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Plaistow planners review concept to convert 111 Plaistow Road into restaurant with drive‑through
Summary
Developers presented a conceptual site plan for 111 Plaistow Road proposing extensive exterior renovations, a 5,500‑square‑foot, 100‑seat restaurant with a drive‑through and additional parking; board gave preliminary feedback and said a formal site plan application, septic permits and NH DOT review will be required.
Plaistow Planning Board members heard a conceptual presentation on March 19 about a proposed renovation and new restaurant at 111 Plaistow Road that would add a drive‑through lane and extra parking.
The developer and property owner, Jim Hanley of SEC & Associates, told the board the site contains an existing 18,000‑square‑foot commercial building on about 1.96 acres in the C‑1 zoning district and in the town's aquifer protection district. Hanley said the concept would convert approximately 5,500 square feet of the building to a restaurant with about 100 seats and leave roughly 12,500 square feet as retail; the plan shows a two‑lane drive‑through, and the applicant proposed increasing parking from about 50 spaces to 83 by adding 33 spaces (Hanley said those 18 spaces along one row could be "banked" and not built if not needed).
Board members asked questions about queuing, sight lines on Route 125, landscaping, snow storage and the septic system. Hanley said the project would tie into domestic water, would require a new septic designed for the higher flow from the restaurant and would need permits from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation for a change of use even though the existing driveway location would be retained. He said the project would increase impervious area by roughly 3,300 square feet if the banked parking is built.
Members generally described the concept as an improvement to the plaza, suggested stronger evergreen buffers along the Route 125 frontage and emphasized maintaining sight lines for motorists entering and exiting the site. Hanley said he and his partners had met with police and fire about the plan and that those departments had not offered major concerns for the concept as shown.
The board treated the session as conceptual only; no application was accepted or voted on. Hanley said he expected to file a formal site plan application within about 30 days and to proceed quickly once town and state approvals, and a septic design, are in place.
The planning board noted the applicant will require formal site plan review under Plaistow regulations, septic permits and any NH DOT approvals related to the change of use and access along Route 125. Members also urged the applicant to provide a clear landscaping plan that preserves required sight distances at the Route 125 entrance.
