Planning and zoning board candidates are on both sides of the issue when it comes to a proposed zoning amendment that would repeal an overlay district in Peterborough.
Both races are contested this year, with four competitors for the two open seats on the Planning Board and three candidates for the single available seat on the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Incumbent Gerald “Jerry” Galus, Richard W. Clark III, Judy Wilson Ferstenberg and Rebecca Adey-Merrithew are running for the Planning seats. Clark, Sharon Monohan and Steven Graves are vying for the Zoning seat.
The new boards could be facing a zoning code with a major adjustment if a proposed petition zoning article passes at the polls in May. The amendment would repeal an overlay district put into place several years ago, which was designed to encourage infill development in areas of town where there are sewer and water lines.
Incumbent Jerry Galus and Rich Clark, who is a former member of the Planning Board, were both part of the board that drafted the ordinance in the first place.
Clark, who is generally in favor of less restrictive zoning rules, said he still stands by the ordinance and its goals – the town cannot afford to continually push development out into its rural areas on large lots, he said.
“We can’t keep breaking up our land into five-acre chunks,” Clark said. “It’s becoming cost prohibitive.”
Also, he added, the new ordinance fits what the town already has in its developed areas. As much as 80 percent of Peterborough lots didn’t fit the zoning, he said, because they were too small.
Ferstenberg, who is a newcomer to town politics, said she knows there is a need for smaller and more affordable houses in town, but said there are ways to achieve those goals without disrupting established neighborhoods. She said she is in favor of repealing the overlay district.
Using her own lot as an example, she said combined with the neighboring land, it would qualify for several multi-family units.
“And I don’t think it’s appropriate for that neighborhood,” she said.
There are existing buildings which could easily be converted to multi-family housing, preserving the buildings while creating functional homes near downtown, she said.
Rebecca Adey-Merrithew, also a newcomer to planning, said she had talked to people on both sides of the issue but has yet to make a decision regarding her own vote on whether to repeal the overlay district.
Adey-Merrithew said keeping the character of Peterborough was important, but there is also clearly a need for more affordable housing for those with a limited income, such as the elderly or those starting families.
“If we don’t make ways to find housing for these people, we will be faced with a dying town,” Adey-Merrithew said.
Adey-Merrithew said she has heard concerns about the zoning such as the Traditional Neighborhood Zone II allowing smaller lot sizes, but said that doesn’t have to be in conflict with the present “feel” of Peterborough.
“Many who are concerned about those smaller lots already live on a lot that’s non-conforming [with current zoning] and it works just fine for Peterborough,” Adey-Merrithew said.
She added that there are smaller changes that could be made to make building new homes more accessible, such as reviewing the parking regulations, which in some districts require two parking spaces for every home. For a home that has an in-law apartment, which might only house one resident, it may not make sense to require additional parking, Adey-Merrithew said.
While the Planning Board drafts updates to the zoning ordinance, it is the zoning board’s role to enforce the ordinance once adopted.
Sharon Monahan, who is currently an alternate on the zoning board and a former full member, is one of the petitioners seeking to repeal the Traditional Neighborhood II overlay zone. She was also a member of a group of citizens who actively campaigned against a zoning change in 2018.
She said not enough people knew what the changes were when the Traditional Neighborhood II zone was put into place five years ago.
“All we got over and over again was ‘When did this happen,’” Monohan said, of what she heard when canvassing neighborhoods last year.
One of her goals in running for the board again this year is to increase clarity between the town and the public, she said.
Graves, who has a background in construction, said he is running for the board to fairly enforce the rules across the board.
Graves said he’s in favor of new construction in town matching grandfathered lots and said the town needs more rental housing.
“Until we infill and add more houses and apartments, it’s going to continue to be expensive to live here,” he said.
Clark is also running for a seat on the zoning board. With a background as a builder himself, he said the process needs to be more streamlined and more friendly to applicants.
“I just want to be the voice of the small guy,” he said.
Galus did not respond to requests for comment by press time Monday.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.