Zoning board approves subdivision and private‑drive access on unpaved Linton Street for East Glenwood property

NASHUA, N.H. — The Nashua Zoning Board of Adjustment on July 22 approved a set of variances allowing Silver Lining Development (Douglas Cepala) to subdivide 16 East Glenwood Street into three lots and to use a private driveway across the unpaved portion of Linton Street (a so‑called “paper street”) to reach two of the new lots.

The board granted multiple dimensional variances — on lot area, lot depth and rear‑yard setbacks — that arise from the neighborhood’s historic layout and the fact that the original street grid was not fully built out. The board also approved variances tied to the paper‑street frontage so the developer can use a private driveway and later seek Board of Aldermen and Public Works permissions to formalize the arrangement.

Attorney Andy Perlman presented the application for Silver Lining Development and said the request reflects the neighborhood’s original 1924 parceling: many of the existing lots between Linton and East Glenwood were laid out with roughly 75‑foot depths, but the current RA zoning requires 90‑foot lot depths and 7,500 square feet of lot area. “Given this unusual circumstance with Linton Street ends, we have an existing lot and a proposed lot. We believe we have a reasonable request,” Perlman told the board.

Engineer Ethan Beals of Haynor Swanson said the parcel can be developed but that detailed engineering is required to manage slope and runoff. “We have to prove out empirically, that stormwater runoff leaving our site after the development is less than or equal to that in the predevelopment condition,” Beals said, describing the stormwater‑management work that will be included in a planning‑board submission.

Neighbors raised repeated concerns at the hearing about a low‑lying wetland and a drainage channel behind several properties. David McGhue, who said he owns 8 East Glenwood Street, told the board the wetland already fills in large storms and asked, “If we start getting fill as we build down from Linton Street, is it going to impact that wetland area?” That line of questioning prompted the applicant’s team to emphasize that a certified wetland scientist has mapped boundaries and that the planned engineering must demonstrate the project will not increase runoff to adjacent parcels.

Other witnesses cited snow‑storage, emergency access and privacy worries. Several residents asked how snow plow operations and winter windrows would be handled where a private driveway meets the end of the paved street; project counsel and engineering testified any arrangement would be included in the permit and easement agreements and that the homeowners would be responsible for maintenance of the driveway beyond the paved end.

The board discussed precedent: municipal staff and the applicant pointed to previous cases in which the city allowed use of a paper street for private driveway access subject to Planning Board, Public Works and Board of Aldermen approvals. The ZBA’s approval lets the developer pursue that same multi‑step process: the applicant will need detailed engineered subdivision plans, stormwater controls and a permit agreement for the private driveway before work can begin.

Board members said the requested dimensional relief is chiefly the result of historic lot depth and the developer’s attempt to keep rear lot lines and front setbacks consistent with adjacent properties. The board noted the applicant had presented a letter from a local real‑estate agent saying the proposed homes would be comparable to nearby properties and unlikely to depress values.

What happens next: if the zoning relief stands (the decision is subject to the standard appeal window), the applicant will submit engineered subdivision plans to the Planning Board and must secure any Public Works/Board of Aldermen approvals needed to place a private driveway in the Linton Street right‑of‑way. Planning‑board review must show how runoff and stormwater will be handled so as not to increase drainage impacts on adjacent properties or wetlands.

The board approved the variances unanimously; neighbors were advised to watch for the planning‑board packet, which will include engineered stormwater and grading plans and is public record.