Planning Board Meeting

DURHAM PLANNING BOARD

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Town Council Chambers, Durham Town Hall

7:00 p.m.

AGENDA

I.          Call to Order

II.         Roll Call and Seating of Alternates

III.        Approval of Agenda

IV.       Town Planner’s Report

V.        Reports from Board Members who serve on Other Committees

VI.       Public Comments

VII.      Review of Minutes (old):

VIII.     Public Hearing - 25 Emerson Road - Lot Line Adjustment and Conditional Use.  Conveyance of 30-foot strip of land from front lot to rear lot to allow for access to rear lot.  Conditional use for driveway to be located in 75-foot wetland buffer.  Map 103, Lot 10 and 11.  Both owned by Christensen Rev. Trust c/o Ann Christensen, trustee.  Patrick Sharkey, Surveyor, Doucet Survey.  Brenden Walden, Wetland Scientist, Gove Environmental.  Residence A District.  Recommended action:  Final action.

IX.       Newmarket Road – Durham Point Road Lot Line Adjustment.  Application to adjust the lot line between 61 Newmarket Road, Map 114, Lot 30, owned by Vicinity Development LLC, c/o Jamieson Duston and 12 Durham Point Road, Map 114, Lot 29, owned by Duston Revocable Trust, c/o Jamieson and Bree Duston, trustees.  Residence B and Residence Coastal District.  Recommended action:  Accept as complete and set public hearing for October 22.

X.        74 Bennett Road – Permitted Use B Application.  Application from Tanner Frost, UNH Graduate student, to remove 7 or 8 maple trees as part of a study of responses of maple trees to wounds resulting from tapping for syrup.  Permitted Use B application for activity in the Wetland and Shoreland Overlay Districts.  Viewey Family Trust, owner.  Map 224, Lot 59.  Rural District.  Recommended action:  Final action.   

XI.       Public Hearing – National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) Administration Building.  Presentation of new NOAA Center for Excellence in Ocean Mapping building and site improvements at The Edge on UNH land, situated west of the Main Street and Mast Road intersection.  Presented by Ken Weston, Executive Director of Campus Stewardship and University Architect.    POSTPONED TO OCTOBER 22, 2025

XII.      Public Hearings - New State Laws.  Proposed amendments to comply with recently adopted state laws affecting land use:

1. Amendments to Zoning Ordinance pertinent to restrictions on dwelling units, accessory dwelling units, and multi-unit residential on commercial land;  and
2. Amendments to Site Plan Regulations pertaining to required number of parking spaces.

Recommended action:   A.  Initiate zoning amendments.  B. Adopt site plan amendment.

XIII.     Review of Minutes:  September 10, 2025

XIV.    Other Business:

XV.      Adjournment                                                                                                         

*ZOOM ACCESS

The Town of Durham offers access to meetings with Zoom and Durham Cable Access Television (DCAT) as a convenience to the public. Zoom is generally reliable for watching meetings and offering

comments when allowed.  However, due to factors outside our control, occasionally access on Zoom does not work well.  We cannot guarantee that Zoom will always be available seamlessly and suggest that people who want to ensure being able to watch and participate attend the meeting in person.

To access any LIVE Zoom Public Meeting, you must be Registered.  This link will take you to the registration page: https://www.ci.durham.nh.us/boc_dcatgovernance/zoom-video-meeting-schedule.   If you have difficulty logging in, contact DCAT: 603-590-1383.

*OTHER INFORMATION

1)      Public hearings and public comments.  The public is welcome to speak at all public hearings and during the Public Comments time.  Comments on all matters, except those for which a public hearing is on the agenda, should be made during the Public Comments time (including comments on agenda items this evening).  The public may speak and submit written/email comments on any germane subject except active matters where the public hearing has been closed.   When a public hearing will be held soon for a specific item board may require that comments be made at the hearing.

2)      Submission of comments in writing.  Send emails and letters to Michael Behrendt, Town Planner, at mbehrendt@ci.durham.nh.us or at the address above. Substantive comments about current board matters, except where the public hearing is closed, will be a) emailed to the board;  b) mailed to the board if received by the Thursday before the meeting or given to members at the meeting if received later; and c) posted on the Town’s website.

Any email, letter, or document that is pertinent to a decision which the Planning Board is expected to make at the upcoming Wednesday meeting, must be received in the Planning Office by the prior Monday at 5:00 p.m. or the board will consider the material only at its discretion (This limitation does not apply to comments made at the public hearing).

3)      Other information.  Files on the agenda items above are available for review on the Town website https://www.ci.durham.nh.us/.  Agendas marked as “Preliminary Agenda,” are subject to change.  The final agenda will be posted on the Town’s website on the Friday prior to the meeting. To see background documents related to specific agenda items, see the agenda on the website and click on any green highlighted items.                                                               

4)      Contacting us.   Call (603) 868-8064 or email Michael Behrendt, above, or Tracey Cutler, Administrative Assistant, at tcutler@ci.durham.nh.us.

5)      Recommended actions.   Actions recommended by the Town Planner are shown above.  The board may or may not take these actions and may take other actions not stated.

6)      10:00 pm.  The board will take up a new item of business after 10:00 pm at its discretion.

7)      Communication aids.  Please provide the Town with 48-hours’ notice if any aids are needed.

8)      Next meeting.  The next regular board meeting will be on October 22, 2025.