The Planning Board met on October 8, 2026, working through a packed agenda that included proposed changes to parking space dimensions, a request to amend the Snow’s Mountain Special Zoning Area, and an extensive line-by-line review of revised landscaping regulations. The meeting also included updates from the Conservation Commission, Select Board, and Adventure Zone construction site, as well as a discussion of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
Parking Space Sizing Amendment Approved
The Board unanimously approved a request to reduce the standard size of parking spaces in the west side parking lots from 10 by 20 feet to 9 by 19 feet (link). One board member noted the difficulty of opening car doors between large vehicles in existing lots, prompting discussion. Town counsel clarified that New Hampshire does not mandate specific minimum parking space dimensions, with the only regulated sizes applying to ADA-accessible spaces.
A representative of Waterville Valley Resort and Tyrell Development Co. confirmed that virtually all currently striped parking spaces in town are already 9 by 19 feet, and that bringing the ordinance into alignment with the 10-by-20 standard would result in a loss of approximately 8 percent of parking spaces across the valley — several hundred spots — where parking is already at a premium. The board agreed that aligning the ordinance to 9 by 19 would effectively preserve capacity and allow for consistent restriping across lots.
The next steps call for the Planning Board to draft a warrant article, which will undergo a public hearing and legal review before being forwarded to the Select Board for placement on the election-day ballot.
Snow’s Mountain Special Zoning Area Amendment Postponed
The Board considered a request from the Resort to amend the Snow’s Mountain Special Zoning Area ordinance to include “food service establishments and lounges” as an accessory use, primarily to allow food truck operations during summer chairlift operations (link).
By way of background, the special zoning district was established by warrant article in 2012 to support a sports academic institute on land owned by the Waterville Valley BBTS Snow Sport Education Foundation. The zone encompasses the flat area of Snow’s Mountain bordered by Cascade Ridge, the tennis courts, Boulder Path Road, and the Snow’s Mountain ski hill. Restaurants, lounges, and retail operations were explicitly excluded from the zone at its creation. A food truck permit was denied by the Select Board in 2025 because food service is not permitted under the current ordinance.
The headmaster of BBTS, appearing at the meeting as a representative of the foundation’s board of directors, stated that the organization was not yet prepared to formally support or oppose the request, as it had not had sufficient time to review the exact wording of any proposed amendment. He did, however, make clear that the foundation would ask that any draft moving forward be limited to food service establishments only, and explicitly stated opposition to the inclusion of lounges on school property due to concerns about student safety and alcohol (link). He noted that a food truck operated on the property for approximately five to six weeks in 2025 without incident.
The Board discussed the breadth of the term “food service establishment” under the current ordinance definition, which encompasses taverns, bars, cocktail lounges, and nightclubs — far broader than the intended use of a single food truck. Town counsel suggested that drafting a separate, narrowly defined “food truck” use category and adding it specifically to the use table would be more appropriate than applying the existing food service establishment designation. The Board also acknowledged concerns about restrooms, trash collection, and the Select Board’s existing food truck permitting requirements, which impose conditions on parking location, sanitation, noise, odor, and hours of operation.
Recognizing that more precise language was needed, the Board voted to postpone further action. Town counsel agreed to have a draft amendment defining “food truck” as a distinct accessory use circulated by Tuesday, October 13, for review by both the Planning Board and the BBTS board (link). The goal is to reach a definitive decision at the November Planning Board meeting, in time to call a first public hearing by the January 7 deadline required for the March 2027 town meeting ballot.
Landscaping Regulations Undergo Significant Revisions
The Board spent the majority of the meeting conducting a detailed, item-by-item review of a draft set of revised landscaping regulations, responding to objections submitted by the resort and Tyrell Development Co. and comparing the proposed language with regulations from comparable ski resort communities in New England, including Carrabassett Valley (Maine), Stratton (Vermont), and Stowe (Vermont). The overarching goal, as stated by the chair, is to replace the current vague and unmeasurable landscaping standards with defined, enforceable regulations that balance development interests with the town’s visual character.
Key decisions reached during the review include:
Snow Storage: The Board voted to retain existing language prohibiting snow storage in required landscaped areas (link). A separate provision already in the draft requires all plantings to be tolerant of snow load and salt exposure, which the Board agreed addresses the practical concern of snow being pushed into vegetated areas during plowing.
Tree Preservation Diameter: The minimum trunk diameter requiring preservation was raised from 12 inches to 16 inches, measured at breast height (4.5 feet above ground), providing greater flexibility for landowners while still protecting large, healthy trees (link). The Board agreed to apply the 16-inch standard consistently throughout the regulations.
