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Planning Board Minutes of 9-4-25

September 4th, 2025

Town of Carroll Planning Board
Meeting Minutes
September 4, 2025
5:00 PM
“These minutes of the Town of Carroll Planning Board have been recorded by its secretary. Though believed to be accurate and correct, they are subject to additions, deletions, and corrections by the Planning Board at its next meeting when the Board votes its final approval of the minutes. They are being made available at this time to conform to the requirements of New Hampshire RSA 91-A:2.”
Planning Board Members Present: Austin Alvarez, Alex Foti, Paula Murphy, Rena Vecchio, Brian Mycko
Public Present: Fire Chief Jeff Duncan, Joan Nicosia
Minutes Taken By: Steffanie Apostle
Item #1: Call Meeting to Order
Meeting was called to order at 5:00pm

Item #2: Pledge of Allegiance

Item #3: Attendance / Quorum
Attendance was taken and quorum was met. Vice Chair Austin Alvarez called the meeting to order until Chair Alex Foti arrived.

Item #4: Approval of Minutes
Brian Mycko abstained from the meeting minutes as he was not present.

Rena Vecchio had a question on page 8 in the 2nd paragraph. Rena Vecchio thought she said she made a motion to deny the application as complete.

Steffanie Apostle to confirm.

Brian Mycko asked if the Planning Board wanted to table the minutes until the next meeting?

Steffanie Apostle said they can approve the minutes as amended.

Brian Mycko said he thought that technically if minutes needed to be amended the motion would have to be made at the next meeting.

Steffanie Apostle to look into that.

Rena Vecchio made a motion to accept the minutes as amended unless the Secretary finds that the minutes were correct.

Paula Murphy seconded the motion

Brian Mycko abstained from the approval but all other Board members were in favor and minutes were approved as amended

Item #5: 911 Procedures – Jeff Duncan

Austin Alvarez handed the meeting over to Alex Foti.

Alex Foti handed the meeting over to Fire Chief Jeff Duncan for 911 procedures.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan thanked the Planning Board for putting him on the agenda. Fire Chief Jeff Duncan explained that there had been some changes with the FCC and 911 numbering and in 2019 the FCC required that anything wireless or non-wireless where people could possibly sleep or have the internet has to have a 911 number. The 911 numbering is done through the State and everything has to be done a certain way.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan went out to Mountain View to do a Certificate of Occupancy on a building along the road. There were other buildings on the property that could have wireless or could have sleeping people in them so they will also need 911 numbers. The numbering on the units do not line up with what the State numbers should be and James Phillips does not want to change his numbers. When James Phillips submitted his drawings to the Planning Board, he had arbitrarily put unit numbers on the buildings on the drawings. When the plan was approved by the Planning Board James Phillips thought that meant his numbers were approved for the buildings and he set up his bills, utilities and everything else under those numbers that were on the plan. These 911 numbers are only assigned by the State to the Town Liaison.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said that the way they were numbered was a mis-mash of numbers; 1,3,8,9,4,2. With all 911 numbers the right side is supposed to be even numbers and the left side is supposed to be the odd numbers. Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said he understood where James Phillips was coming from but ultimately, they need to comply with the State regulations.

Brian Mycko asked if the State regulation was from the footage off the main road?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said It was but minus the last number. Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said there was a little leeway and he didn’t want to have to force James Phillips to do things he doesn’t want to.

Brian Mycko said it was a state regulation and needs to be followed.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said James Phillips wants the numbers that were on the approved plan.

Alex Foti asked how the numbering worked because he may have to re-number all of his condos.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said Alex Foti’s condos did not need to be renumbered because those were done appropriately.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said that he has given James Phillips a few different options but James Phillips was not willing.

Paula Murphy asked why James Phillips did not want to change his numbers to comply with the regulations?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said it would be some work on his end changing the utilities, bills and his advertising.

Brian Mycko said the reason the State does that is so if there is an emergency they can easily find the house.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said he explained that to James Phillips and has spent multiple hours going back and forth with James Phillips.

Brian Mycko said we may want to update the applications with something that says all house numbers will be assigned by the Town.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said this particular project has a few issues. What generates a 911 number is a driveway permit. James Phillips changed his driveway location and never pulled a permit for it so the Town was not aware.

Brian Mycko asked who gave him approval for his project?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said the Planning Board did.

Rena Vecchio said when they do subdivisions everyone writes numbers on their plan but that means nothing to the Board. They are not approving the numbers they are approving the work on the plan. Numbers have never meant anything to the Boards. Rena Vecchio said if he wants to keep the number can he do a 5A, 5B, & 5C type of thing?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said he is working through this with James Phillips.

