Small ‘cottages’ seen as solution

By CHRIS FROST
Eagle Times News Editor
CLAREMONT, NH — The Planning Board approved a zoning amendment to permit cottage developments during its Monday, Jan. 8, meeting, creating a new tool for housing development in the city.

The proposal to amend the zoning ordinance to allow cottage developments was originally presented to the Council on July 12, 2023. The councilors took exception to the maximum size of the cottages and sent it back to the Planning Board.

“The Board agreed after considerable discussion to reduce the maximum size of the cottages to 1,000 square feet,” said City Planner deForest Bearse. “The proposed amendment being discussed includes the revision to the maximum cottage size and also includes language to address exterior setbacks that were not contained in the original version.”

Assistant Mayor and City Council Rep. Deb Matteau said a lot of the rules they’re implementing to attract housing developers is going to depend on how this process works.

According to the national Association of Home Builders, the average size of a new home in the United States is more than twice the size cottage zoning would allow at 2,573 square

“The reduction from 1,500 to 1,000; I know this board wasn’t in favor of, but the council wanted it lower,” she said. “We’ll have to see if it spurs development; if it does, we may have to re-look at it down the road. Everything we can get to throw into the bucket to encourage housing is good.”

Board Member David Putnam asked how benchmarks will be used to study the change.

“I guess we’ll have to see when the developers come into the Planning Office and come forward,” Matteau said. “It’s going to be hard to know if somebody is not going to develop here because of the regulations. I don’t know how people would know that, but if people come into the Planning Office and have discussions with the planners and say there might be an issue, that’s one way we’ll know. Some people may look at the regulations and not bother to go forward.”

Putnam noted that if a developer came in and wanted to build a five-cottage development and wished to make them a maximum of 1,250-1,500 square feet, can they get a zoning board variance?

She noted that if many developers seek a variance for cottage development, the Planning Board should re-examine the matter from a legislative standpoint.

“It’s all so new to everyone that we don’t really know how it’s going to go, and I think other communities in the state are going to do something similar, so we’ll be able to watch the communities and some of the communities are starting to see some of these things develop and we’ll have to see how that goes.”