Zoning board narrows event matrix for Castle Preservation Society and continues review after resident concerns

The Moultonborough Zoning Board of Adjustment on July 15 heard a revised event matrix from the Castle Preservation Society and continued the special-exception application to Aug. 5 to allow staff and the applicant to produce detailed responses to the town's special-exception criteria.

The applicant, represented by Dari Sassan of Brown Engineering, presented a tiered matrix that would categorize events by size and expected impacts. The board and the applicant negotiated tentative limits and clarifications: Tier 1 educational programs (up to 100 attendees) would be allowed if substantially similar to listed examples; Tier 2 mid-size programs would be limited and clarified to replace vague "athletic competitions" language with "foot races"; Tier 3A large one-day events would be limited to "Great Waters concerts" or substantially similar single-day concerts; Tier 3B (the annual car show) was narrowed to 1,001 4,000 attendees and limited to the historic, transient format rather than a ticketed, simultaneous-entry concourse. The board said events above those thresholds or not substantially similar would require return to the ZBA (and, if necessary, the Planning Board) for specific approval.

Chair Bob Stephens told the applicant he was "not comfortable with a blank check" for open-ended authority on future events and asked the applicant to rewrite the matrix with the agreed changes. Board member Bruce Wilhelm presented a traffic hypothetical to explain capacity limits, saying that at roughly 3,000 attendees the event would generate roughly 1,000 vehicles arriving over several hours, while simultaneous arrival formats would create much greater queuing and egress issues.

Multiple abutters and residents urged caution. Sandra Mucci cited the environmental sensitivity of Shannon Brook and the adjoining conservation lands and said high-impact events are incompatible with the conservation area's low-impact intent. Cristina Ashjian said recent concerts funneled sound down the valley to Route 171 and urged the board to limit concert approvals to the historical Great Waters series; Anni Jakobsen, citing EMS experience, urged continued per-event permitting because of the town's heavy summer population and limited emergency resources. Several commenters raised ownership and easement concerns: the applicant acknowledged overflow parking sometimes uses land owned by CG Roxane and that some race courses cross Lakes Region Conservation Trust property.

Code Enforcement Officer Austin Wakefield said an earlier septic-sector memo cited by commenters was about a localized holding-tank failure now resolved, that the Society has identified and recorded on-site septic systems and instituted a more frequent pumping schedule, and that larger events would employ temporary toilet facilities scaled to attendance. Wakefield added that the fire and EMS staffing requirements in the matrix were developed with department heads and would be incorporated into event planning.

Vice Chair David McDonough asked the applicant and Town Planner Chuck Wise to prepare a line-by-line response to Section 6.5.2 of the zoning ordinance (the special-exception standards), to identify any standards that do not apply, and to state whether Section 6.6 (requirements applicable to commercial uses regarding traffic, lighting, and parking/loading) applies. The Board voted unanimously to continue the hearing to Aug. 5, 2026 to allow submission of the revised matrix and the requested criteria analysis.

The continuance preserves the board's expectation that large or materially changed events will require specific approvals and that the Select Board's expedited temporary-use route under Section 11.8.2 remains available but should not be used as a substitute for the detailed framework the ZBA is developing.