Amherst, NH
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Planning Board
Meetings of the Planning Board are open to the public. MeetingWatch transcribes and analyzes every session.
Recent activity
Last meetings at a glance.
Community responsiveness
34%
→ stable
34 addressed · 42 partial · 85 unaddressed
Browse the Planning Board — choose a section
52 analyzed, most recent first
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
All motions passed unanimously, public input was limited to applicant presentations that received constructive board engagement, and the meeting consisted of routine continuances and completeness review.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Golden Valley Way Holdings LLC Site Plan & CUP — Potential risk of hydrocarbon contamination in a protected aquifer and permanent loss of wetland buffers.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Marmon Utility LLC Silo Relocation — Potential shift from internal to external industrial operations and associated noise/environmental risks.
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Golden Valley Way Holdings LLC Site Plan & CUP — High risk of groundwater contamination in a sensitive aquifer and brook trout habitat.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
The meeting was marked by high emotional tension, with residents expressing deep distrust of the developer and frustration with the board's perceived legal helplessness.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Regional impact determinations for various developments — Determines the level of notification and potential scrutiny required from neighboring municipalities regarding septic, schools, and stormwater.
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
A heavily attended public hearing on a court-remanded, previously denied housing development drew six opposing speakers, an official Heritage Commission objection, unresolved legal questions about density bonus eligibility, and unusually blunt board language about property conditions — producing sustained tension between residents, the developer, and board members throughout the latter half of the meeting.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Abutters voiced targeted objections on noise, parking scale, and conservation commitments, but dialogue remained constructive with partial mitigations offered and no board division.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
The meeting consisted of a retirement tribute and routine procedural items with uniformly positive public comments and no substantive disagreements.
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Strong public opposition from 11 speakers on traffic, safety and compliance issues was largely unaddressed while the board split 4-1 to approve over explicit dissent
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Kent Service Station development over aquifer — Automotive repair facility with spill prevention measures in aquifer protection district
Friday, January 23, 2026
High public turnout with 17 speakers, detailed opposition from abutters' counsel, and board motion to deny created clear tension despite the continuance vote
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Short-term rental zoning regulations — Town-wide rules on short-term rentals subject to voter approval
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
Short-Term Rental Zoning Regulations — Town-wide new regulatory framework; pending final approval, could require permitting, impose operational conditions, and restrict STR use in residential zones across all of Amherst
Thursday, December 11, 2025
The Jacobson subdivision hearing was marked by audience disruptions, a litigation threat cited by the applicant's representative, a formal legal challenge from an opposition attorney representing 225 residents, letters of concern from the Police Chief and School Superintendent, and a six-year history of appeals and court remands — making this a particularly adversarial planning proceeding.
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Zoning amendments for ADUs and multifamily housing in commercial zones — State-mandated changes allowing multifamily development; board selected ADU option 2 and will develop site plan review regulations
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
A packed public comment session featuring twelve speakers — including two former board members — raised credibility, financial viability, construction safety, PRD compliance, and public participation rights concerns against an applicant whose characterization of the public as acting in 'bad faith' and 'frivolously' provoked open anger, and whose project the board chair admitted left him 'genuinely confused,' all combining to produce one of the most adversarial planning sessions this board has seen on this long-running application.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Pence Service Station Construction Over Compromised Aquifer — An 11,728 sq ft service station and towing/wrecked vehicle storage facility proposed over an already-compromised aquifer; board-mandated safeguards required but third-party technical review still pending as of January 7 continuation.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Single abutter raised substantive objections to the subdivision and prior public pushback delayed home-occupation rules, but the board remained unified and approved all items without conflict.
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
The meeting featured a split vote on a major development, pointed public testimony about the developer's alleged history of non-compliance, a board member's impassioned argument that the town was 'basically letting these people pave the road and then put 41 houses on the aquifer,' unresolved public questions left unanswered on the record, and a chairman who openly expressed skepticism about developer-commissioned impact studies — all signaling deep, multi-sided conflict over this project.
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
Multiple consecutive public speakers opposed the development with substantive legal, environmental, and safety arguments, a resident petition for scenic road designation was introduced during the meeting, and a community member directly challenged the board to resist developer litigation pressure — creating sustained public-board friction throughout the evening.
Wednesday, August 20, 2025
A complex, high-stakes 41-lot subdivision with unresolved stormwater, road safety, aquifer protection, and rural character conflicts produced direct board-applicant friction, strong public opposition that went entirely unaddressed, off-agenda legal and traffic issues of significant magnitude, and frank board admissions about the limits of local authority to protect community interests.
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Jacobson Trust 35-Unit Subdivision — Grandfathered Development Proceeding — 35-unit residential subdivision under legacy ordinance; Supreme Court-mandated approval process with limited board discretion to reject.
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Large-scale residential subdivision road and drainage requirements — Potential precedent for developer-funded road reconstruction, impact fee levels, and clearing limits on scenic road
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
The meeting featured direct legal challenges from the applicant's attorney, a Chair openly questioning a developer's motives, strong public opposition to environmental impacts with photographic evidence, a split board vote, and multiple community concerns left formally unaddressed — well above routine planning business.
