Jaffrey Zoning Board says no to increased density on Town Farm Road

By ASHLEY SAARI

Monadnock Ledger-Transcript

Published: 06-24-2025 11:00 AM

The Jaffrey Zoning Board again rejected an application to allow increased density for a proposed open space development on Town Farm Road, which sought a total of 16 units.

The proposal had previously been before the board in 2024, and was back before the board last week after zoning changes adopted this year. Proposed by Fougere Homes, the development sought to build 16 three-bedroom condominiums at 79 Town Farm Road, an almost 25-acre lot. After excepting areas on the property that are unbuildable by steep slopes and wetland, there are about 17 usable acres. Under the town’s 2024 version of the ordinance, the developer would have been allowed, by right, up to five units, with a sixth allowed due to open space density bonuses.

William Baker, an attorney representing Fougere Homes and Dan Fougere, said under recent changes to the ordinance, the development could allow up to 10. Board members clarified that 10, or as some interpreted, just nine, were only allowed with caveats such as additional preserved open space, some units reserved for senior or workforce housing or energy-efficient properties. 

Baker said the development would only use about two acres of the lot, leaving the rest for conservation, be set back and screened from the road, continue its use as a residential property and remove a dilapidated existing structure from the property. 

“It's a large piece of property. He could develop it consistent with a traditional subdivision, but there is a recognized need for more housing in the Town of Jaffrey, and the need for more affordable housing,” Baker said. “I understand that with the real estate prices the way they are right now, what is 'affordable’ is certainly a matter of interpretation, but it is undeniable that the 16 units proposed in this development would be significantly less expensive than if we were parsing these out and they were individual homes with lots.”

Zoning Board member Laurel McKenzie suggested that the density was too thick for a rural zone without access to water and sewer, saying comparisons to other developments closer to downtown were not one-to-one comparisons. 

“There is a difference between proposing a density like this in the downtown area, compared to Town Farm Road,” McKenzie said.

Multiple abutters spoke during the meeting, all in opposition to the project, with their main concerns being increased traffic on the road, potential impact to wells by adding so much density in an area where some residents reported they already had water level issues and impact to the character of the neighborhood.

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Ray Turgeon, an abutter, said that by his rough count, 24 people that live on the street, all in single-family homes on large lots, and adding a 16-unit development “changes the character significantly.”

Abutter Dylan Baer said his main concern was water, noting that there are already times when homes can’t perform multiple water uses at the same time, and neighbors who have had to frack for deeper wells due to low water levels.

“A house with no water has no value,” he said.

Baker addressed some of the concerns, noting particularly that the argument claiming a condo development did not fit the neighborhood did not acknowledge the fact that such developments were allowed in the area, and whether the development was built with 10 or 16 units was the heart of the issue. 

“It’s a matter of scope,” he said.

Board members, however, found that scope too wide for a rural area. McKenzie said the zones had been developed with “careful thought” about appropriate density, and this was too big a jump for her to find that it met the criteria for a variance.

Chair Walter Batchelder agreed, saying there was a “reason we have one house on three acres" in the district.

The board unanimously voted to reject the proposal after finding it did not meet the variance criteria. 

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.