Planning board approves fee increases and updates multifamily parking rules to match state law
Summary
The board voted to raise several planning application and abutter‑mailing fees and adopted an amendment reducing multifamily off‑street parking minimums from 2.0 to 1.5 spaces per unit and removing covered‑parking requirements, aligning local rules with 2024 changes to New Hampshire law.
On July 14 the Bedford Planning Board adopted proposed changes to its application fee schedule and amended the town’s land development control regulations to update multifamily parking requirements.
Under the fee‑schedule changes the board approved increases including: a conceptual review fee raised from $50 to $125; a residential site‑plan fee clarified to charge $100 per unit rather than a building square‑foot basis for cottage‑court and similar residential projects; and an abutters‑mailing charge standardized to $12 per abutter for certified notices and $5 for regular notices. Planning staff said the previous fees had not been substantially updated since 2015 and that a modest increase better reflects administrative time and current postal costs.
Separately, the board adopted an amendment to Section 3.22.2 (Table of Off‑Street Parking Requirements) reducing the minimum required parking for multifamily residential developments from two spaces per unit to 1.5 spaces per unit and removing the requirement for covered parking. Planning staff explained the change aligns Bedford with a 2024 New Hampshire state law that constrains municipalities from requiring higher parking minimums for multifamily developments. The board noted developments may still provide additional parking voluntarily but cannot require covered spaces for multifamily under the revised local rule.
Both votes were moved and seconded by board members and passed without public objection. Staff will update fee tables and the LDCR text and publish the changes per the town’s ordinance amendment procedures.
