ZBA grants variances to allow commercial use and mini‑storage at Lilac Lane parcel

At its June meeting the Somersworth Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved two variances allowing commercial use and a mini‑warehouse (self‑storage) development on a long, narrow parcel at the end of Lilac Lane (Assessor Map 43, Lot 1L).

The approvals clear two separate zoning hurdles: a variance from Table 5.a.1 to permit a commercial use on a lot with less than the 200 feet of frontage required in the Commercial‑Industrial (CI) district, and a use variance from Table 4.a.5 to allow mini‑warehouses on the same lot. The board voted that neither application had potential regional impact (5–0) and then granted both variances by unanimous votes.

Why it matters: The property owner intends to redevelop a long, narrow, underused parcel that previously received variances in 2014–2015 that lapsed when the proposals were not acted on. The applicant told the board the site is better suited to low‑visibility, low‑traffic uses rather than typical CI frontage businesses or heavy industrial operations, and that indoor storage would generate tax revenue without adding students to local schools or significant utility demands.

What the board heard: City staff identified…