After hearing little comment during a public hearing Tuesday, the Planning Board moved five proposed zoning updates, several dealing with workforce housing and density, to March’s ballot unchanged.
Among the changes to the zoning code proposed this year are clearer standards for workforce housing, and opening doors for more density in areas where the town has water and sewer.
Planning Board member John Peard said the amendments were appropriate for Jaffrey and kept the density in areas where it makes sense.
“This really doesn’t increase the density in those areas a lot, and those areas are really already pretty thickly developed,” Peard said.
Jaffrey Community Development Director Jo Anne Carr said the Planning Board has been discussing the housing needs of the community for several years now, and these amendments are one way to address them.
Updates to the code include a definition of workforce housing, as it is outlined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Workforce housing is meant to provide rentals and homes that are affordable for the people that live and work in a particular area, and what qualifies as “workforce housing” varies from county to county.
The proposed changes also include several new provisions relating to multi-family developments, including allowing greater density for two-family homes where there is a connection to the town water and sewer. One amendment would allow a two-family home to be built on the same lot size allowed for a single-family home, as long as there is water and sewer. The current code requires the lot to be twice as big as the size requirements for a single-family home.
There is also a proposed new section of the ordinance for multi-family and apartment houses in the General Business A and Residential B districts, both of which have access to water and sewer.
Under the new section of the ordinance, developers would have to apply for a conditional use permit that would allow up to six units per acre of land, plus up to an additional two units if they are workforce housing.
The amendment outlines several specific design standards for the developments that would have to be followed, including using designs that are typical of Jaffrey, providing adequate parking on the side or rear, renovating historic structures when possible, and using sustainable energy practices.
Currently, in most districts where they are allowed, apartments are allowed to have a maximum of eight living units in a building, except in the rural district, which allows four. Buildings must have an acre for the first living unit in a building, plus a half acre more for a second living unit, and an additional 5,000 square feet of land for each additional unit after that. Under those rules, a six-unit building would require two acres, where under the new rules, it could be built on a single acre.
Jaffrey resident Charlie Koch said encouraging development in areas with infrastructure was the way to go.
“The more houses you can cram into that area, the better,” he said.
The public did not offer any objections to the amendments as presented, and the board agreed to move all five to the warrant unchanged. The zoning amendments will be on the warrant for March’s ballot voting, and must be approved by a majority of residents to be enacted.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.