Conservation commission urges snow-storage, fertilizer limits for proposed church at 420 Daniel Webster Highway

MERRIMACK, N.H. — The Merrimack Conservation Commission told a prospective applicant it will forward a recommendation to the planning board for a change of use at 420 Daniel Webster Highway only if the applicant addresses snow-storage, winter maintenance, and fertilizer restrictions.

The commission reviewed Felipe Goncalves’s application on April 28 to waive full site‑plan review and change a parcel’s use from a pharmacy to a church. The parcel sits in the C-2 Commercial district and in Aquifer Conservation and wellhead-protection overlay areas.

Commissioners said their principal concern is where plowed snow will be stored and how meltwater will be managed so contaminants do not drain to the nearby river. “We were concerned about the location of snow removal because we believe that part of the property slopes down to the river. And we don't want the snow to melt into the river because it often contains contaminants,” said a member of the commission (public record attribution: Commissioner). The commission recommended the applicant avoid storing snow where runoff would flow off-site and instead use paved parking areas or off-site rental spaces the applicant has already explored with adjacent plaza management.

Why it matters: meltwater from parking lots can carry road salt, sand and vehicle residues into the river and aquifer. The parcel’s location inside an aquifer protection district raises the commission’s caution about any practice that could increase pollutant loads to groundwater or surface water.

The commission also asked that winter maintenance be done by a Green Snow Pro–certified contractor and that any future landscaping use no phosphate fertilizer. “We recommend no phosphate fertilizer,” the commission chair instructed; commissioners also urged use of noninvasive plantings. The commission said it will email the planning board its recommendation “provided some storage is addressed so that it does not drain into adjacent properties,” and requested that the applicant have engineers show how snow storage and parking could be adjusted to avoid channeling meltwater toward the river.

What was discussed: Goncalves told the commission the church expects variable parking demand — low most weeks and larger occupancy for occasional services — and has discussed short-term rental of nearby plaza spaces to handle overflow rather than using on-site areas that drain toward the river. Commissioners suggested moving proposed snow storage toward paved middle parking stalls or leasing spaces in neighboring lots to minimize on-site melt runoff.

Next steps: The commission said it will email its comments to the planning board that evening and work with planning staff to ensure required notes about winter maintenance and fertilizer appear on any plan sent forward. The applicant indicated he had already appeared before planning and zoning and was awaiting the commission’s recommendation.

Speakers: [{"name":"Felipe Goncalves","role_title":"Applicant","affiliation_type":"business","affiliation_name":"Premier Commercial Properties LLC","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:24.42","transcript_line_range":[1,6]}},{"name":"Commissioner","role_title":"Commissioner","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Merrimack Conservation Commission","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:24.42","transcript_line_range":[1,6]}}]

authorities:[{"type":"policy","name":"Aquifer Conservation District / wellhead protection overlays (local planning designations)","referenced_by":["Conservation commission recommendation"]},{"type":"policy","name":"Green Snow Pro winter maintenance certification (recommended)","referenced_by":["Conservation commission recommendation"]}],

actions:[{"kind":"referral","motion":"Conservation Commission will email the planning board recommending approval provided snow storage is addressed so runoff does not drain into adjacent properties; require Green Snow Pro winter maintenance and no‑phosphate landscaping notes on the plan","mover":"Commissioner","second":"unspecified","tally":{"yes":null,"no":null,"abstain":null},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Recommendation to planning board, not a formal permit decision."}],

discussion_decision:{"discussion_points":["Applicant seeks waiver of full site plan review to change use from pharmacy to church at 420 Daniel Webster Highway","Commission concerns about snow storage location and meltwater draining to adjacent river/wetlands","Request that landscaping avoid invasive species and use no‑phosphate fertilizer","Applicant has contacted adjacent plaza to rent overflow parking spaces for peak services"] ,"directions":["Staff to forward commission comments to planning board tonight","Applicant asked to have engineer show alternative snow‑storage/parking layout to avoid runoff"],"decisions":["Commission will recommend to planning board conditional approval subject to snow storage and fertilizer/maintenance notes"]},

proper_names:[{"name":"420 Daniel Webster Highway","type":"location"},{"name":"Premier Commercial Properties LLC","type":"business"}],

clarifying_details:[{"category":"zoning","detail":"Parcel is in C-2 Commercial and Aquifer Conservation (wellhead protection) overlays","value":true,"units":"boolean","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Commissioner"},{"category":"recommendation","detail":"Require Green Snow Pro–certified winter maintenance","value":true,"units":"boolean","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Commissioner"},{"category":"recommendation","detail":"No phosphate fertilizer for landscaping","value":true,"units":"boolean","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Commissioner"}],

community_relevance:{"geographies":["Daniel Webster Highway corridor"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["river/aquifer users","downstream property owners"]},

meeting_context:{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":3,"duration_minutes":40,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"low","history":[{"date":"2025-04-28","note":"Applicant presented; planning and zoning previously seen application."}]},

searchable_tags:["snow storage","aquifer","Daniel Webster Highway","Green Snow Pro","fertilizer"],

provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"transcript_block_24.415","local_start":0,"local_end":311,"evidence_excerpt":"Good evening, everyone. It is 06:30PM. This is the April 28, Merrimac Conservation Commission meeting... Review for recommendations to the planning board regarding a waiver of full site plan review to change the use of a site from a pharmacy to a church...","tc_start":"00:24.415","tc_end":"00:68.920","text_sha256":""},{"block_id":"transcript_block_142.19","local_start":0,"local_end":280,"evidence_excerpt":"I saw, the added snow storage location... we were concerned about the location of snow removal because we believe that part of the property slopes down to the river...","tc_start":"00:142.19","tc_end":"00:171.01","text_sha256":""}]}