HANOVER — Voters here will head to Town Meeting on Tuesday to tackle zoning amendments along with a 5.5% increase to the municipal budget.
The zoning proposals are laid out in 10 articles and are all related to housing issues. Four of the 10 articles were placed on the warrant via petition. Of the petitioned articles, the Planning Board, which is obligated to indicate its stance on zoning amendments, supports just one.
The budget increase is mostly the result of cost-of-living raises for salaries and health care cost increases.
All 10 articles and the election of town officers will be decided by ballot voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the gym at Hanover High School. The budget and other spending questions will be tackled during the business meeting at 7 p.m., also in the gym.
Articles 8 and 9, two of the petitioned articles, ask voters to amend the zoning ordinance to change the definition of family and allow up to two unrelated adults per bedroom in a residential dwelling unit.
Town Manager Julia Griffin said the push is by Dartmouth students who want to live with their friends, reduce costs by having more people share a home and because there is a shortage of housing.
The change would effectively double the number of people who could live in a residence. For example, a three-bedroom apartment could have six tenants instead of three under the current ordinance.
The Planning Board is opposed; Griffin said there are concerns that a large home could devolve into a “fraternity house” setting and bring noise, trash, traffic and other challenges to residential neighborhoods.
“It’s always a challenge to balance the two,” Griffin said. “It’s so tough in a neighborhood to have young renters enjoying the college experience.”
The Planning Board also voted against recommending article 10, which would remove “student residence” and “ground-mounted solar energy system” from the list of uses allowed by special exception and make the uses permitted.
The change would lift the requirement that those uses be reviewed by the zoning board to receive a special exemption, Griffin said.
Griffin said that making solar energy projects simpler was already covered by article 2, which was placed on the warrant by the Planning Board. The idea of a large student housing project wouldn’t receive scrutiny from the Zoning Board was a nonstarter for board members, Griffin said.
The lone petitioned article endorsed by the Zoning Board was article 11, which would establish a new zoning district, the Main Wheelock District, which would allow higher-density residential development and some accessory commercial uses along West Wheelock Street.
Neighbors have voiced concerns about parking issues among other potential problems.
The Zoning Board was divided on the proposal, with some members arguing the issue needed more study.
“The Planning Board spent some time on the issue,” Griffin said. “They recognized it does make sense to increase the capacity, but some felt like this was rushing it.”
In the end, the board voted, 3-2, to support the article.
The other six zoning amendments — articles 2 through 7 — were developed by the Planning Board and town staff in a process that began in November. The proposals went through a series of refinements and analyses before being approved in January.
In addition to the ground-mounted solar systems in article 2, articles 3 and 4 would make it easier for homeowners to add accessory dwelling units which add a housing opportunity on an existing property, such as an apartment over a garage, a tiny home in the backyard or a barn converted into an apartment.
Article 5 would allow nonprofit workforce housing on Greensboro Road, article 6 deals with the height of fences and article 7 fixes a mistake on Dogford Road where a property was mistakenly placed in a zone that prevents a home on the property from being lived in, causing the owners problems when they tried to sell the property.
The proposed general fund budget of just over $19 million is an increase of nearly $990,000, or 5.5% above the current appropriation.
The majority of the budget increase is in salaries and benefits for town employees. Voters will be asked authorize contracts between the town and employee labor unions. All unions have agreed to one-year contacts, and nonunion staff are getting the same raises as union members. Overall payroll is up about 4.4%, Griffin said.
There are no contested races on this year’s ballot.
Selectboard member Athos Rassias is running unopposed for reelection to his three-year seat.
Town Clerk Betsy McClain is not seeking reelection, and Deputy Town Clerk Bobbie Hitchcock is running unopposed to be her successor.
Darren Marcy can be reached at dmarcy@vnews.com or 802-291-4992.