Dartmouth Times

On March 14, 2023, Lebanon voters approved zoning amendments that partly stem from the City Council’s April 21, 2022 directive to the City Manager to take steps to enable, incentivize, and partner in the development of housing needs not currently being addressed by the market. The amendments include:

• Allowing Cottage Developments on certain sized properties in the R-1, R-2, R-3, R-O, and R-O-1 Districts;
• Amending the regulations for manufactured housing;
• Amending the RL-3 District Table of Uses to change “accessory use to any one-family dwelling” from a use allowed by Special Exception to a permitted use; and
• Allowing an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) for an owner-occupied two-family dwelling.

The amendments were originally presented to City Council on October 5, 2022, and were subsequently reviewed by the City's legal counsel and by the City's land use board including the Planning Board on November 21st and December 19th, the Zoning Board of Adjustment on November 22nd, and the Conservation Commission on December 8th. Staff also hosted public information sessions to explain the proposed amendments, hear feedback, and answer questions. The first session was held on November 15th at the Lebanon Library, the second was held on December 20th at City Hall, and the third was held on March 8th at Kilton Library. Revisions to the draft zoning amendments were prepared by staff following the public review process and were presented to the City Council meeting on January 4, 2023, for review and discussion, and a public hearing was held at the City Council’s meeting on January 18, 2023.

An updated and revised Zoning Ordinance will be prepared to incorporate the adopted amendments, which are effective immediately. The updated Zoning Ordinance will be made available at LebanonNH.gov/ZoningOrdinance.

For questions, please contact the Planning and Development Department at 603-448-1524 or via e-mail at planning@lebanonnh.gov.

Original source can be found here.