Rich Brown for Planning Board

Not everyone could attend Little Town Meeting last night. Here’s what I said at the meeting:

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Hi, my name is Rich Brown, and I am running for a seat on the Planning Board.

I live at 84 Orford Road, with my wife Lin, and a small flock of chickens. During my years as a resident of Lyme, I’ve served as a Planning Board alternate, a member of the Budget Committee, and as a Trustee of the Trust Funds. And on Wednesday mornings, I’m a crossing guard at the Lyme School.

Since 2006, I have observed and participated in Planning Board meetings. I am fully acquainted with their procedures and the issues and challenges they face. This year, we’ll consider minor updates for solar arrays and how to encourage senior and other housing options in Lyme. Most importantly, I believe the Board needs to engage with people in town to hear their ideas on how best to tackle these issues.

Thank you again for listening, and please vote for Rich Brown for Planning Board.

Vote Yes on Article 2

At last night’s Little Town Meeting, I spoke in support of Article 2 – the Solar Energy amendment.

As Tim Cook and Hebe Quinton stated, the changes to the ordinance give clear, straightforward guidelines for “small solar energy systems” of up to 2,000 square feet. These will essentially be viewed as “structures”, with the intent that an application for a solar array would be treated the same as one for a garage or barn of similar size. Medium and Large arrays (up to 1 acre, and up to 7 acres) get more stringent review. 

I encourage the Town to approve Article 2.

Solar Energy System Amendment in Lyme

On Thursday 11 January 2024, the Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing to receive feedback on the proposed Solar Energy Systems zoning amendment. (7:00pm in the Town Offices.) Here is a link to the Draft amendment on the Town website: https://www.lymenh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4636/f/uploads/solar_energy_systems_draft_for_web.pdf

I am strongly in favor of increasing the amount of solar energy generated in Lyme. And the town is in favor too: in the recent survey over 60% of respondents supported arrays covering up to seven acres.

That said, I am concerned that the proposed amendment contains several “poison pills” that would discourage the development of these systems in Lyme. My concerns relate specifically to section “14.60 Requirements for a Conditional Use Permit”:

1) Power lines to solar arrays must be buried. The proposed amendment states:

14.60.h) All power and communication lines (both on- site and off- site) serving a Ground-mounted Solar Energy System shall be buried underground

At a recent meeting, the Planning Board confirmed that this language was meant to include the power lines running from the main road up to the site of the panels. When asked whether this was a necessary requirement, the general response was, “Well, they’re spending a lot of money on this, so it won’t be much of an increase.”

I would ask the Board to make a clear statement about: 1) what data they used regarding cost of the added expense and 2) why this is an important requirement?

My recommendation would be to remove section 14.60.h completely and rely on the other language in that section that requires solar arrays to be “visually unobtrusive”.

2) Power must primarily be sold to Lyme. The proposed ordinance also states:

14.60.c) Medium and Large Solar Energy Systems may be allowed only if at least 60% of the power generated by each SES will be sold for use at properties in Lyme.

This feels like an unreasonable restriction on the ability to create larger solar arrays. Although it “feels good” to insist that Lyme receive the power, the fact is that any generated power will go into the grid. Furthermore, the Town would need to set up a set of regulations regarding how that 60% will be measured prior to the approval. Finally, what would happen if some of those customers switched, and the percentage fell below 60%? Would the Town revoke their permission to operate?

My recommendation would be to remove section 14.60.c completely. Lyme (and the whole world) all need more electric power, and the Lyme Zoning Ordinance should not introduce unnecessary constraints.

3) Prohibition on clear cutting for five years. The proposed ordinance also states:

14.60.g) A Large Solar Energy System may not not located on a site which has an area of over an acre that has been clear cut within the last 5 years.

This is another “feel good” provision, but it is not supported by the facts. We should definitely protect our forests, for habitat preservation, biodiversity, recreation, and other factors, but not to the exclusion of other important uses. 

First off, Lyme has over 30,000 acres of forested land according to the Lyme Conservation Commission’s Natural Resource Inventory [1]. Creating a small number of five to seven acre sites would not make any significant change to the forests in Lyme.

Second, a landowner can clear cut their land at any time, for any reason, or no reason at all, with only pro-forma approval from the Town. This amendment would introduce a new constraint: “you can clear cut… but only if you are not going to put up solar panels.”

