NEW LONDON ZONING
ARTICLE XIV STEEP SLOPE OVERLAY DISTRICT 
A. Purpose: The purpose of the Steep Slope Overlay District is to 
prevent development on slopes in excess of 25 percent. Development on 
such slopes causes soil erosion and stream sedimentation; unnecessary 
loss of vegetative ground cover and destruction of trees, on-site waste 
disposal problems; difficult street construction; and expensive street 
maintenance. 
 
B. Overlay District Boundaries: The boundaries of the Steep Slope 
Overlay District include all areas of New London with slopes in excess 
of 25 percent with an elevation change of more than twenty (20) feet. 
The slope of the natural terrain shall be determinative of whether or 
not land is within the overlay district. As a general guide, areas of 
slope in excess of 25 percent are portrayed on the December 1986 Steep 
Slopes Map prepared by the Upper Valley-Lake Sunapee Regional Planning 
Commission. 
 
C. Permitted Uses: No buildings, structures or roads shall be permitted 
in the Steep Slopes Overlay District. Otherwise, the following uses are 
permitted: 
 
1. Forestry and tree farming using best management practices in order to 
protect streams from damage and to prevent sedimentation. 
 
2. Wildlife refuges, conservation areas and nature trails. 
 
3. Open space and outdoor recreation. 
 
D. Special Exceptions: A Special Exception may be granted by the Zoning 
Board of Adjustment after proper public notice and hearing for 
development in the Steep Slope Overlay District to avoid or minimize 
development in the Wetland Conservation Overlay District. Such 
applications shall be referred to the Conservation Commission for review 
and comment prior to the hearing. In addition to the usual criteria used 
by the Zoning Board of Adjustment in evaluating an application for a 
Special Exception, the applicant must demonstrate to the Zoning Board of 
Adjustment that: 
 
1) no reasonable alternative exists which affects neither the Steep 
Slope Overlay District nor the Wetlands Conservation Overlay District; 
 
2) the encroachment into the Steep Slope Overlay District is the least 
amount needed to avoid or minimize development in the Wetlands 
Conservation Overlay District; and 
 
3) by encroaching into the Steep Slope Overlay District, the proposed 
development would impact the environment less adversely than if the 
development avoids the Steep Slope Overlay District and encroaches only 
into the Wetlands Conservation Overlay District, as otherwise required 
by this provision.