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Planning Board and Board of Commissioners Joint Meeting

Town of Hillsborough · Planning Board
Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 7:00 pm

Regular meeting Historic preservationRezoningZoning text amendmentFaith and cultural communitiesParks and recreation

Agenda document Full packet Minutes Meeting page Watch Meeting recap

What's on this agenda

Hillsborough's Planning Board and Board of Commissioners hold a joint public hearing on two items. The first is an owner-initiated request to rezone 1.44 acres at 515 Meadowlands Drive, home to Grace Hill Church, from High Intensity Commercial to Economic Development District. The second is a staff-initiated amendment to Unified Development Ordinance Section 2.5, which sets the Historic District Commission's size, membership qualifications and voting rules.

After the hearing, the Planning Board makes recommendations to the Board of Commissioners on both matters rather than deciding either one itself. The board also hears updates from its representatives to the Board of Adjustment and the Parks and Recreation Board.

Summarized from the published agenda. Read the agenda itself before acting on it.

Meeting recap

What happened, drawn from the records published after the meeting. Minutes

The Planning Board recommended, 6-0, that commissioners approve rezoning 1.44 acres at 515 Meadowlands Drive from High Intensity Commercial to Economic Development District. The parcel, owned by Grace Hill Church Incorporated (PIN 9874-71-9144), has held the church since 2010. A 2018 text amendment stripped places of worship from the district's permitted uses, leaving the church nonconforming and unable to expand. Mike Musser, a church elder, said the rezoning would let the church expand its sanctuary by about 50 percent. The plan would convert the old sanctuary into a youth and community room. Four residents spoke in support, including an 11-year-old church member who described the youth program.

The board also recommended, 6-0, approval of the text amendment revising Historic District Commission administration. Planning Board members asked for one change: replacing "appointed members" with "filled seats" in the quorum and voting sections, for clarity. In updates, the Board of Adjustment reported a 90-day extension for repairs at the Nathan Hooker House, a historic Corbin Street property cited as unsafe. The consultant rewriting the Unified Development Ordinance has slowed its timeline and will bring the new zoning map to the board in sections.

How the votes went

Planning Board members recommended the 515 Meadowlands Drive rezoning to the Board of Commissioners 6-0 and the Historic District Commission text amendment 6-0, both after the Board of Commissioners was excused following the hearing. Procedural votes to approve the agenda and to open and close the hearing passed 10-0 with the full joint board.

From the published minutes.

Who spoke

4 members of the public spoke.

  1. Allyson Van Wyck, a Hillsborough resident since 2010 and Grace Hill Church member since 2015, spoke in support of the rezoning.
  2. Ralph Loren Erickson, a retired Army officer and Forest Ridge resident, spoke in support, citing the church's role hosting the neighborhood's HOA meetings.
  3. Lindsay Day described the church's community outreach, including an annual Christmas gift drive and free clothing exchanges.
  4. An 11-year-old church member spoke about the value of the church's youth program.

Read from the records the government published after the meeting. Members of the public are private residents and are not named or indexed.

Speaking at this meeting

Town of Hillsborough's own rules for public comment — check them before you rely on anything here.

Agenda items (8)

Procedural · 3Public hearing · 2Staff or committee report · 2Discussion item · 1
  1. 1 Call to order, confirmation of quorum, and public charge
    Procedural
  2. 2 Agenda changes and approval
    Procedural
  3. 4.A Rezoning request for property at 515 Meadowlands Drive (owner-initiated)
    Public hearing Faith and cultural communitiesRezoning
    An owner-initiated rezoning request for property at 515 Meadowlands Drive.
    • 515 Meadowlands Dr · no matching parcel on file
    • Pin 9874-71-9144 · Grace Hill Church Incorporated · assessed $1,666,200
  4. 4.B Text amendment to Unified Development Ordinance Section 2.5, Administration – Historic District Commission (staff-initiated)
    Public hearing Historic preservationZoning text amendment
    A staff-initiated text amendment to the administrative section of the UDO governing how the Historic District Commission operates.
  5. 6 Planning Board recommendations
    Discussion item RezoningZoning text amendment
    The Planning Board voted separately on its recommendations for the rezoning and the text amendment, after the Board of Commissioners was excused following the hearing.
  6. 7.A Board of Adjustment Updates
    Staff or committee report Historic preservation
    The Planning Board's representative reported the Board of Adjustment granted a 90-day extension for repairs to the Nathan Hooker House, a historic Corbin Street property cited as an unsafe structure.
  7. 7.B Parks and Recreation Board Updates
    Staff or committee report Parks and recreation
    The Planning Board chair had no Parks and Recreation Board update to give; another member offered to take over as the board's representative.
  8. 8 Adjournment
    Procedural

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