Contentious September charrette in Peterborough

In a contentious September charrette, residents of Peterborough, New Hampshire, voiced conflicting opinions on whether a 22-acre property less than half a mile from downtown should be developed with 55 units of mixed-income housing and with new streets connecting to existing streets. Kevin Klinkenberg organized the charrette, which produced a master plan for the land owned by Ivy Vann, who criticized zoning regulations in many New Hampshire towns for forcing new houses to be built far from one another, in a pattern that destroys the sense of community. Peterborough Community Development Director Carol Ogilvie said Vann’s concept fits the master plan of the 5,583-person town, but neighbors claimed it would put too much traffic on their streets.