Planning Board approves Laconia Country Club clubhouse replacement with conditions including impact fees and sprinkler requirement

The Planning Board approved a conditional-use site plan for a replacement clubhouse and pro shop at the Laconia Country Club, 607 Elm Street, subject to preconstruction, construction and postconstruction conditions required by staff and the Technical Review Committee.

What was proposed: Architect David Sherborne of OPG Construction presented a plan to demolish the existing clubhouse and pro shop in sequence while constructing a consolidated two‑story clubhouse with a slightly larger footprint (11,325 square feet proposed, up from about 10,500 square feet today). The project would add covered golf cart storage inside the building, ADA‑compliant entrances and an elevator, an exterior grease interceptor, a fully NFPA‑13 compliant sprinkler system and increased onsite parking.

Staff findings and conditions Staff reported the application and site plans conform to applicable state and city land‑use regulations and that TRC comments were incorporated into the recommended conditions. Conditions include required preconstruction submissions (erosion controls, snow storage plan, solid‑waste screening), a performance guarantee equal to either 11% of estimated site improvement cost (cash escrow) or a full performance bond, and compliance with Water and Fire Department specifications. Postconstruction, the applicant must pay impact fees of $1.49 per net additional square foot and provide snow storage or removal plans to maintain emergency access.

Board action A board member moved to approve application PB2025‑074 with the conditions shown in the staff report; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. Staff will require final plan sets, permits from other agencies and the selected performance guarantee before construction begins.

Developer and community benefits Sherborne said the course and practice facilities will remain unchanged and noted the project improves member accessibility and emergency service access. "A big advantage for the club is that now all entrances on both levels will be ADA compliant, and there will be an elevator inside the building that no longer and does currently not exist," Sherborne said during his presentation.

Next steps The applicant must submit final plan sets, obtain required state and municipal permits, post the required performance guarantee and install erosion controls prior to on‑site work, as stated in the conditions of approval.