Finally, it is not borne out by the science. An acre of second-growth forest sequesters about a metric ton of carbon per year. In the 80 years or so since Lyme was substantially clear cut for sheep farming, an acre of forest would have accumulated 80 metric tons of carbon. That’s a lot. BUT… if that acre were clear-cut, over two years, an acre of solar panels would generate enough electricity to offset the burning of natural gas to produce that same energy. [1] So in those first two years, the solar panels would replace the carbon stored in that acre of forest. And in every year following, it would save over two hundred times the amount that the acre of forest would have sequestered.

My recommendation would be to remove section 14.60.g entirely, since there is no need to force a five-year delay on a good project.

This proposed zoning amendment is fundamentally a good plan. With the removal of these three restrictions, the residents of Lyme should enthusiastically approve it. If these constraints remain in the ordinance, I am concerned that they will discourage all medium or large solar arrays, and that Lyme will not meet its goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030.

[1] Lyme Conservation Commission, Natural Resources Inventory, 2007 https://www.lymenh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4636/f/uploads/natural_resources_inventory.pdf

[2] Solar panels reduce CO2 emissions more per acre than trees https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2022/10/25/response-to-the-new-york-times-essay-are-there-better-places-to-put-large-solar-farms-than-these-forests/

[3] Proposed Lyme Solar Energy System Amendment, December 2023  https://www.lymenh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4636/f/uploads/solar_energy_systems_draft_for_web.pdf


Feel free to share this post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not those of any public body, such as the Lyme Planning Board, Budget Committee, or Trustees of the Trust Funds where I volunteer. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts – you can reach me at richb.lyme@gmail.com.

Updates to Town Committee Handbook

The Lyme Select Board is considering modifications to the Town Committee Handbook. The new draft is at https://www.lymenh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4636/f/uploads/2023-revised-draft-committee_handbook_3.pdf

I sent the following comments to the Select Board and asked about feedback they received from others in town and legal advice from Town Counsel and the NH Municipal Association:

To the Select Board,

Thank you for the opportunity to review the most recent draft of the Town Committee Handbook. I am of two minds on the revisions:

  • My reading of RSA 91-A and the backup documents from NHMA indicate that members of public bodies simply should not use social media (which seems to include the Lyme Listserv) for matters related to their body. In fact, at a recent NH BEA webinar for new members, the advice was “DO NOT COMMUNICATE VIA EMAIL (RSA 91-A)” (their caps) and “Do not use social media to discuss applications”
  • On the other hand, we all have First Amendment rights. While it would be inappropriate to comment on an application that’s pending before a board, who better to offer insights into a decided issue (for example, an Article that’s posted on the Warrant) than someone who has participated fully in the discussion?

Personally, I have come to believe the first position is best. Just don’t use the Listserv. This inarguably complies with the letter and intent of RSA 91-A. There are plenty of other venues for offering opinions: letter to the editor, ad in the Valley News, a personal blog or website, etc.

That said, I would like the Board to address the following questions when they next discuss the issue:

  • Have you circulated the proposed wording to chairs of public bodies in town? What feedback have you received?
  • Have you sent the draft wording to both Town Counsel and NHMA? What advice have you received?

Thank you again for all the work you do for Lyme.

Rich Brown

PS The current (2022) version of the Town Committee Handbook is at: https://www.lymenh.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif4636/f/uploads/committee_handbook_2022.pdf


Feel free to share this post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not those of any public body, such as the Lyme Planning Board, Budget Committee, or Trustees of the Trust Funds where I volunteer. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts – you can reach me at richb.lyme@gmail.com.

Believe them…

When people tell you what they are going to do, believe them.

In tomorrow’s election, only one party is saying that they want to insert government officials into medical decisions, to limit the right to vote, and then to permit state officials to overrule the clear vote of the people.

These are not American values. And once they are lost, they cannot be regained.

Even if you don’t care for the policies of the other candidates, please do not give your support people who say these things. Vote for Democrats.

Note: these opinions are solely my own, and certainly not those of any public body on which I may serve.

Update on Housing Chapter

The Planning Board began talking about a Housing Chapter for the Lyme Master Plan at their last meeting. I got to distribute my thoughts on housing (from my posting in June) which began a discussion of the issues.

