Planning board approves addition at 783 Scenic Road with wetland-buffer conditions

The Laconia Planning Board voted Sept. 2 to approve PB2025-006, an application to add a first-floor living-room addition, deck and bedroom at 783 Scenic Road, Unit 1, subject to conditions aimed at protecting a nearby wetland buffer. Applicant Larry Bruno and Larry Bruno Sr. told the board the proposed work will not raise the building elevation and will use helical piles to avoid excavation or foundation work near the drainage feature. The project footprint extends toward an intermittent drainage feature that staff and the Conservation Commission treat as a wetland-buffer area. Staff report and conditions Staff presented the application as complete and consistent with applicable state and city land-use regulations and said the technical review committee (TRC) comments and Conservation Commission recommendations were incorporated into the conditions of approval. The Planning Board's recommended conditions (summarized in staff comments) require: - Revised final plans to delineate the 30-foot wetland buffer and submit four final plan sets to the Planning Department prior to construction. - Possession of all required federal, state and municipal permits and approvals before signing and recording of final plans; work must cease if a required permit is revoked until a new permit is obtained. - Erosion controls installed and inspected by the Planning Department before construction begins; the Planning Department will perform regular inspections of erosion controls. - Compliance with municipal water-service specifications and Laconia Fire Department requirements, as set by NH State Fire Code and city ordinances. - Project completion and all associated conditions satisfied by Sept. 2, 2030; if conditions are not met and no new application filed by that date, the approval will be null and void. Board discussion and findings Board members visited the site; one member reported the drainage feature was "dry as a bone," which the board said influenced how they viewed sensitivity of the stream at time of inspection. The Conservation Commission reviewed the application at its Aug. 20 meeting and, according to staff, was "fine with it as presented" after concerns about the brook were addressed. The board also noted the applicant's construction approach using helical piles and minimal disturbance. Vote A motion to approve PB2025-006 with the conditions in the staff report passed on a vote of 5-0. Ending The applicants were told to submit the revised plan sets showing the 30-foot wetland buffer and to secure the permits listed in the conditions. The approval contains specific permit and inspection conditions; the board set a 2030 completion date in the event the project stalls.