March 2023 Letter to the Editor - Granite State News
- Citizens For Wolfeboro
- Mar 9, 2023
- 2 min read
Letter to the Editor for the 3/9 edition of The Granite State News
Vote ‘No’ on Wolfeboro Zoning Amendments
To the Editor:
A letter to the editor in last week’s Granite State News addressed proposed zoning amendments to be voted on at Wolfeboro’s March 14, 2023, Town Election at the Town Hall. Those amendments, which appear as Articles 2-10 on the ballot, make major changes to multiple sections of the Wolfeboro Zoning Ordinance that weaken the existing regulations and are difficult, if not impossible, to understand. Among the concerns are the following:
Article 2. Accessory Dwelling Units: The amendment allows detached Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), except in the Shorefront Residential District. Where one single-family dwelling is permitted now, two single-family dwellings would be allowed. The amendment authorizes the Planning Board to waive the requirements intended to limit the impact of detached ADUs, including the requirement that the lot meets the minimum lot size and frontage requirements of the zoning district.
Article 3. Inclusionary Zoning: Inclusionary Zoning is currently allowed by Special Exception in the Village Residential, Residential, and General Residential Districts. This amendment would expand it to all zoning districts, except the Shorefront Residential and Municipal Watershed Districts, and replaces the Special Exception from the Board of Adjustment with a Conditional Use Permit from the Planning Board. Multifamily dwellings, with no limit on the number of units contained in a building, would be allowed everywhere, except in the Shorefront Residential and Municipal Watershed Districts. The amendment authorizes the Planning Board to waive all provisions of the Inclusionary Zoning regulations.
Article 4. Boathouse: The amendment removes the requirement that a boathouse be used solely as a docking facility and have a pitched roof.
Article 8. Shorefront Residential District: The amendment eliminates the protection afforded by requiring that an applicant for a boathouse receive a special use permit from the Planning Board which shall consider the recommendation of the Conservation Commission.
Article 9. Multifamily Dwellings: The amendment eliminates the limitation on the number of multifamily dwelling units that can be in a building so that the only limitation is the number of units that can be placed on a lot. The amendment also eliminates the provisions allowing more than one multifamily building on a lot and allowing residential units in buildings with commercial units. Under the current Zoning Ordinance, two-thirds of an acre is required to convert an existing residential building into four multifamily dwelling units. The amendment requires two acres for the conversion into four units.
Article 10. Lots with no frontage: The amendment eliminates the requirement that the lot complies with the area and all other zoning requirements, except frontage, and that the driveway be constructed and approved prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. A Special Exception from the Board of Adjustment is no longer required, but instead a Conditional Use Permit which can only be appealed to the superior court.
Zoning changes should be made gradually to see if they accomplish the intended purpose. Permitted uses can always be expanded, but it is very difficult to roll them back if there are problems. Please vote “No” on Articles 2-10.
Citizens For Wolfeboro