You can watch the proceedings on the video on Youtube. (The link goes to the start of the discussion.)

I expect the Planning Board will solicit input and feedback from residents of Lyme – please watch your mailbox, the Listserv and posters around town for announcements.


Feel free to share this post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not those of any public body, such as the Lyme Planning Board, Budget Committee, or Trustees of the Trust Funds where I volunteer. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts – you can reach me at richb.lyme@gmail.com.

Lyme is Aging

I had an opportunity to look at the Census data for Lyme. I charted the data for 2010 and 2020.

Here’s what I see in this data:

  • Lyme’s median age is now 46.5 years, having increased by three and a half years between 2010 and 2020. Today’s median age is even above the New Hampshire median of 43.1 years, and much higher than the national value of 38.8 years. Wikipedia
  • Lyme’s population decreased in that decade.
  • Like most of NH, a significant number of 20-30 year olds moved away. The loss of 20-24 year olds is particularly acute in Lyme.
  • The chart shows a significant loss of 40-60 year olds over the decade. These people typically have reached a stable point in their lives, and provide vitality and leadership for a town.
  • At the same time, there is a large increase in 65-75 year olds. Although the joke goes, “Seventy is the new fifty…” this population will use increasingly larger amounts of service.
  • There is a significant decrease in the number of school age children, following the demographic trends across the country.

Are any of these trends important for Lyme’s future?

The raw data was retrieved from US Census, American Community Survey at: https://bit.ly/LymeCensus-2010-2020


Feel free to share this post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not those of any public body, such as the Lyme Planning Board, Budget Committee, or Trustees of the Trust Funds where I volunteer. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts – you can reach me at richb.lyme@gmail.com.

Pleased by Solar Energy Amendment

I am pleased by the work by the Lyme Planning Board has done regarding a proposed Solar Energy amendment. This change to the ordinance will need approval at Town Meeting in March 2023 go into effect.

The new language will permit individuals to install up to 40 kW of solar panels with minimal regulation. (A solar installation for an “average home” is typically between 6kW and 15kW, and would provide adequate energy for electric heat pumps and charging electric vehicles.) The panels of a 40kW would have a footprint of approximately 2,000 square feet – about the size of a modest barn. If you could install a barn of that size, you will only need a zoning permit install a similar size array. This draft language is fairly well complete.

Larger arrays (up to 400kW, with footprints of up to 20,000 square feet) would be allowed with a Conditional Use Permit. The language permitting these larger arrays is still a work in progress to be discussed at upcoming Planning Board meetings, notably September 8 and 22.

Here are links to the relevant documents:

I would be curious to hear your thoughts about this proposal. Thanks!


Feel free to share this post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not those of any public body, such as the Lyme Planning Board, Budget Committee, or Trustees of the Trust Funds where I volunteer. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts – you can reach me at richb.lyme@gmail.com.

Housing for Lyme

This is a good time for the Lyme Planning Board to be thinking about housing. In every workshop I attend, experts talk about the housing crisis in New Hampshire (and the country). DH has 1,900 openings, and is losing excellent candidates because they have to drive too far to find a home. NHHFA says the state needs about 20,000 homes now to relieve the tight housing market. The UVLSRPC reports that the Upper Valley needs 3,000 to 5,000 homes to meet the needs of employers in the next 8 years.

At the same time, local volunteer organizations (Fire Department, FAST Squad, Those Guys, CCL, etc) struggle to find people to handle their traditional tasks. Local businesses have cut back their services and hours, in part, because of a lack of availability of staff.

I realize that the Planning Board cannot “build new homes”. But the provisions of the ordinance can either promote or inhibit many kinds of development. I would like to see the Board set goals for the kinds of housing we want to see over the next 10 years.

My question: How can our ordinance help our children move back and thrive in Lyme?