Item #6: KOA – Site Plan Discussion

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said that in his discussion with James Phillips the KOA campground was brought up and how they have their cabins numbered. Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said he had been unaware of how many buildings KOA had. Fire Chief Jeff Dunacn did some research and there are a lot of buildings in the KOA and they have no roads. KOA is also using a mis-mash of numbers.

Alex Foti asked if every cabin in the KOA should get a number?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan They will have to come up with street names and they will be numbered off of that.

Brian Mycko said he had never been to a campground that didn’t have street names.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said he had not seen the KOA layout before and he understands why James Phillips felt like the Town was picking on him. James Phillips is not wrong in saying the Fire Chief has a lot of them to deal with. James Phillips only has 8-9 but KOA has 19.

Alex Foti said his house was like that at one point and they numbered them sequentially; 1,2,3,4.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said that when they got to Alex Fotis, they did not do it 100% correct. The house number is 1800 and he has 1,2,3,4,5, but they did not do 1 on the right side and 2 on the left side as it went in order around the circle. As long as it is a uniform way it is not a huge deal. When you look at James Phillips or KOA there is no rhyme or reason to it.

Brian Mycko asked if they had driveway markers?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said what normally pays for it is the driveway permit. They pay for the driveway permit and we buy the signs and put them up. Fire Chief Jeff Duncan was willing to waive the cost for James Phillips but is going to talk to KOA because that would be 19 signs the Town would have to buy.

Alex Foti said it is important for the Planning Board to never assign any house numbers or commit to any numbers on a plan presented.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said that was the point of bringing this up for the Board to be aware. If someone comes in with a plan for approval the Board needs to tell them the numbers will be assigned by the Town and not what is on their plan they present. Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said he would be working with James Phillips and KOA to have this fixed and he understands it’s not simple on their end to fix.

Rena Vecchio said it’s better than having an emergency and having something happen to someone and being sued.

Paula Murphy said the owners should come in and get driveway permits.

Brian Mycko asked if these were private roads?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said there was no road just a circle.

Austin Alvarez said it shouldn’t matter if it is a private road or not.

Brian Mycko said if it is on their property they don’t need a driveway permit.

Rena Vecchio said without the permit they just put these loops in and the fire truck and ambulance can’t get to them.

Brian Mycko said going forward with any of these types of developments with private roads the Board will need to tell them they still need a driveway permit.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said that Echo Lake pulled permits for all of their units which was great.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said they didn’t need occupancy permits because the Planning Board allowed them to be considered motor vehicles so it was not required.

Rena Vecchio asked if they had wheels?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said that some of them did and some of them did not. Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said he thought the Town made the wrong decision but had made a decision so its just a matter of cleaning things up.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan briefly touched on the new legislative laws that have passed. The Town can’t keep anyone from putting a 2nd dwelling on their property and there is nothing stipulating they will need a driveway permit which triggers the numbering.

Rena Vecchio asked if that had passed already?

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said yes it had.

Brian Mycko suggested removing it from the driveway application and adding it to the building permit.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said that was a good idea but he would like to leave it on the driveway application as well.

Brian Mycko said he would address it at the next Selectboard meeting.

Austin Alvarez confirmed this was not an item for the PB.

Fire Chief Jeff Duncan said it was just for their information so they are aware of the problems he is facing.

Item #7: Master Plan Changes

There were a few changes that needed to be reviewed for the Master Plan from Paula Murphy, Alex Foti and Fire Chief Jeff Duncan. The Board discussed the changes and were in agreement.

Steffanie Apostle to have the Master Plan updated with the changes

Item #8: Warrant Article Discussion

The Planning Board reviewed the Warrant Articles they wanted to submit last year but had missed the deadline.

Town Zoning Ordinance Amendment 1

Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 1 to the town zoning ordinance as proposed by the Planning Board to add the following definition of “Garage” in Section 202. Definitions as shown below:

Garage - A building or portion of a building in which items and/or motor vehicles are stored for personal use. This does not include buildings or portions of buildings used for professional motor vehicle repair services.


Town Zoning Ordinance Amendment 2

Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 2 to the town zoning ordinance as proposed by the Planning Board to amend the definition of “Warehouse” in Section 202. Definitions as shown below:

Warehouse – A building or space within a building for the storage of manufactured goods prior to their export or distribution for sale. Includes warehouse, wholesale establishment, bulk storage and bulk sales outlet.


