Zoning Board of Adjustments — March 26, 2026
The meeting was primarily a training and organizational session, but Ann Bordiano's pointed public challenge over Lisa Hoekstra's conflict of interest — which triggered a rare non-public session with sealed minutes — elevated the temperature above routine.
Questions about this meeting? Just ask.
Ask MeetingWatch answers from this meeting’s report, transcript, and records — with linked sources.
Here's what happened at Sunapee's Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting on March 26, 2026 — and why residents should pay attention to a few specific issues.
**Conflict of interest concern over a board candidate.** Community member Ann Bordiano used public comment to flag that applicant Lisa Hoekstra is the founder of a short-term rental corporation that filed a lawsuit in January 2025 challenging the legality of Sunapee's short-term rental ordinance. Bordiano's concern: appointing someone in active litigation against town ordinances to the very board that adjudicates those cases would undermine the board's impartiality. The board took this seriously enough to go into a closed (non-public) session under RSA 91-A:3, which allows private deliberation on matters affecting the reputation of individuals. The session minutes were sealed. When the board returned, it appointed three alternates — Arthur Melville, Kirk Bishop, and Stuart Greer — and Hoekstra was not among them. The sealed minutes mean the public cannot see the reasoning, but the outcome speaks for itself.
**An unintended consequence of the new height definition.** Voters passed a 2026 zoning amendment that now includes rooftop deck railings and parapets in maximum building height calculations. Staff warned the board on 3/26 that this creates an unanticipated burden: existing non-conforming boathouses — common on Sunapee's lakefront — would now require a full variance application just to add a safety railing. The board flagged the boathouse special exception for review with the planning board, but no immediate relief was offered to affected property owners.
**State law is overriding local zoning on two fronts.** First, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are now allowed by right on any property in Sunapee under a state law retroactive to July 2025. Staff told the board plainly: the town cannot legally prohibit ADUs even if it wanted to. This affects all zoning districts, including the rural residential zone that makes up 80% of the town. Second, a new state law limits required parking to one space per residential dwelling unit — but the board identified a legal gray area: does this apply to short-term rentals? Staff was directed to get a legal opinion. That answer matters a lot to neighbors living near high-traffic STR properties.
Official minutes from this meeting have not yet been published. When they are, they'll include full roll call votes and additional detail. Keep an eye on the Town of Sunapee's official site.
Public impact
State law retroactive to July 2025 eliminates local ability to restrict ADUs; any property owner may now add an ADU as of right, potentially increasing density town-wide without case-by-case board review
Previously routine safety additions (railings, parapets) now trigger variance applications for a potentially large number of non-conforming lakefront structures
New state law caps required parking at one space per unit; legal ambiguity remains for short-term rentals, which may affect enforcement town-wide
Residential solar up to half an acre now allowed by right; commercial solar now permitted with site plan review, eliminating variance requirement and potentially opening more land to solar development
Topics discussed
The board conducted elections for chair and vice chair positions, with Chris Murphy nominated and elected as chair and Pierre Sardin as vice chair.
The board addressed filling vacancies left by David Andrews' resignation and appointed Jeff Claus to fill Andrews' term, plus selected three new alternates from six applications.
Two candidates present at the meeting (Stuart Greer and Lisa Hoekstra) gave presentations about their backgrounds and qualifications for board positions.
Ann Bordiano provided public comments raising concerns about one candidate's qualifications and past conduct, which prompted a response from the candidate.
Administrator Allison Trager conducted a training session covering board roles, meeting procedures, zoning districts, and legal requirements.
Staff provided comprehensive overview of town's zoning districts including village commercial, residential, mixed use (1-3), rural residential (80% of town), and rural lands. Explained density requirements and permitted uses for each district.
Discussion of four overlay districts: wetlands, steep slopes, shoreline (250ft from water), and aquifers. These apply as additional restrictions on top of base zoning districts.
Board discussion on defining the main purposes of Sunapee's zoning ordinance, identifying water body protection, general welfare, and safety/setbacks as key principles.
Explanation of recent state law changes making ADUs allowed by right (retroactive to July 2025), removing need for special exceptions while maintaining setback and size requirements.
Detailed review of special exceptions in Section 3.50 including boathouses, front setback reductions, vertical expansions, water body additions, fences, and handicap accessibility structures.
Extensive discussion of amended special exception allowing relocation/reconstruction of non-conforming structures, including recent changes to address wetland setbacks and height restrictions.
Overview of state-mandated variance criteria including public interest, spirit of ordinance, substantial justice, property values, and hardship requirements.
Discussion of what constitutes hardship, including special conditions of land or built environment, and clarification that economic hardship differs from financial hardship in certain commercial contexts.
Review of the standard application review process, staff summary creation, and suggestions for improvements including peer review feedback and septic system bedroom limitations.
Review of all passed zoning ordinance amendments from town meeting, including parking requirements, setback changes, ADU regulations, solar systems, and height definition changes.
Discussion of new state-mandated parking requirements limiting residential units to one parking space per dwelling unit, with questions about application to short-term rentals.
New maximum length limits for pervious paths in shoreline overlay districts to prevent abuse of the pathway exception for patios and other structures.
New ordinance allowing residential solar systems up to half an acre by right, and commercial solar systems with site plan review, eliminating need for most solar variances.
Changes allowing one ADU by right per property, with second ADUs requiring special exception, and restrictions on detached units and short-term rental use.
Amendment to include rooftop deck railings and parapets in maximum structure height calculations, which may require variances for existing boathouses adding railings.
Discussion of April 2nd meeting date availability, with one board member unavailable but alternates available to maintain quorum.
Controversy & dissent
Potentially controversial issues
Lisa Hoekstra Candidacy — Conflict of Interest Allegation
New Height Definition — Boathouse Railing Variance Burden
Short-Term Rental Parking Requirements Under New State Law
ADU Allowance By Right Under State Law — Local Autonomy Curtailed
Community vs. board tension
Public comment
Decisions logged
Action items
Member positions
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position. UNCLEAR means the vote was split but the record did not name how this member voted — it is not a “yes.”
Creating this report cost real money.
MeetingWatch attended, transcribed, and analyzed this meeting on its own dime. If this work is valuable to you, chip in to keep covering Sunapee.
Follow Sunapee
One email when a new report is published from the Zoning Board of Adjustments — or one weekly digest.
claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-opus-4-6 · analyzed 2026-04-02.
Members feature
Ask questions. Get answers with receipts.
Ask about anything covered on this page and get a plain-English answer that links to the report, the official records, and the exact moment in the meeting video.
Create a free accountFree with a MeetingWatch account — no card, no spam.
Already a member? Sign in
Ask questions about any meeting
Open a community, board, issue, or meeting and I can answer from its records — with links to the report, official documents, and the exact moment in the video.
Then reopen this button to start asking.
AI-generated from meeting records — verify against the linked sources. Conversations are stored (privacy).