Housing Topics to Consider
  • New Homes: What is Lyme’s “fair share” of new housing in light of these demands? How many new homes should we plan for in the next 10 years?
  • Workforce Housing: How does the NH Workforce Housing Law apply to Lyme’s ordinance?
  • Lot Sizes: Lyme seems to have unusually large lot size requirements and restrictive dimensional controls. What purpose do they serve? Are those reasons still valid?
  • Sprawl: How can the Ordinance encourage people to build closer to town? This would minimize travel time (and energy use), decrease their isolation, and avoid breaking up open space/forests
  • Economics: How much weight should the Board place on the financial aspects of construction? Purchasing the land, installing a driveway, water, septic, etc. all push up the cost of a home. Would it be reasonable to allow higher density in parts of town so these costs could be shared across multiple homes?
  • Conservation: What is a good balance between developed and conserved land?
  • Public Transportation: Could Lyme ever sustain it? How could we find out?
  • Energy use: How can the ordinance encourage people to use less energy, especially fossil fuel? Possibilities include minimize driving, shared walls for heating/cooling, shared infrastructure to minimize the energy used for construction.
  • Property tax revenue: Homes on small parcels bring in 8 to 10 times the tax revenue per acre as compared to larger parcels. Should Lyme consider permitting construction on smaller lots or other means of increased density?
  • Local businesses: What effect does the population of town have on the success of local businesses?
Who will live here, and what effect will the Ordinance have on people’s lives?
  • We should consider the demographics of Lyme: who lives here now, and who we expect to live here in 10 years.
  • What services will they need? Schools? Health care? Grocery store? Retail? Barber shop? Funeral home? Restaurant? Plumber? Electrician? Garden or lawn help? What else?
  • How can the ordinance encourage a good life in Lyme?
How can the Planning Board come up with a plan?
  • I would ask the Board to make a concerted effort to get input from residents
  • We can look to the success of the Community Attitude Survey process in 2006 which included a detailed survey, house parties, mailings, and other means to garner interest and responses from people in town
  • We can engage local experts, such as the Parish Nurses, Overseer of the Public Welfare, Community Care of Lyme, Lyme Town boards and committees, and others.
  • We can seek out local businesses, developers, and other stakeholders to get their perspective on how housing issues affect them.
  • We can gather the information either in public meetings or in private interviews, with notes presented at the next meeting.
  • We could consider hiring a consultant to help with planning and arrangements

Updated Sep 2022 to include my goal about making it possible for our children to move back to Lyme. Updated August 2023 to remove specific reference to “Housing Chapter”


Feel free to share this post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not those of any public body, such as the Lyme Planning Board, Budget Committee, or Trustees of the Trust Funds where I volunteer. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts – you can reach me at richb.lyme@gmail.com.

Candidate Statements: Planning Board and Trustee of the Trust Funds

I am running for two elected positions in Lyme. Here are my candidate statements:

Rich Brown Candidate Statement:
Planning Board

I don’t believe in complaining. Instead, I think it’s important for people to offer their services to help solve town problems.

I have volunteered as an alternate member of the Planning Board for last three years. When a regular member is not present, I frequently am asked to sit in their place. This gives me an understanding of the requirements and processes of the Board.

I am now running for a full, elected seat on the Planning Board. I am pleased that the Board is considering solar panel installations, and I look forward to working on options for housing later this year.

I moved with my wife (Lin Brown, rheumatologist) to Lyme seven years ago, having lived in the Upper Valley for more than forty years. I spend time on the Those Guys tent crew, as a local business owner (Loch Lyme Lodge), as a manager of LymeFiber, and as a volunteer school crossing guard at the Lyme School.

I will bring the same energy to the Planning Board as I have brought to the Tax Fairness discussion. You can see my thoughts about planning and taxes on my blog at: richb-lyme.com

I ask for your vote on the ballot at Town Meeting, Tuesday, March 8. Thank you.

Rich Brown
795-2525


Rich Brown Candidate Statement:
Trustee of the Trust Funds

As a trustee for Lyme’s Trust Funds, I will monitor the performance of the investment advisor that the Town hires to ensure that they meet the investment guidelines. In addition, I will work to ensure the funds entrusted to those funds are properly disbursed.

For more information about me, see my Candidate Statement for Planning Board.

I ask for your vote on the ballot at Town Meeting, Tuesday, March 8. Thank you.

Rich Brown
795-2525


Feel free to share this post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not those of any public body, such as the Lyme Planning Board, Budget Committee, or Trustees of the Trust Funds where I volunteer. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts – you can reach me at richb.lyme@gmail.com.