Planning Board Workshop Minutes

June 23, 2026

Town Hall

7 pm

Roll Call: Board Present: Chair Jeff Miller, Vice-Chair Dennis Marcom, Clerk Jason Perron, Joanna Andros, Trevor MacLachlan, Select Board Representative Steve Dalessio, Alternate Tom Murray.

Presenter: Sarah Bollinger from Southwest Region Planning Commission.

Purpose: Make it easier for qualified providers to operate licensed home-based child care programs. Walpole’s 2025 zoning ordinance does not address family-based child care. Because Walpole has a permissive zoning ordinance, the absence of any provision for family-based child care means it is not allowed, which is not consistent with current state statutes.

Ms. Bollinger suggested amending the ordinance to include two types of family day care and amending Article IV to include the new ordinance. They are:

Family Day Care Home: As defined in RSA 170-E:2, IV(a): an occupied residence where child day care provided for less then 24 hours per day, except in emergencies, generally for up to 6 children from one or more unrelated families, subject to applicable State licensing requirements.

And Group Family Day Care Home: As defined in RSA 170-E:2 IV(b); an occupied residence where child day care is provided for less than 24 hours per day, except in emergencies, generally for 2 to 12 children from one or more unrelated families, subject to applicable State licensing requirements.

These would be allowed in any zoning district where residential use is permitted in the primary dwelling or within an existing accessory structure. In Walpole that would be Residential A and B, Rural/Ag and Commercial Districts. Not in Industrial or Timberland.

The concern of Board members was there would be no oversight by the town. A person applying would no longer need a variance from the Zoning Board and there would be so site plan from the Planning Board. Would any one in the Town Offices even be alerted that such an operation of a home-based child care facility even existed? Board members thought strongly that homeowners in neighborhoods had a right to know what was going on in in their neighborhoods.  

Ms. Bollinger is going to follow up with the hope that when getting licensed by the state that someone in the Town Offices is notified. That now happens when individuals get DES approval, etc.

The timetable for this project is to meet again in a couple of months. Any new zoning ordinances must have a public hearing so that could happen in early fall and then it would be put on the warrant in January and voted on by townspeople in March.

The ordinance would read as follows:

“Family Day Care Homes and Group Family Day Care Homes

“Family day care homes and group family day care homes, as defined in Article XX, shall be allowed by right as accessory uses to a lawful residential us in any zoning district where a primary residential use is permitted.

“Family day care home and group family day care homes may operate within the primary dwelling or within an existing accessory structure, provided applicable requirements for such programs adopted by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human services under He-C 4002 are met.

“Family day care homes and group family day care homes shall not require a special exception and shall not by subject to local site plan review.

“Nothing in this section shall exempt the use from applicable site licensing, building, fire, health, life safety, water supply, or sewage disposal requirements.

“Nothing in this section shall be construed to override any private covenant, including homeowners’ association covenants.”

Ms. Bollinger also mentioned the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation which helps foster local child care programs. According to MFDC home-based child care is one of the fastest way to add licensed slots in rural towns.

The meeting concluded at 8 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

WPB Recording Secretary

Tagged: Meeting Minutes, PLANNING BOARD