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Routine approvals with low public participation, but substantive internal disagreement on road safety and prematurity for the large subdivision.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Impact fee structure for winery development — The board adjusted the fee structure to make the cost comparable to residential rates through selective fee waivers.
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Procedural continuances and unanimous approvals with zero public speakers and only low-level internal discussion on fees; off-agenda deviations did not rise to controversy.
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
The meeting featured sustained and pointed public opposition to a major subdivision, a direct legal confrontation between the board and the developer's attorney over constitutional cost-allocation principles, unresolved environmental and financial risks worth millions of dollars to taxpayers, and multiple public concerns left entirely unaddressed by the board — all centered on a case whose agenda listing gave no indication of the policy debate that unfolded.
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Routine handling of multiple applications with unanimous procedural votes; only notable tension arose from one abutter's concerns on Wanderosa, which the board addressed by continuing rather than deciding.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
The meeting was largely procedural with one mild public concern on continuance policy that the Chair addressed without significant controversy; the anticipated flashpoint is the forthcoming County Road application, not this meeting.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
The meeting featured significant community opposition to the proposed zoning changes, with multiple speakers expressing frustration over potential economic impacts and restrictive language.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Lavelle Winery Residential Redevelopment — Workforce and PRD Housing — Multi-parcel redevelopment across three lots (852, 857, 581) transitioning from commercial use to estate homes, workforce housing, and PRD units — scale and density not yet fully defined but conceptually significant
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
ADU Ordinance Expansion Petition Not Recommended — Board voted 1-5 against recommending the petition; the petition may still proceed to ballot without the board's recommendation, but faces a harder path to passage
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Citizen Zoning Petition – Potential Ordinance Change — Unknown scope; petition substance not detailed in meeting summary, but citizen-initiated zoning changes can affect land use rights town-wide. Public hearing scheduled for January 6th.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Jacobson Trust 33-Lot Subdivision on Christian Hill Road — 39-dwelling-unit development with stormwater systems, cul-de-sac waivers, farmland preservation lease, and pedestrian safety implications on a road serving two elementary schools
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Jacobson subdivision and CUP under former IIHO/PRD rules — 33 single-family lots plus farm/open space on significant acreage, with waivers and potential off-site road improvements
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
No public comments, unanimous outcomes, and standard procedural business with no evident conflict or off-agenda controversy.
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
The meeting featured formal legal opposition to a driveway permit, active community pushback on a subdivision approval, an off-agenda final decision on significant developer exactions, and a skeptical board member questioning the adequacy of storm design standards — collectively producing a contentious atmosphere despite unanimous votes.
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Ordinance and Regulation Reviews — Potential changes to land use regulations and vesting rules for site plan approvals.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Bond Properties 44-Lot Subdivision Proposal — 44-lot residential subdivision — one of the largest single development proposals before the board; full review pending at November 6th hearing
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
The meeting featured a protracted legal dispute between the applicant's attorney and the board over statutory authority and design standards, two public speakers whose specific concerns went unaddressed on the record, a formal denial of waiver requests, and unresolved questions about state statute compliance and emergency access — far above a routine planning meeting.
Wednesday, September 4, 2024
The meeting was largely procedural and unified, but was elevated by the applicant's pointed public rebuke of the board's Ray Map 5 denial, an acknowledged reliance on a Supreme Court-criticized ordinance in the Transformations matter, and a procedural vote on an off-agenda item (Pronto Realty) that residents had no opportunity to anticipate.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
The meeting was dominated by a formal adversarial quasi-judicial hearing with multiple attorneys, competing engineering claims, property rights disputes, public safety concerns, and pointed board criticism of both the applicant's incomplete submissions and the DPW's unexplained reversal, making this well above a routine planning board session.
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Mostly routine unanimous approvals with no public comment, but noticeable internal board disagreement on whether to resolve the Christian Road extension immediately or seek legal advice.
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
No public comments, no split votes, and all agenda items were standard administrative or permitting matters with no evident conflict.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Potential Zoning Change for Home-Based/Contractor Businesses — Potential change to land-use legality and property value/utility for many residents in RR zones.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
The meeting was procedurally orderly with no public opposition, no split votes, and only technical disagreements about stormwater requirements and application completeness — contentious moments were limited to a pointed well-safety concern raised by a single board member.
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Three public speakers raised concerns on two topics (Clearview transparency and Noble environmental/rural impacts), but the board addressed them directly, imposed targeted conditions, and maintained full unanimity on all decisions.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Internal board divisions surfaced over precedent-setting conditions and the developer's compliance history, but no public comment or off-agenda actions occurred
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Routine procedural actions dominated but were punctuated by unaddressed public concerns over environmental risks and development fairness.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
American Red Cross Blood Donation Center at 123 Route 101A — Change of use for a single 5,300 sq ft commercial property from retail to a blood donation clinic; localized impact, limited in scale.
In progress
Recent meetings being transcribed and analyzed, most recent first. Full reports publish here as they finish.
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WED15JULWednesday, July 15Meeting held — no recording available.No recording
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