In the midst of a statewide housing crunch, Keene is promoting smaller-format housing that city staff say can create more places to live while not dramatically changing the neighborhood feel.

Keene is drafting zoning regulations to allow for the development of more miniature types of living, such as cottages, in certain areas, according to a Dec. 22 news release from the city.

Cottage courts are groups of small houses around a shared public space, according to the city’s website. These homes, typically about 1,200 square feet or less, can be sold or rented.

“It’s a way of adding housing without creating a drastic change to the feel of the neighborhood,” Senior Planner Mari Brunner said in late December, “rather than doing a large apartment building that feels out of place with the surrounding homes. The goal is to have it fit in cohesively and add to the value of the neighborhood.”

Brunner called cottage courts a kind of residential infill, in which developers build more units on vacant or underutilized properties.

“This is adding housing to areas where housing already exists,” she said. “Another great example is accessory dwelling units.”

Accessory dwelling units are small spaces, typically a garage or a shed on a property with a principal dwelling unit (like a house), that are converted into homes. In June, city councilors voted to allow ADUs in all of Keene’s zoning districts.

Brunner said the ordinance would permit the development of cottage courts in any residential zoning district where a connection to the city’s water and sewer system is possible.

This project was spurred by a housing study that Camoin Associates presented to Keene city councilors in April, which found that a demand for housing suitable for smaller households, coupled with high construction costs, have created a difficult environment for developers to build housing that is affordable to most Keene residents.

In addition to showing that affordable housing is hard to come by, Camoin’s report noted that the average size of Keene’s households has decreased over the years, and the reduction in the number of persons per household is putting a strain on the number of units available.

The average household size in Keene in 2021 was about two people.

Brunner said the new zoning ordinance being drafted aims to provide more options for people looking for smaller housing.

“We want to create an attractive option for people to downsize and be able to stay in their community,” she said.

— HUNTER OBERST/KEENE SENTINEL