The Manchester Zoning Board voted to permit a redevelopment plan that would convert a vacant bank into a coffee shop with a drive-through and replace a defunct gas station at Brown Avenue with a convenience store and a 12-position fuel canopy.

Engineer Bogg Duval, representing the applicant, told the board that the two parcels are constrained by a 30-foot vertical slope and a 10-foot retaining wall that places the site substantially below nearby multifamily residences. He said the proposal preserves the existing pavement edge and driveways and that the site’s topography and historic pavement make strict conformance impractical. "There is a very steep hill about 30 feet down to the level below," Duval said, and he described how the retaining wall and landscaping create distance and screening between the proposed ground‑level operations and homes above.

Because parts of the proposed convenience‑store and fueling area fall inside the 50‑foot limited‑activity buffer and within the ordinance’s setback/landscaping requirements, the applicant requested variances from screening and buffer rules (section 6.08b), parking setbacks (10.09a) and landscaping (10.07g). Duval argued that dumpsters and the drive‑through window would be far enough, both vertically and horizontally, from the nearest residences to avoid impacts.

Board members questioned where the drive‑through speaker would face and whether sound could be screened. Duval said the speaker location would be moved to a corner of the building facing the street rather than the homes and noted that the existing 10‑foot retaining wall and heavy landscaping would reflect and absorb sound.

The board concluded that the site’s steep slope, existing pavement edge and long history as a service station created a special condition that justified relief. Greg Powers made findings that the proposal would not alter the essential character of the neighborhood, would improve a currently vacant/subject-to-crime property, and that strict enforcement would create hardship given the site constraints. Powers moved to grant relief from the cited sections; the board voted to approve the variances.

Approval allows the applicant to proceed with the design as presented; the board’s action addressed zoning relief only. Building permits, site plan approvals and any required environmental or traffic reviews remain separate processes.