Meredith voters will decide on a half-dozen amendments to housing ordinances

MEREDITH — Voters will decide on seven zoning amendments at Town Meeting, focused around housing solutions identified in the new Imagine Meredith 2035 Community Plan.

"The proposed zoning amendments address different components of zoning, to allow additional density and incentives for smaller housing units, while building in more flexibility in some of our existing ordinances," said Town Planner Angela LaBrecque.

The first amendment, which will appear in Article 2 on the Town Warrant, involves changes to the conservation subdivision ordinance to provide flexibility in lot sizes, increase density for workforce housing, and streamline the approval process.

Conservation subdivisions are made to protect natural resources while allowing for the desired residential growth. It involves clustering homes on smaller lots to leave large parts of land permanently protected.

“A conservation subdivision ordinance is used to safeguard critical resources such as forests, farmland, wetlands, and wildlife habitat, while maintaining the town’s rural character and providing housing opportunities,” according to a Voter's Guide prepared by town staff.

The ordinance exists, but has never been used by developers. The proposed changes are intended to remove barriers.

Article 3 asks voters to adopt a new cottage court ordinance to allow development of small, detached cottage clusters. The clusters share a common courtyard and have a high density.

The ordinance creates a maximum size of 1,500 square feet per unit. Such a cottage cannot be used as a short-term rental, but is meant to strengthen neighborhoods and maintain the town’s character.

Cottage courts are generally small, detached single-family homes with a shared common courtyard, which are good for seniors, young professionals, and smaller households.

The ordinance is for residential use, and proposed for the central business, Meredith Center commercial, Route 3 south commercial, and residential zoning districts.

Article 4 asks voters to adopt a new workforce housing ordinance to allow higher density for multi-family housing on lots with municipal utilities, and density bonus for subdivisions.

The town does not have a workforce housing ordinance, and adopting the proposed language brings Meredith into compliance with the State Workforce Housing Law.

The ordinance targets rental units for people earning 60% of the area’s median income, and ownership for those aligned with median income. In Meredith, the median sales price of a single-family property is $675,000, and the median sales price of a condominium is $440,000.

Information from town staff notes the maximum owner-occupied workforce housing price is $381,500, and based on the Workforce Housing Law, the maximum workforce monthly rental price is $1,620. The figures show much of Meredith’s workforce, including people with jobs like teachers and firefighters, cannot afford to live there.

Voters will be asked in Article 5 to amend an ordinance about detached accessory dwelling units to align the town with state law. This change will bring the town into compliance with a change in July 2025.

ADUs, sometimes called in-law apartments, are smaller living spaces built on a home’s property. They are already permitted in Meredith, and can include basement apartments, garage lofts, or separate structures with a kitchen, bath and sleeping area.

Article 6 asks voters to approve amending dimensional regulations in the residential and central business districts. This involves changes to minimum setback requirements.

The amendment increases the maximum lot coverage in the central business district to 75%, and residential district for multi-family to 60%.

The purpose is to reduce the minimum setback requirements in districts with access to municipal water and sewer. Other changes include removing the minimum lot size requirement, and also increasing lot coverage allowed in each district.

The guide provided by the town states many lots don’t meet the current dimensional requirements, resulting in large numbers of variance requests to the zoning board of adjustment. The amendment will reduce the number of zoning board requests, by creating clearer expectations for property owners.

In Article 7, the town is proposing amending the definition of an accessory apartment.

If approved, the amended definition would read as follows: “A residential living unit that provides independent living facilities with provisions for sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation, located on the same property as a principal single-family dwelling and can be within, attached to, or detached from the main house.”

The last proposed change comes in Article 8, for a new overlay district for pre-existing, non-conforming neighborhoods.

The new overlay district — Preexisting Nonconforming Subdivisions — will allow reduced setbacks in areas including Patrician Shores, Sands of Brookhurst, Colony Club and Circle Drive. The neighborhoods are in zoning districts with dimensional standards they can’t meet, as the neighborhoods were created before zoning. The proposed overlay reduces setbacks to a front setback of 15 feet, side setback of 10 feet, and rear setback of 15 feet.

For the past three years, town leaders have been studying the housing supply and future housing needs through a pair of Housing Opportunity Planning Grants. Through a housing needs assessment, a policy and regulatory audit, a public forum, and a survey, they found the town’s housing supply doesn’t align with current or future needs.

"The town has put a lot of effort engaging the members of the community and evaluating our housing needs," said LaBrecque. "We received two Housing Opportunity Program Grants from New Hampshire Housing, and a Housing Champion Designation from the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs. This allowed us to hold public forums, complete a housing needs assessment, conduct a regulatory audit, and finally write zoning amendments to promote more diverse housing options for the residents of Meredith."

Almost half of the town’s housing is seasonal or recreational, which leads to low vacancy rates and only a small number of year-round units. With housing consisting mostly single-family homes on large lots, there is a concern, due to an aging population and a growing demand for housing for workers and smaller households.

“Rising home prices and rents — driven by strong second-home and short-term rental markets, limited new construction, and land use and infrastructure constraints — have made it increasingly difficult for modest-income households and the local workforce to remain in town,” the document states.

The zoning amendment articles will be on the town ballot, which also includes the election of officers, all uncontested races this year. Voting for articles 1 through 8 takes place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 10, at the Meredith Community Center.