roads, fire stations, and/or schools.
HOUSING FORUM
The Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College hosted their annual The Housing We Need Stakeholder Forum. During this forum, the NowWhatNH concept was introduced. NowWhatNH is a study on how to make serving on local land use boards more accessible to residents of all ages, viewpoints, backgrounds and life experiences. Planning Board member Molly Lunn Owen is on the leadership team to launch this project and you can watch the initial presentation here. The website is currently in a ‘soft launch’ mode; however, it will be expanded as the team continues their work.
New Hampshire is also taking part in the National Zoning Atlas initiative. The concept behind this project is to find a better way of helping people understand what zoning codes say and how they impact our environment, economy and on our society. The data will be collected and presented through an online, user-friendly map enabling users to make comparisons across jurisdictions to present statewide trends. Read more about this effort here.
PLANNING BOARD YEAR IN REVIEW
Bryce Kaw-uh, Planning Board Chair wrapped up this last meeting of the year with a summary that this board has reviewed and approved 12 accessory dwelling units, 88 townhomes and 934 apartments for a total of 1,034 new units of housing over the course of 2022. This might be a record!
On a personal note, I would like to thank the Planning and Zoning Board members along with the Conservation and Heritage Commissioners for all of their tireless work. With your dedication to serving our community, we have brought some great new projects to the city and I appreciate your effort.
Additionally, a huge thank you goes out to our incredible Planning & Community Development Department for all of their hard work. We are fortunate to have such an amazing team of professionals on our side.
I wish everyone an abundance of happiness, health, and prosperity. Happy holidays!