Board keeps open hearings on downtown restaurant dumpster enclosure, requests DPW and accessibility details

The Manchester Planning & Zoning Board on April 3 kept open public hearings for two related applications proposing a new exterior dumpster enclosure and amended refuse service for a restaurant and residential uses at 73 Hanover Street and 875 Elm Street.

Paul Chisholm of Keach Nordstrom Associates, speaking for Bravo Restaurant LLC and the property owners (Merkwood LLC and Chongos LLC), said the proposal would place a secured, eight‑foot stockade enclosure and grease‑collection container along a landscape strip at the corner of Nutfield Lane and Londonderry Lane. He described a likely configuration of a four‑yard recycling container and a 10‑yard trash dumpster for the restaurant, with a closed grease container stored for pickup. The proposal also contemplates an easement so related LLCs can share the enclosure in the long term.

Why it matters: refuse placement and service frequency affect downtown sanitation, odors, alleyway congestion, and pedestrian access. The proposal prompted detailed questions about how residents will access trash service, whether the alley route and gates are accessible for people with mobility impairments, the pickup frequency for restaurant waste, and how the enclosure will look from adjacent properties.

Chisholm said residential units in the associated building (approved in 2021) currently use bins placed in the rear alley; commercial and residential service has historically used that alley. He said the building operator has agreed to shift to private pickup (removing reliance on city pickup for the building) and that the new enclosure will be locked to prevent unauthorized access. A vehicle‑turning plan for service trucks has been submitted to staff; Chisholm said the route is tight but in use now by collection vehicles.

Public commenter Valentin Sakalaro, who owns property on Manchester Street, raised concerns about the enclosure’s appearance, smells and rodents and said he has had issues with people loitering in the alley. Board members and staff discussed design details, gate width (a four‑foot access door was noted), the need for lighting, and whether the site could be a location for public art or other aesthetic treatments to reduce the visual impact.

Staff advised the board that the Department of Public Works had not yet returned a formal review of the revised seating and dumpster plans; staff also flagged sidewalk/tree‑well spacing questions for DPW review. Board members asked for follow‑up on DPW comments, the accessibility of the trash access route for residents with mobility needs, lighting and materials/renderings for the enclosure, and additional details on grease‑storage handling. The applicant agreed to provide or coordinate those details and to work with staff on materials and possible aesthetic treatments.

The board kept the public hearings open and scheduled both applications (SP2025‑008 for 875 Elm Street and SP2025‑009 for 73 Hanover Street) for continued public comment and final action on April 17. Staff said if DPW comments are received in two weeks, staff recommendations can be prepared for the same meeting.

From the record: the project team described the dumpster enclosure as an eight‑foot stockade fence with locked gate, a four‑yard recycling container and a 10‑yard trash container intended for pickup roughly two to three times per week for the restaurant; residential pickup will continue on the existing schedule. The board requested additional detail on pickup frequency, lighting, enclosure materials and accessibility for residents.