Town Zoning Ordinance Amendment 3

Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 3 to the town zoning ordinance as proposed by the Planning Board to change the setback requirements listed in Section 403.3 Residential: RES 2 from:

FRONT SETBACK: 30 Feet
SIDE SETBACK: 20 Feet
REAR SETBACK: 25 Feet

To:

FRONT SETBACK: 30 FEET
SIDE SETBACK: 15 FEET
REAR SETBACK: 15 FEET

PLANNING BOARD WAS NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS


Town Zoning Ordinance Amendment 4

Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 4 to the town zoning ordinance as proposed by the Planning Board to change the setback requirements in Section 403.4 Residential – Business: R-B from:

Front setback: Commercial - 40 feet
Residential - 30 feet
Side Setback: from 20 feet
Rear Setback: from 25 feet

To:

Front setback: Commercial - 40 feet
Residential - 30 feet
Side Setback: from 15 feet
Rear Setback: from 15 feet

PLANNING BOARD WAS NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS


Town Zoning Ordinance Amendment 5

Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 5 to the town zoning ordinance as proposed by the Planning Board to add the following use to the Use Table in Section 403.1:

In the Use Table, uses designated “SE” are allowed only with a Special Exception granted by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Those uses designated with a “P” are permitted and allowed by right.

USES RES
1 RES
2 R-B IND RU
33. Pet boarding and day care facilities x x SE x P


Town Zoning Ordinance Amendment 6

Are you in favor of the adoption of Amendment No. 6 to the town zoning ordinance as proposed by the Planning Board to amend the following row of the Use Table in Section 403.1 to allow warehouses for storage and distribution in the R-B District by Special Exception.

In the Use Table, uses designated “SE” are allowed only with a Special Exception granted by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Those uses designated with a “P” are permitted and allowed by right.


USES RES
1 RES
2 R-B IND RU
31. Warehouses for storage and distribution x x SE P x



To see if the Town will vote to amend Zoning Ordinances: Article V-General Provisions: Section 506 SIGNS: h: Signs permitted in all districts:
1. One freestanding sign per lot, whose principal use is for commercial purposes, with 'not greater than one hundred (100) square feet of message area. Height of message area shall not exceed fifteen (15) feet with the total height, including structural supports, not to exceed twenty (20) feet. Height shall be determined by the height from undisturbed ground directly under the sign.

to:

1. One freestanding sign per lot, whose principal use is for commercial purposes, with not greater than fifty (50) square feet of message area. Height of message area shall not exceed twelve (12) feet, with a total height, including structural supports not to exceed fifteen 15 feet. Height shall be determined by the height from undisturbed ground directly under the sign.
or take any action thereto.
Submitted by _______________________


Note: If every business in condensed areas were operational and wanted its own sign - this change would more closely comply with current Zoning Ordinance Article V Section 506 Signs; d. Purpose and Intent which reads:

The principle guiding these regulations is that signing should not destroy or detract from the scenic vistas, compete unnecessarily with the natural environment which is a major asset to the town's tourist-based economy, or proliferate in number with competitive advertising sales campaigns. Therefore, recognizing that any business needs identification and that the public needs direction, the following regulations are written for the special needs of Carroll. These regulations are to encourage the use of street graphics which are compatible with the community character, readable and clear, non-distracting to vehicular traffic, and maintained in safe and good repair

PLANNING BOARD WAS NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS – SIGNED PETITION SUGGESTED

There was also a brief discussion with the Board as to if we can change the Town Ordinances to reflect the State changes without voting. If we have to vote on them and they vote against them, what do we do? This needs to be looked into.

Can we keep our regulations in case the State changes their mind.

Brief discussion about setbacks and ADU’s needing to meet them. Board is unsure and this needs to be looked into

Brief discussion on pet waste at the K9 Kennel

Discussion on creating a Main Street. Businesses would need to be closer together for walking purposes. Can we add a sidewalk to help mitigate people getting hit. Our Main Street is a main drag and could be very dangerous for people. Possibly Bretton Woods would become the new “Main Street”


Item #9: Discuss Budget

Planning Board reviewed the budget below.


Line item #1 (PB Member salaries) to stay the same
Line Item #2 (Advertising) to stay the same
Line item #3 (North Country Council Dues) to stay the same. Steffanie Apostle to check if price increased
Line Item #4 (PB Misc.) to stay the same
Line Item #5 (Training & Travel) to stay the same
Line Item #6 (Maps/GIS/Software) to stay the same. Steffanie Apostle to verify if there is a price change
Line Item #7 (PB Master Plan) to be changed to Zoning Ordinance Review. Steffanie Apostle to get pricing.

Item #10: All Other Business

• Hunt Properties – David Scalley
o This will be continued to the October Meeting

• Voluntary Merger – Haskell

Form needed to be resigned because the Haskell’s had the wrong book and page and it was denied by the Registry of Deeds. Form was resigned.

Item #11: Adjourn

Brian Mycko made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Rena Vecchio seconded the motion. All were in favor and motion to adjourn the meeting passed. Meeting adjourned at 6:04pm.

Town of Carroll, New Hampshire ®2025