Peterborough residents who would like to learn more about the proposed zoning changes on the this year’s ballot are invited to attend an open house on Monday, April 28, at 6 p.m. in the Select Board Meeting Room in the Town House.

The Planning Board will host a public hearing about the three proposed zoning amendments. All Peterborough voters are encouraged to attend. Peterborough Board meetings are live streamed to Comcast Channel 22 and U-Stream at video.ibm.com/channel/peterboroughour-town .

The first zoning amendment proposes minor changes in the Revised Wetlands Overlay Protection Zone. The changes were proposed by the Peterborough Conservation Commission to clarify existing regulations.

Town Planner Danica Melone said the amendment clarifies the language in the overlay zone.

“We worked closely with the Conservation Committee on this amendment to better clarify what is expected of applicants when applying to the board. Nothing has been changed which would make the requirements more strict,” she said.

The second amendment proposes that the property at 75-77 Hancock Road, a former residence currently being used for offices, be rezoned from the Commercial District to the Village Commercial district. The zoning change would allow the property to be converted for residential use.

“We would really like to help this family. They have been very, very patient. All the buyers who have been interested in their property have wanted to develop it for housing,” Melone said.

The Planning Board has stated its intention to review the impact of rezoning all properties currently in the Commercial District to the Village Commercial before May 2026. The proposed zoning amendment going on the ballot this May applies only to 75-77 Hancock Road.

The third proposed zoning amendment would make minimum lot-size requirements for creating a single-family home or duplex consistent between the Family District and the General Residence District. The amendment proposes to: “Revise 245-6B1, the minimum lot sizing in the Family District, by replacing it with the same language for minimum lot sizing of the General Residence District under 245-7 C1, thereby reducing the amount of spare footage needed to build a single family or a duplex.”

Currently, property owners in Peterborough’s Family District must have a minimum of 50,000 square feet to build a duplex and 40,000 square feet to build a single-family residence, while in the General Residence District, only 20,000 square feet is required for either.

“One of the core reasons behind this proposal is to give property owners in the Family District the ability to convert their single-family homes into duplexes they choose to do so,” Melone stated. “Right now, because of the zoning, we have situations where a homeowner on one side of the street is permitted to create a duplex from a single family home on a 20,000-square-foot lot, while their neighbor across the street is not permitted to do that because they are required to have twice the space. The requirements should be the same to eliminate confusion and inequity for property owners. ”

The Family District and the General Residence District converge in multiple neighborhoods in Peterborough, including at Prospect and Vine streets, Elm Street and Winter Street, Scott Street and Laurel Street and Granite Street and Pine Street.

Melone said that the proposed amendment “will not open the door to multi-family housing.”

Planning Board Chair Carl Staley said the proposed amendment “is not changing anything about the family district except for lot size.”

For information about Peterborough’s proposed zoning changes, go to tinyurl.com/zoning2025.