MANCHESTER, N.H. – Residents of an eastern Manchester neighborhood gathered at the Dec. 4 Manchester Planning Board to share their concerns about a development and site plan application for a proposed 30-unit townhouse development on Mammoth Road.
The proposed development, expected to be called Townhouses at Huse Farm if it is eventually constructed, would be operated by the Manchester-based Peloquin Realty and Property Management. Peloquin has operated the development just to the north of the property, known as Cohas Commons, for several decades. A two-story single-family home is nestled in between Cohas Commons and the property on Mammoth Road, and Faith Baptist Church is located to the south of the property. However, the concerned neighbors came from streets behind the property such as Gordon Street, Melrose Street, Medford Street, Norcross Street and Ruth Avenue.
Ryan Kallenberg of 106 Ruth Ave. lives just a few hundred feet away from the boundaries of the proposed development and asked the board for a continuance until an independent traffic study could be commissioned, fearing comments in engineering notes estimating that 55 percent of traffic from the site would use a new cut-through onto Melrose Street and Ruth Avenue.
“This is a design choice to turn our quiet residential streets into a high-volume bypass for commuters trying to get to Candia Road and avoid the intersection of Mammoth Road and Candia Road,” he said, fearing that the safety of children and pedestrians would be impacted by the added traffic.
Kallenburg also asked for the Department of Public Works to inspect any sewer and drainage infrastructure along Melrose Street and Ruth Avenue, but he was not the only neighbor to express concerns about drainage from the proposed development.
Melrose Street resident Roanld Susie told the board that a quarter of his backyard was underwater this summer and believes flooding will be worse if nearby trees are cut to make way for the development.
Rob Silva of 93 Gordon Street said that much of the eastern border of the development is effectively wetlands and that the modification of that area would push stormwater impact into the nearby neighborhoods, potentially putting the city on the hook for additional drainage infrastructure and legal liability for flood damage.
Anderson LaFlamme of 21 Gordon Street also said that the development would impact nearby wildlife and worsen rodent problems that arose when a dirt bike track was built behind Faith Baptist Church.
Amy Sanders, an engineer with Fuss and O’Neill representing the applicants for the development, noted that many of the concerns by neighbors have been addressed following meetings with the Manchester Conservation Commission and city staff in recent months. Those concerns, which obtained support of the Conservation Commission, included an extra bioretention pond, wetland edge placards and Green SnowPro certification for any snow removal contractors.
Sanders added that the project has received support from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the Manchester Department of Public Works Environmental Protection Division, stating that their analysis would actually reduce stormwater flows toward Melrose Street given proposed catch basins on the property, with an estimated one-inch in water projected for 100-year storm events.
Regarding traffic concerns, Sanders said that an analysis using Institute of Transportation of Engineers methodology showed that there would be an estimated 14 vehicle trips from the development during morning rush hours and 15 vehicle trips during evening rush hours. These thresholds did not trigger the city’s threshold for a broader study and Sanders indicated that the applicant was amenable to add traffic calming features such as traffic tables.
The project received variances from the Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustment in May. Planning Board Chair Bryce Kaw-uh closed the public hearing for the proposal and indicated that a decision on the requests could come at the Dec. 18 Planning Board meeting after the board completes review of additional technical reviews and stormwater waivers.