Zoning board debates large electronic billboard in Gaslight District; arena overlay committee urged denial

A request to place a 576‑square‑foot electronic message center (EMC) on the north face of a proposed six‑story building at 516 Elm Street drew sustained scrutiny July 10 from the Manchester Zoning Board, the arena overlay design review committee and local residents.

Proposal and rationale: The applicant, the development team for a new six‑story mixed‑use building at 516 Elm, proposed relocating an existing billboard that now sits atop a neighboring single‑story building (Murphy's Taproom) to the new taller façade because the new building would block the billboard’s current sightlines. The applicant said the request is a relocation, not a new billboard, and argued the new location would generate fewer pedestrian impacts because it would sit higher above street level.

Committee and neighbor objections: The arena overlay design review committee submitted detailed…