The Town of Peterborough has determined that the protest petition concerning Article 2 of the 2020 Town Meeting Warrant is valid. Article 2 is a zoning amendment which seeks to repeal Traditional Neighborhood Overlay Zone 1. The now-validated protest petition requires two-thirds of voters to approve Article 2 for it to pass, rather than a simple majority.
“It appears to be valid. It appears to meet all the standards,” Deputy Town Administrator Nicole MacStay said on Monday. She and other town employees matched signers’ names to the properties they own in town, and determined that the petition signers represent at least 20 percent of the TNOZ1 overlay area that meets the qualifications or criteria of the overlay, meaning properties zoned in the Family or General Residence districts, she said.
“If there’s anything questionable, we’ll spend more time on it,” after Tuesday’s vote, she said, but that the information the town had as of Monday merited notifying voters that the protest petition would factor in the determination of the Article 2 vote.