Developer representatives presented plans for Bartlett Preserve, a 220-unit townhouse community on a 46-acre site at the corner of South Mammoth, Corning and Lucas roads during the Manchester Planning & Zoning Board meeting on July 3.

The applicant, Stabile Companies, described the proposal as 44 townhouse buildings (four-, five-, six- and eight-unit configurations), a clubhouse, approximately 485 parking spaces, roughly 5,000 feet of private roadway, two wetland crossings and roughly 75% open space. Engineer Tom Zajak said the layout seeks to cluster development in three upland areas and preserve perimeter buffers where the site abuts single-family neighborhoods.

Why it matters: The site is one of the largest undeveloped parcels remaining in the city and sits at a transition point between single-family neighborhoods to the north and multifamily/industrial uses to the south and west. The proposal prompted extended discussion about traffic, school capacity, wildlife habitat, stormwater and neighborhood character — issues the board said must be resolved before a decision.

Developers’ case

Eric Jackson, director of acquisitions and development for Stabile Companies, said the project responds to a local need for “reasonably priced housing,” and that the townhouse form is intended to fit neighborhood character and be less intense than some future zoning changes might allow. He said the firm held about six neighborhood meetings with more than 100 neighbors and revised plans to address feedback.

Civil engineer Tom Zajak said the project footprint would disturb about 27 of the 46 acres, preserve significant buffers, and propose 50- and 75-foot "no-cut" buffer areas along portions of the perimeter. He said the site contains two mapped wetland corridors that will be crossed by two narrow roadways; the design proposes 8,550 square feet of wetland impact and 32,350 square feet of associated buffer impact, impacts for which the Conservation Commission gave a favorable recommendation. He said the development would use public water and sewer and that many details — stormwater design, underground utilities and landscaping — will follow state and city review.

Traffic and safety

Traffic engineer Bob Bollinger (Greenman-Pedersen) described a scoping meeting with New Hampshire Department of Transportation and new traffic counts taken in January 2025. He said the project is projected to generate about 109 total trips in the weekday AM peak hour (27 entering, 82 exiting) and about 128 trips in the weekday PM peak hour (76 entering, 52 exiting). Bollinger said the study applied a 1% annual growth rate and adjusted January counts upward to represent a peak-month condition. He testified that crash data for the immediate intersections showed no "prevalent pattern" of high accidents and that the proposed driveways did not meet the thresholds for dedicated auxiliary turn lanes.

Community concerns raised

Dozens of neighbors spoke during public comment with repeated concerns about the Corning/South Mammoth/Sheffield intersection’s geometry and safety; the adequacy of sidewalks and trail connections; the accuracy of trip-generation assumptions; potential effects on Green Acres Elementary School capacity; impacts to wildlife and wetlands; property values; and the adequacy of the proposed buffers.

Examples of remarks included:
- Celine Bilodeau (165 Lucas Road): "We're not happy about rezoning this for multi townhouses... My question on the screening is, you know, what size are the trees gonna be when they plant them?"
- Christine Talage (93 Lucas Road): "The continued validation by these builders that the 220 units are affordable housing in Manchester is absurd... Has the plan really been provided to the city to ensure the safety of the residents in the area?"
- Rachel Lauritano (89 Country Walk Drive): "I just worry that the volume of traffic, especially at that intersection of Corning and Sheffield, it's too high."

Developer responses and commitments

Developers said they had modified building massing (more 4–5 unit clusters nearest abutters), increased no-cut buffer widths in places, proposed supplemental evergreen plantings (189 evergreens in buffers) and 151 shade trees across the site (the team said that exceeded a stated 139-tree requirement). They said most units would be two-bedroom (the application materials noted 200 two-bedroom units and a smaller number of larger units) and that the product would be sold as condominiums.

On traffic mitigation and review, Bollinger said the DOT had preliminarily reviewed the materials and had not, as of his last check, required off-site mitigation, and that the applicant had been in preliminary coordination with city staff and DOT on requested items. On wildlife concerns, the developers said the project had been reviewed by the Conservation Commission and that New Hampshire Fish and Game had not required additional detailed studies specific to the site.

Board requests and next steps

Board members and staff asked the applicant for additional detail before the board acts, including architectural options for the clubhouse and unit facades, clarifications about sidewalk and trail connectivity (including sidewalks along the Lucas Road portion), a plan for wetland-appropriate trail treatments (board suggested boardwalks where necessary), commitments in condominium documents to maintain the supplemental screening, a formal response to DPW and Environmental Protection Division comments, clearer documentation for requested waivers, and a plan for how snow storage and snow removal would avoid sensitive wetland areas.

The board kept the public hearing open and set a date certain for continued consideration of PDSP2025-001 at the August 6, 2025 planning board meeting so the applicant can address those items.

Ending

The board emphasized that several technical reviews remain outstanding (stormwater, final DOT comments, DPW, and EPD) and that neighborhood concerns about safety and school impacts will be part of the record. The board set a date certain of Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025 to continue the public hearing on Bartlett Preserve.