Land Use (Planning & Zoning) & Economic Development

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Planning and Zoning Departments is to provide excellent customer service, ensure compliance with Planning and Zoning regulations and ordinances; to assist the respective boards with administration and information and to complete other projects as assigned.

Planning Board:

The Town of Enfield Planning Board is responsible for applications for subdivision, site plan review, excavation, home occupation and town driveways. The Board is also responsible for keeping the Town Master Plan updated. Minor Subdivisions (two lots), Major Subdivisions (more than two lots), Boundary Line Adjustments (no new lots created) and Voluntary Mergers (two or more lots into one) all fall under the Enfield Subdivision Regulations and are approved by the Enfield Planning Board.

The Enfield Site Plan Regulations cover the development, modification, or changes in use of all non-residential and multi-family dwellings. Applications are reviewed for things like for safety, traffic, aesthetics and operational standards.

People interested in subdividing their land or opening a new business should contact the Planning Board for an informal conceptual hearing to discuss their plans. The Board can give general guidance as to the application procedure.


Zoning Board of Adjustment:

The Town of Enfield Zoning Board of Adjustment hears appeals dealing with the town zoning ordinance and town building codes.   There are four different types of Zoning Board Hearings:

An Appeal of an Administrative Decision goes to the zoning board when a person disagrees with a decision or interpretation made by a town administrative officer, usually the Building Inspector or the Zoning Administrator.

Each Zoning District has permitted uses and uses by Special Exception. Permitted uses are uses like single family homes and churches. The zoning board grants special exceptions, after first seeing if the application fits a certain list of criteria, for uses like office buildings, schools and bed and breakfasts.

The board hears Appeals for Equitable Waiver. This type of hearing happens when all parties acting in good faith discover a zoning problem after a building or project has been substantially completed. These waivers are only granted when the harm done by correcting the problem greatly outweighs the problem itself.

The last appeal is for a Variance to the terms of the ordinance. This type of appeal has the most difficult set of criteria to meet. A Variance is a relaxation or a waiver of the strict interpretation of any provision of the ordinance.

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Rob Taylor Land Use & Community Development Administrator (603) 442-5427