With the housing shortage still a critical issue in the Monadnock region, some area planning boards are working on ways to pave the way for new housing options, especially in downtown villages, where new buildings can take advantage of existing infrastucture.
The Antrim Planning board, led by chair Mark Murdough, has made housing a top priority for the past few years.
In March 2025, Antrim voters approved Article 2, the Connected Village Overlay District, which the board designed to encourage and permit housing units on small or irregular lots in the downtown area.
Previously, Antrim zoning required two-acre building lots for single-family homes. The new Connected Village Overlay District allows property owners in Antrim village to create housing on nonconforming lots in the village, particularly on smaller lots where it was not permitted by previous ordinance.
According to the Planning Board, the goal of the 2025 zoning changes was to facilitate the creation of smaller, more affordable, and potentially more energy-efficient homes of varied price ranges and sizes for Antrim residents, with convenient access to the downtown.
Developer Dave Cutter was the first builder to take advantage of the new ordinance with a proposal for total of 17 housing units, including four duplexes, around a common space near the Antrim Post Office. The initial application for the project, which was approved by the Planning Board in spring 2025, is still in planning stage.
In December 2025, the board approved the town’s first application for a four-unit residential “cottage court,” proposed by Patrick Battaglia and Gretchen Lyons, on their property on Route 202 north of Antrim village.
The application proposes that four homes, the largest of which will be 960 square feet, will be built in a cluster on 1.4 acres, with common green space surrounding the buildings. The homes will have some shared septic systems and a shared well.
Murdough said the approval was “a milestone for the town.”
In March 2026, Antrim voters approved amendments to the town’s RV ordinance allowing people with legally registered RVs to spend 90 days in their unit, either intermittently or consecutively, over the course of one year. Previously, residents were limited to 21 days of RV residency or occupancy. The ordinance will make it easier for property owners to use their RVs for temporary housing during construction or in other circumstances, as long as RVs are meeting code requirements for occupancy.
Antrim voters also passed a change the in size requirements for Antrim back lots. Previously, back lots had to be a minimum of three times the size of the front lot. The amendment, which changed the minimum back lot size to equal the size of the front lot, will potentially allow more backlots to be eligible for development.
Another zoning amendment approved by Antrim voters supports mixed-use buildings in the Antrim village district, enabling property owners to use buildings for both residential and business use.
For more information on the Antrim Planning Board go to https://www.antrimnh.org/planning-board.
Peterborough proposes simplified, consistent ordinance for downtown
The Peterborough Planning board has proposed two zoning amendments for the the 2026 ballot aimed at simplifying the town’s zoning ordinance and making requirements more equitable for all residents in the downtown.
“Basically, what we’re trying to do is to not have barriers based on zoning that was done in the 1970s,” said Planning Board Chair Carl Staley. “We’re trying to bring it up to current standards.”
Peterborough residents will vote on the proposed amendments on Tuesday, May 12.
Amendment 2 proposes the town revise density requirements in West Peterborough, which has traditionally had the most liberal zoning requirments in Peterborough.
The amendment proposes that the density limit be limited to eight housing units per acre in Peterborough and West Peterborough, and that mixed-use development would be determined by the Planning Board in the Site Plan Review process.
The board states that the proposed amendment “eliminates bias against certain housing types.”
“We are not trying to discourage any one type of housing. If you can fit it on your lot, the measure is eight units per acre. You could have a cluster devleopment, you could have townhomes, you could have single family homes,” Staley said. “We are trying to make it consistent.”
The Planning Board proposed the amendment partly in response to concerns from residents about a large condominium development currently under construction in West Peterborough, which some residents say is too high impact for the neighborhood.
“We are responding to community input around density,” Staley said.
The new development, Our Town Village, has 30 one- and two-bedroom units on a 3-acre lot. Previous zoning ordinance in West Peterborough did not specify a density level, enabling the project to be built by right.
Zoning Amendment 3 would change requirements for minimum lot sizes in the Traditional Neighborhood Overlay Zone, with eight units per acre permitted in the General Resudence District, and six units per acre permitted in the Family District.
The proposed change would allow for multi-family structures in the Family District, where they are currently not permitted, but “only through Planning Board review and with strict conformance to the regulations of Traditional Neighborhood Overlay Zone,” according to the proposed warrant.
Multi-family units are already permitted in the General Residence District.
“We are looking to create an equitable zoning ordinance for residents regardless of what part of Peterborough they live in,” stated Peterborough Town Planner Danica Miller. “Right now, the zoning is very inconsistent. It needs to be more equitable for both sides of the street; currently, we have neighbors who have completely different requirements about what they can build.”
Board member Lisa Stone has stated that the proposed amendment enabling multi-family homes “could allow people to stay in their homes.”
“There are people with huge homes – 6,000 square feet – who would like to stay where they are and would like to be able to divide their property into two lots, but they don’t have the square footage to create a duplex, while their neighbors across the street would be able to do it just because they are in a different zone,” Stone said. “It is very unfair to people in the Family District.”
Stone also noted that “the average family size in Peterborough is 1.3 people.”