Planning board approves lot-line adjustment, subdivision and 30-unit condo site plan at 15 Blackwater Road with conditions

At a Somersworth Planning Board meeting, members approved a three-part land-transfer and development package that will reconfigure part of Parkview Terrace and clear the way for a 30-unit condominium development and a retained ball field on a former National Guard property at 15 Blackwater Road.

The board approved (1) a lot-line adjustment that transfers roughly 2,623 square feet from an Eversource parcel (Map 22, Lot 9) to the city-owned parcel referenced as Lot 50; (2) a three-lot minor subdivision of the roughly 7.2-acre site into a ball-field lot (about 2.7 acres), a small lot containing the existing brick building, and a larger condominium parcel; and (3) site-plan approval for six condominium buildings totaling 30 units to be served by a private road and underground utilities. Michelle Mears, the city’s director of planning and community development, told the board the conveyance must be accepted by the City Council: “The acceptance of the conveyance needs to be accepted by the city council,” she said.

Why it matters: the package ties together land ownership, public access to the Little League ball field, continued Superfund monitoring access and proposed private development. The actions also preserve municipal access for utilities and future maintenance of a planned solar installation at the adjacent Superfund site while enabling a private developer to build housing the city says it needs.

Key decisions and conditions - Lot-line adjustment: approved with conditions requiring City Council acceptance of the conveyance, submission of monumentation and a notarized deed to be recorded simultaneously with the plot, and submittal of a copy of any electrical easement noted on the plan.

- Subdivision (three lots): approved with conditions. Staff required final plans to bear the stamps of a licensed engineer, land surveyor and wetland scientist; monumentation of lot corners; submission and recording of public-access easement documents for access to Lot 10-2 (the ball field); an escrow (amount determined by planning staff) to cover easement review and recording; and other standard preconstruction and utility requirements.

- Site plan (30 condominium units): approved with conditions from the planning director and DPW, including: engineered sidewalk plans and ADA-compliant sidewalk construction on Blackwater Road; placing a maintenance manhole in Blackwater Road for the new sewer connection (DPW requirement); final condominium documents and a deed for the ball field submitted for legal review; posting of construction escrow and performance surety (no less than 25% of the site-construction estimate); erosion and stormwater controls; landscaping survival security; annual stormwater inspection reporting; downlit shielding for exterior lighting; and as-built plans. The board also required final stamps/signatures, and completion of outstanding third-party review comments.

Operational and access points - Parkview Terrace: the board heard that a portion of Parkview Terrace would transition from public right-of-way to private road maintained by the condominium association following subdivision, with an access easement reserved for the city to reach the ball field and a separate access easement for Eversource to access utilities.

- Monitoring well: the city required an access easement for an existing Superfund monitoring well located near the former maintenance building so monitoring may continue after conveyance and redevelopment.

- Scoreboard: board members asked that fixed items associated with the ball field (for example the scoreboard and flagpoles) be verified on final plans; if a scoreboard falls on to a different lot as a result of the new lot line, the developer will be required to relocate it onto the ball-field lot (Lot 10-2).

Waivers and design items The applicant received a waiver for the tree-planting requirement in front yards for certain lots. The board also accepted a waiver from a Class B buffer requirement for a small portion of the site adjacent to the existing building to remain; in that location the applicant provided a row of evergreens and a 6-foot vinyl fence for screening.

Next steps Several conditions must be completed before final sign-off — notably City Council acceptance of the land conveyance and recorded easement documents, completion of third-party reviews and submission of condominium and deed instruments for legal review. DPW must sign off on revised sewer connection details and a manhole structure for future maintenance.

Speakers who addressed the item included Michelle Mears (Director of Planning and Community Development), Chris Rice (TF Moran, representing the applicant), applicants Ken Scarpetti and Doug Anderson, Jason Cook (TF Moran), and civil engineer Jeff Alleva. Several planning-board members participated in the review, including David Witham, Jeremy Rhodes and Robert Bellmore.

The board’s approvals were conditional and procedural; the conveyance and easement recordings remain subject to City Council action.