Hooksett ZBA approves filling of small wetland for proposed car wash at 1317–1319 Hooksett Road

The Hooksett Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to approve two special‑exception applications (Z25‑16 and Z25‑17) permitting a combined 965 square feet of wetland fill behind the proposed 1317 and 1319 Hooksett Road car wash on Tuesday evening. The board found the project will not alter drainage patterns and that existing site runoff will be routed to the town system through a 36‑inch culvert.

The applicant, represented by Frank Doherty of Washville and engineer Chris York of GPI, told the board the plan replaces a hand‑dug drainage ditch that developed wetland characteristics after years of runoff. York said the project calls for a roughly 5,000‑square‑foot single‑tunnel car wash with three pay lanes, a bypass lane that doubles as 20‑foot fire access, and about 24–25 vacuum stations. He said the applicant is “removing over an acre of impervious out there” and will replace the filled section of ditch with a culvert so drainage flows into the town system as it does today.

The application materials and staff reports note the wetland area is largely man‑made to convey hill runoff around the former paved auto‑wholesale site; the proposed fill totals about 965 square feet, split in two parcels (approximately 306 square feet on one lot and about 659 square feet…