The makeup of the Peterborough Zoning Board will remain the same after incumbents Christoper DiLoreto and Dan Latini won enough votes to keep their seats, with 463 and 523 votes, respectively.
Challenger Lisa Stone, who serves on the Planning Board, received 412 votes, and there were four write-in candidates.
“I am sure that Chris and Dan will continue to serve productively on the board,” Stone said.
The Zoning Board was the only contested race on the ballot.
According to Town Clerk Linda Guyette, 791 voters, or 16% of Peterborough voters, participated in Tuesday’s election.
In uncontested races for town offices, Chair Tyler Ward was re-elected to the Select Board with 710 votes; James Moore and Lisa Stone were reelected to the Planning Board, and Mary Clark, Paul Noce, and Tim Jenkins were re-elected to the budget committee. Jim Long was re-elected as a Trustee of the Trust Funds; Charles Peter LaRoche was re-elected to Cemetery Trustee; Christine Mann and Peggy VanValkenburgh were reelected to Trustees of the Library; Zachary Allen and Devon Tomasulo Fetrow were reelected to the Recreation Committee, and Carol Lenox was reelected as Supervisor of the Checklist.
Voters passed the town’s proposed budget of $20, 475, 996 by a vote of 604 to 158. Since the budget passed, the town did not hold an Open Session of Town Meeting on Wednesday night.
According to Town Administrator Nicole MacStay, Peterborough only holds an Open Session of Town Meeting when there are bond items or other large expenditures to discuss, such as the 2025 fire station proposal.
Zoning amendments pass
All proposed 2026 zoning amendments on the ballot passed.
Planning Board chair Carl Staley said the turnout of 791 voters was “an okay number.”
“I wondered what kind of turnout we were going to get, because it was pretty light between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. when I was standing outside,” Staley said. “I am pleased to see that the planning board is being viewed as more consensus-building in our approach.”
Lisa Stone said she was “beyond excited” that the proposed zoning amendments passed.
“The planning board worked so hard on all these amendments. This is important work, and very few citizens come out to participate in the process. The board is looking at making some more changes in the coming year, and I hope to see some more of our neighbors at our workshops,” Stone said Wednesday morning.
Amendment 1 allows the rezoning of a single property on Route 202 to Village Commercial District. The property was previously split into three different zones, and the change will make it easier for the longtime owners to sell the property. The former home, located across from the Pizza Peddler building, is now surrounded by commercial properties.
Amendment 2 revises density requirements in West Peterborough to eight units per acre. According to the Planning Board, “the existing density regulations unintentionally pushes developers to exclusively develop multi-family housing.” The new zoning will set a density limit in a zone where there previously was no density limit.
Amendment 4 revised the housing density limit in Peterborough’s two downtown zones, the Family District and the General Residence District. The new zoning will allow multi-family housing in the Family District, but it will only be permitted through Planning Board review, and all proposals must meet the requirements of the Traditional Neighborhood Overlay Zone.
The new zoning will slightly decrease density in the General Residence district, and lot sizes will now be listed in terms of acreage, not square footage.
Amendment 4 rezones the entire property at 15 Evans Road into the Family District. The property was previously encumbered by both the Rural District and the Family District. The property owners support the change.
“Blank Space for democracy” article fails
All warrant articles on the ballot passed with the exception of Article 22, which was submitted by petition.
The article was initiated by Shen Bolun, a self-described political performer from Shanghai, China, who was an artist in residence at MacDowell between January and February, and submitted by Peterborough resident Josephine Chu. More than 25 people signed the petition.
The article would have instituted two minutes of “Blank Time” during all subsequent deliberative sessions and Town Meetings in Peterborough. The article states that the “Blank Time” moment “is intended as a symbolic acknowledgment of those who live within, contribute to, or are affected by the democratic process of Peterborough, especially those not eligible to vote.”
The article failed, with 347 in favor, 401 against.