Board removes connecting structure at 68 Woodhill Road from preservation easement, keeps barn under historic assessment

The Bow Town selectboard voted to remove a small connecting structure — described in the record as the property’s "L" — from a discretionary preservation easement covering 68 Woodhill Road while keeping the larger barn and attached workshop in the easement at the existing 25% assessed-value treatment.

Chair opened the public hearing under NH RSA 79‑D and described the property as containing two principal structures: a barn and a connecting L. The town assessor recommended excluding the connecting section from the easement because it has been substantially altered, including the installation of new windows. "My preference would be to just remove the L because it has new windows," the Chair said in the discussion.

A board member moved to approve the assessor’s recommendation: retain the large barn and workshop at 25% of full assessed value under the discretionary easement and remove the connecting building from the easement so it will be taxed at full value. Another member seconded the motion. The board then took a voice vote and the Chair announced the motion carried; the transcript records a voice vote but does not provide a roll-call tally.

Why it matters: removing the altered connecting wing from the easement means that portion of the property will no longer receive the reduced assessment associated with the preservation easement and will be taxed at full value, while the historically preserved barn and workshop will maintain their reduced assessment. The board discussed that the assessor recommended the change and that the barns had remained essentially unchanged, supporting retention of the easement for the barn portion.

Next steps: the selectboard authorized the town's signing process to finalize the change (the lease/easement documentation is prepared before it is recorded), and staff will complete the necessary paperwork to drop the connecting building from the discretionary easement. The transcript records the board’s approval but does not include the finalized easement language or an exact effective date.