prohibiting planning boards from considering the number of bedrooms a given unit or development has during the hearing and approval process.

SB 174 prevents local planning boards from rejecting housing development applications based solely on the number of bedrooms proposed. It directly affects developers seeking approval for residential projects (including rental or purchase units) and planning boards reviewing those proposals. The bill requires boards to focus on water/sewage infrastructure compliance instead of bedroom counts when evaluating applications, while still allowing checks for adequate water and sewage capacity under existing rules. This change aims to reduce barriers for housing projects without altering requirements for basic infrastructure.