March 23, 2023 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH 03221 PLANNING BOARD Draft Meeting Minutes for Tuesday March 21, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Chair Pogust called the meeting to order at 7:03pm. He called roll and found there was a quorum. In the absence of Peter Blakeman, Chair Pogust asked Jason Teaster, alternate, to step in as a voting member of the Board. In the absence of David Hill, Chair Pogust asked Kristin Angeli, alternate, to step in as a voting member of the Board. ROLL: Glenn Pogust (Chair), Chuck Bolduc, Kristin Angeli (alternate), Dane Headley, Jason Teaster, Roger Wells ABSENT: Peter Blakeman, David Hill, Christine Fletcher ALSO PRESENT: Dave Grinsell, Sutton Economic Development Committee ADMINISTRATIVE: Discussion – Village District and Density Bonuses for Cluster Development Chair Pogust said the Town has been approved for a grant that will finance $27,950 in fees for Central NH Planning Commission to help with updating the Zoning Ordinance with regards to amending the cluster ordinance to provide for expanded housing opportunities. One important aspect in getting the grant was the commitment to community engagement with respect to the entire process. Chair Pogust said that he wants to encourage public engagement throughout the entire process, speaking with the town boards, committee and community groups in the same way they did with the Master Plan Update and also engaging the residents and property owners in the villages. Chair Pogust provided two hand-outs to the Board. One was a newly enacted ordinance from the City of Lebanon, NH and both hand-outs had to do with pocket communities that can be considered for workforce housing and for related mixed uses. The concept was interesting and he wanted to share it. The discussion for the meeting covered the potential for Village Cluster Districts. Roger provided a list of issues to be addressed for such a district. He said he listed potential permitted uses and also that the requirements for the residential district can also be applied. Kristin wondered about making the language broader, as Wilmot has done for their village district. She opined that Wilmot Flat’s village is similar to Sutton’s. Chair Pogust thought that people would want to know exactly what is permitted, for example, what is considered as a permitted retail shop, etc. He said that people can always come to the ZBA to get a special exception if a use they wanted to implement in the district was not on the list the Planning Board decides to specify in a proposed ordinance so that the ZBA can determine if that use will be permitted. The ordinance can contain factors that the ZBA will be required to consider in making such a determination It was noted that using the term “Professional Services” would eliminate the need to specify all the different kinds of professional services that could exist in the village district. There was discussion about coffee shops and other similar establishments in town. Roger said he didn’t feel that there were enough people in town to support that kind of thing. Chuck disagreed and felt like there were a lot of people of the younger generation who really would like a place to go to get a cup of coffee. Roger said they could ask someone from the Planning Commission about the population required to sustain these kinds of things in Sutton. He suggested that they consult with the Economic Planning Commission as well. A related discussion was had about affordable housing and the fact that if the housing was available, more people would be in town to support these kinds of business ventures. Chair Pogust said the commercial may have to follow the people. Jason said both should be considered together. He felt both the affordable housing and the businesses could happen in Sutton. Chair Pogust said that developers need to be incentivized to come into town without sacrificing the objectives outlined in the Master Plan. There was discussion about parking needs for retail shops/businesses. There was discussion about Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU). Kristin said that they need to keep in mind that ADUs have been used as Air B&Bs and the Town may want to prohibit or strictly limit short term rentals as an allowable use. She noted that the Town of Sunapee is having a hard time with this right now. Their case went to the Supreme Court. Chair Pogust wasn’t sure if the Town has the legal right to specify that ADUs cannot be used for short term rentals. Roger thought they should get legal advice on this. Chair Pogust said they need to figure out what they want to do and then determine from Town counsel what they can do. Chair Pogust thanked those present for an engaging and productive discussion and noted that he will look to continue this work in the coming Planning Board meetings. Review of Minutes of February 28, 2023 It was moved by Jason Tester and seconded by Kristin Angeli to approve the minutes of February 28, 2023 as circulated. The motion was approved unanimously. Review of Minutes of March 7, 2023 It was moved by Chuck Bolduc and seconded by Jason Teaster to approve the minutes of March 7, 2023 as circulated. The motion was approved unanimously. It was moved by Chuck Bolduc and seconded by Jason Teaster to adjourn the meeting. The motion was approved unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:55pm. Respectfully submitted, Kristy Heath, Recording Secretary Town of Sutton