The Hudson Planning Board signaled its intent to undertake one of the most comprehensive updates to the town’s zoning and land use regulations in years, following a presentation on March 25 from Director of Development Services Elvis Dhima. The effort would be funded through a $200,000 contribution from the ongoing Target development project, money that Dhima said presents a rare opportunity to modernize and streamline the town’s regulatory framework.
Dhima told the Board that Hudson’s current approach to zoning changes has become a “whack-a-mole” process, with small fixes appearing on the ballot each March to address isolated issues rather than advancing a cohesive long term strategy. This piecemeal approach, he said, runs counter to the Planning Board’s longstanding goal of maintaining a clear, comprehensive set of rules consistent with the Master Plan.
“Whenever the Planning Board is ready, one of the things that keeps coming up are plans related to improvements of your zoning and planning rules,” Dhima said. “Every time you fix something, something else comes up.” He recommended using a portion of the Target funds to “set up a good foundation” ahead of the next Master Plan update by hiring outside experts to help reorganize, simplify, and reconcile the town’s zoning and land use ordinances.
Dhima proposed setting aside up to $100,000 for the project, describing the figure as a ceiling rather than a firm cost estimate. The work would include public input, a full review of existing ordinances, and the creation of tools, such as an appendix sheet, to make it easier for residents, developers, and businesses to find relevant information. He also emphasized the need to eliminate contradictory language that has accumulated over years of incremental changes.
Vice Chair Jordan Ulery asked Dhima to clarify what “cleaning things up” would entail. Dhima explained that the goal was to organize the regulations into a coherent, user friendly system. Board member Ed Van der Veen echoed the need for a comprehensive overhaul. “So far, every time we’ve made changes, we haven’t followed through,” he said. “We still have some contradictions between Zoning and Planning. I think we need to get this thing done.”
Dhima stressed that the funding would come entirely from the Target development agreement and not from taxpayers. The process, he said, would likely take several months and include at least two public hearings. If the work stays on schedule, the Planning Board could have a unified zoning article ready for the March 2027 ballot.
“You’d have one article related to zoning that we’d do all at once, and then you’re in a good place,” Dhima said. “If this is done right, future changes should only be related to the state legislature changing things.”
Board members agreed with the proposal and voted to request the release of $100,000 from the Target payout to begin the work.
The next Planning Board meeting is set for Wednesday, April 8, at 7 p.m. in the Buxton Community Development Conference Room
