MANCHESTER, N.H. – As the final preparations for the city’s Independence Day fireworks were taking place just a few blocks away, some urban planning fireworks were taking place inside Manchester City Hall’s Aldermanic Chambers as residents living near the Manchester/Londonderry border returned to express opposition to a site plan application for a proposed townhouse development at the Manchester Planning Board’s early July meeting.
The development, now being dubbed as “The Bartlett Preserve”, is a 240-unit project located on South Mammoth Road between Corning Road and Lucas Road, with a mix of 44 four, five, six and eight-unit three-story buildings, a proposed clubhouse and a private street that will have exits on Corning Road and South Mammoth Road, with an emergency entrance on Lucas Road.
Buildings in the development are proposed in three different styles ranging from 16.5 to 24 feet wide and including two to three bedrooms. The entire development is separated into clusters surrounded by green space and tree coverage, with a 75-foot no-cut buffer ringing the edge of the property.
Neighbors abutting the proposed development turned out in opposition to voice their concerns, as they did when the development received a variance from the Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustment and the land where it sits was mentioned for possible rezoning during a community meeting.
Although some of the neighbors in attendance praised the efforts of the Stabile Group in trying to solicit feedback from neighbors, the company leading construction efforts on the proposed development, the general consensus was that the development should consist of single-family homes like the immediately abutting properties, making it better fit in with the neighborhood and reducing the potential impact to neighboring properties.
Representatives of the applicants, a group of several owners of the development working with Stabile, indicated that single-family homes rather than the townhouse style homes would have been financially impractical without making the homes cost over $1 million each and removing any woodland buffers. It was also noted that while there are other apartment complexes within a mile of the proposed site, making the development appear fairly common to the area.
There were concerns with traffic counts that estimated peak morning hour and peak evening hour additions to traffic in the area at 109 and 129 additional cars respectively. Representatives of the applicants defended the methodology of the traffic study, a 230-page report issued to the Planning Board in their packet.
Additional concerns from neighbors referenced the impact to wildlife, although representatives of the applicants said that they had not received significant concerns from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department or New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
Planning Board Chair Bryce Kaw-uh asked if greater architectural stylization could be added to another draft, as well as adding signage requesting pet owners pick up dog waste (another concern of the neighbors) and a question on how much would be fair for the applicants to pay toward the reconstruction of the Corning/Sheffield/South Mammoth Road intersection.
Kaw-uh felt that it was inappropriate for any one applicant to foot the bill for such a large overhaul, with representatives of the applicants estimating costs at likely near or over $1 million. However, Kaw-uh also felt that the applicants should pay some share of the redesign for the intersection since it is already causing problems for local motorists without the added traffic coming from the development.
Further discussion on the proposal is expected at the board’s Aug. 6 meeting.