Peterborough voters will vote on five proposed zoning amendments at the town election May 14. 

“We are trying to simplify the zoning,  and also give people more flexibility,” said Peterborough Planning Board member Carl Staley. 

Amendment 1 proposes to rescind the Peterborough Family District and rezone properties in this zone to General Residence.

“What we’re trying to do is make the zoning reflect what actually exists in these neighborhoods,” Staley said. “The Building Department put together a 50-page document of every residential home in Peterborough, and what we found out is that about half of the properties in the Family District don’t conform to the requirements of that zone, because the lots are too small. These neighborhoods also already have multi-family housing, as well as low- and moderate-income housing. This is an ‘already built’  environment. The General Residence requirements for building a duplex or multi-family housing will stay the same; people would still need a special exception to build low income housing.”

Staley added that the proposed zoning amendment “will not open the door to major development.” 

Zoning Amendment 2 addresses a loophole created by a state law passed in the summer of 2023 which allows developers to build workforce housing at the same permitted density rate as elderly housing, if a city or town does not have specific workforce housing density requirements in place. If passed, the amendment will close the loophole, preventing developers from applying the current elderly housing density level to workforce housing projects.  

“The new law would allow developers to build 10 units on one acre anywhere in Peterborough, and the Planning Board felt that this new law was being used in a way that is inappropriate,” Staley said.

Zoning Amendment 3 addresses zoning requirements for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The amendment proposes removing parking minimums for ADUs. Currently, all ADUs are required by law to provide two parking spaces, regardless of the location or occupancy level of the ADU. The amendment also proposes doing away with the owner-occupant requirement for ADUs to put them in line with the requirements for all other types of housing in Peterborough.

Amendment 4 proposes updating Peterborough’s existing Open Space Residential Development (OSRD) ordinance to require that any lot greater than nine acres will need to use a divisor of five,  but will be allowed to have a density bonus using the OSRD statute depending on percentage of conserved land. 

Francie Von Mertens, chair of the Peterborough Conservation Commission, said the commission is fully in support of revising the ordinance, which she said will incentivize developers to choose OSRD developments with the goal of preserving uninterrupted natural habitat. 

“The Conservation Commission was really pleased when the Planning Board saw there were serious issues with the existing OSRD. The proposed changes offer clearer guidelines for major subdivisions in the Rural District,” Von Mertens said. “The goal is design creativity, not a quick cookie-cutter layout that fragments open space. The master plan that governs town boards wisely says new housing shouldn't impact surrounding natural resources. It’s a vision the changes work toward – if approved by voters in a couple weeks.” 

Amendment 5 proposes rescinding the current required parking minimums for property owners. It would allow  developers and property owners to request different amounts of parking depending on the needs of a specific project. The intent is that developers would not forced to create parking spots that are not needed because of the parking minimum requirements. 

The complete explanation of each amendment is available at tinyurl.com/zoning2024. The town election is Tuesday, May 14, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Peterborough  Community Center, 25 Elm St.