Tree Replacement Ratio: For trees 16 inches or greater in diameter that are removed, the existing one-for-two replacement ratio was retained. Four modifications were adopted: the diameter threshold was updated from 18 to 16 inches to match the revised standard; the survival guarantee for replacement plantings was extended from two years to three years, consistent with standards in comparable towns; explicit guidelines were added for off-site planting, requiring identification of location, landowner consent, installation responsibility, maintenance responsibility, and connection to the development’s impact; and an explicit clarification was added that off-site planting cannot substitute for required screening at the affected property boundary (link).
Noise Screening: The noise-specific language — which would have required noise studies and decibel measurements — was removed from the landscaping regulations (link). The Board noted that the town lacks the equipment and trained personnel to enforce decibel standards, and that noise concerns are already governed by the Select Board’s existing noise ordinance, to which the regulations will now defer.
Parking Garage Facades: The requirement that ground-level parking garage facades visible from a public street or adjoining property contain landscaping at least every 30 consecutive linear feet was retained without modification (link). The Board declined to add a specific height definition for required plantings, leaving flexibility for site plan review.
Equipment Screening / Utility Compliance: Language was added requiring all landscaping and screening to be installed in compliance with applicable state and federal laws, as well as utility company requirements — including required clearances from overhead and underground utilities and restrictions within utility easements (link). This addresses situations where utility provider rules prohibit plantings within a certain distance of electrical equipment.
Multi-Family Buffer Opacity: The 80 percent year-round opacity requirement for vegetated buffers between incompatible uses was removed entirely (link). The Board determined that opacity is not practically measurable or enforceable, and that most comparable towns rely on buffer width — typically 25 feet — rather than opacity standards. The focus will remain on buffer width and the inclusion of evergreen plantings to provide year-round screening.
Expansion Proportionality: A provision that would have required an entire site to come into compliance with the new landscaping regulations whenever a building expansion exceeded 25 percent of footprint or impervious surface was clarified (link). Under the revised understanding, only the portion of the site being altered must comply; untouched areas are not subject to the new standards.
Because these revisions constitute substantial changes to the draft, an additional public hearing is required before the regulations can be adopted. A public hearing is scheduled for Monday, October 26, at 6:00 p.m.
Other Updates
Conservation Commission: A board member reported on a recent site visit with the project consultant overseeing sediment mitigation for Corcoran Pond (link). Approximately 12 to 14 people walked the stream corridor to observe the planned intervention, which would involve measures along Snow’s Brook to prevent sediment from reaching the pond. Progress is currently stalled pending U.S. Forest Service approval for the removal of a culvert — a critical step in the overall mitigation plan. The board member noted that all other elements are in order and that the hold-up appears to come down to a single remaining approval from the Forest Service.
Select Board: The ex-officio Select Board representative reported that a public hearing on the Wastewater Treatment Plant project is scheduled for October 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at the school (link). The focus of that hearing will be on cost — including a presentation from the town’s engineering consultants tailored toward financial questions rather than technical details. The representative noted that the town is actively exploring alternatives that could significantly reduce costs, while emphasizing that the timeline remains fixed: a solution must be in place by 2031 per the town’s obligations. A Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) update to the Select Board, which has been postponed multiple times despite the CIP committee being prepared for over a month, is tentatively scheduled for the next Select Board meeting on October 21.
Adventure Zone Construction: An update on construction at the Adventure Zone site was provided (link). Color designs for the building’s trim and siding, featuring natural finishes, were received the previous day. A drainage issue encountered during excavation has been addressed through the installation of a sedimentation pond, and engineers have been engaged to properly size a replacement culvert given the site’s proximity to the pond. A public site visit and complimentary mini-golf preview is planned for the upcoming weekend, with Tim Smith expected to lead visitors through the course.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): A question arose regarding a building permit for a property on Cascade Ridge (link). The permit involves a garage with finished livable space above it — described as a “bath house” with a bathroom and exterior spa — alongside a separately proposed ADU on the same property. Town counsel confirmed that the space above the garage does not technically qualify as an ADU under the current ordinance because it lacks the five required elements of a dwelling unit (sleeping space, kitchen, etc.). However, it was acknowledged that such a structure could easily be converted into a de facto second dwelling unit, potentially circumventing the town’s one-ADU-per-property limit. The Board agreed to add ADU regulations to a future agenda to explore whether the current ordinance language needs to be tightened.
Veterans Memorial Committee: A brief update noted that the newly formed Veterans Memorial Committee has held three to four meetings to begin discussing potential locations and concepts for a memorial (link). A 10-minute overview is planned for a future Planning Board agenda.
CIP Update: A 15-minute CIP update has been added to the November Planning Board agenda, contingent on the CIP committee first presenting to the Select Board on October 21. A separate CIP meeting is also tentatively scheduled for October 27 at 5:30 p.m.
The Planning Board adjourned at 11:52 a.m.