Along with electing candidates for town positions and deciding on the budget, the Peterborough ballot session will include seven zoning amendments among its 18 articles May 9, followed by three petition warrant articles at the open session May 10.

There are two contested races. Select Board Chair Tyler Ward is running for re-election to a three-year seat, with Andrew Osterman running against him. Three candidates are running for two three-year seats on the Planning Board. Lisa Stone and Andrew Dunbar are running for re-election, and current alternate Gary Gorski is running for a seat.

Chair Carl Mabbs-Zeno and Mary Clark are seeking re-election to the Budget Committee, and Richard Reynells is also running.

Alternate Christopher J. DiLoreto is running for a full seat on the Zoning Board of Adjustment, and Daniel Latini is also running. 

The Recreation Committee has two three-year seats up for election. Chair Kate Coon is running for another term, and Devon Tomasulo is also running. 

Margaret “Peggy” VanValkenburgh is running for re-election to one of the two three-year library trustee seats, and Christine Mann is running for a seat.

John A. Nieskens is running unopposed for a three-year Trustee of the Trust Funds seat, and LaRoche is seeking another term in a three-year cemetery trustee seat.

Items on the May 9 warrant also include the fiscal 2024 budget proposal of nearly $14.8 million, up $1.1 million.

Zoning amendments

The first zoning amendment asks voters to rescind the defunct Office District, which consists of only two legal nonconforming lots, Monadnock Congregational Church and a single-family home, and rezone the lots in the General Residence District. This would make the lots conforming and allow them greater flexibility to expand and change uses. The Planning Board unanimously supports the amendment.

Voters will decide whether to change the definition of abutter to “the owner of any property, excluding street rights-of-way, within 100 feet of the applicant’s property.” Currently the town defines an abutter as owners of any properties on any side of the applicant’s property. This definition is only for notification purposes, and anyone can claim to be an abutter. The Planning Board unanimously supports the amendment.

The third zoning amendment asks voters to amend the definition of commercial uses to include “food services such as restaurants.” Restaurants are not acceptable uses in the Commercial District, but restaurants are located there. The Planning Board unanimously supports the amendment.

Voters will also decide whether to rezone three lots on Elm Street -- Bowling Acres, Valley Automotive and the old IDG building – to be entirely in the Village Commercial District. The first 200 feet is zoned as Commercial, while the rest of the lot falls in the Family District, making the lots legal nonconforming. Rezoning the lots would give them greater flexibility to expand or be redeveloped, and a vegetated butter would be provided where the parcels abut residential lots. The Planning Board unanimously supports the amendment.

Residents will vote on whether to amend workforce housing zoning to allow more than one building on one lot in the Rural District as part of a multifamily workforce housing development. The Planning Board unanimously supports the amendment.

Also on the ballot will be a proposed amendment to allow manufactured housing parks in the Rural District to provide community water and sewer. Currently, they are required to be connected to town water and sewer, which is often unavailable in the district. The Planning Board unanimously supports the amendment.

The last zoning amendment is a petition article from South Pack Solar owner Greg Blake and asks voters to repeal the 100-foot setback requirement for single-family or duplex residential ground-mounted solar arrays and the screening requirement for single-family or duplex residential arrays. The screening requirement will still be in place for larger freestanding solar arrays. The Planning Board supports the amendment 6-0 with one abstention.

Petition warrant articles

All petition warrant articles were put forward by Andrew Osterman. On May 10, voters will decide whether to appropriate $201,000 from the Pedestrian Enhancement Fund to construct an ADA-accessible path from the Evans Road loop to Shaw’s. The Select Board voted 3-0 not to recommend the article, and the Budget Committee did likewise by a 7-1 vote.

The second article proposes that if the average age of current members of a town commission, committee or board is over 65, the Select Board should only appoint residents younger than 65 to vacant seats, positions or roles. The Select Board did not recommend the article by a 3-0 vote.

The third article proposes that no Town Meeting, board meeting, commission meeting or committee meeting should take place between 5 and 8 p.m. The Select Board voted not to recommend the article by a 3-0 vote.

The budget is also on the warrant for the open session, but the article will be passed over if the ballot session approves it.

The polls will be open at the Peterborough Community Center on May 9 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the ballot session of Town Meeting. The open session of Town Meeting will be May 10 at 7 p.m. in the upper hall of the  Town House.

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