Residents will have a choice in March to vote for or against changes to a zoning ordinance that would allow commercial uses in residential districts, like baking for farm stands.
Planning Board members Monday night were initially split in their decision to recommend the article to residents at Town Meeting but ultimately re-voted, 4-0-1, to put it forward as a warrant article.
In a letter written to the Planning Board, Health Officer Patrick Kiley condemned the idea of preparing foods for sale in home-based kitchens and cited concerns for cross-contamination, sanitization practices and food-borne illnesses.
“This should only be done in a licensed commercial kitchen that meets the health and safety standards. While this may seem convenient and economical, it creates an unacceptable risk to consumers. I would urge the Planning Board not to allow homestead kitchens to ensure a safe and healthy community for all,” read the letter, which was read into the record by Board of Selectmen representative Jay DeRoche.
Though some were in agreement with the health department’s concerns, many, like Jessica Pelletier, were not.
“I feel like the health officer is really reaching when he put all of these things in this letter because there are already guidelines in place,” she said. “He’s talking about doing commercial things in residential kitchens but that’s not what this zoning ordinance is changing. It’s just selling products outside your home, like at a farm stand.”
Pelletier continued that under state law, residents can sell foods that don’t meet commercial needs, like bread, rolls, pies, spices, herbs and jams, as long as the ingredients and allergens are listed and all products contain a label that says they’re exempt from New Hampshire licensing and inspection.
But Joanne Getchell was less concerned with what people are doing in their kitchens and more concerned with the influx of traffic and noise home businesses would bring to the neighborhoods.
The change in zoning laws would not only permit working from home and the operation of small businesses from home, it would also invite residential homes to provide day care services to children and adults.
“By changing the zoning laws, home businesses will become noticeable to the neighbors,” she said. “Signs can go up; kids can run around outside; cars will be coming in and out. That’s why we live in a small town, in a low density part of town. We don’t want that.”
Other residents, like Jason Dumont and Ryan Labrecque, supported the recommended changes.
Board member Nolan Pelletier was concerned with limiting home operations to one individual per household and board member Tim Moore suggested tabling the discussion until next year to give the wording more thought.
“If someone else in your house wants to bake or have another home office and they’re not contradictory, there should be no reason why you can’t have more than one,” Pelletier said. “There are typically two adults in a home, and restricting that to one is not the appropriate way.”
Chairman Richard Anthony disagreed, and said that, if anything, the zoning ordinance can be reviewed in a year and altered if needed. A motion was made and accepted to recommend the zoning ordinance with the amendments as outlined, in total, as a warrant article.
If approved at Town Meeting, homeowners in residential neighborhoods would be able to operate a business out of their home without seeking a permit form the town; it would also allow residents to work from home or run small businesses, like jewelry making and baking pies.
For additional information on the proposed changes to the ordinance, visit https://tinyurl.com/ytc7t7cf
