Planning board approves Laconia Village master plan; requires traffic, stormwater and third‑party reviews

The Laconia Planning Board approved an overall development plan and conditional use permit for the former state school site on July 1, clearing the way for a phased, mixed‑use project submitted by Pillsbury Realty Development and presented by City Collective.

The board made its decision after a lengthy public exchange about traffic, wetlands, wildlife habitat and long‑term phasing. The approval requires the developer to deliver a finalized plan and multiple third‑party reviews before any Phase 1 site plan or building permit are accepted.

The plan covers roughly the parcel the state put under contract in September 2024 and envisions multiple walkable neighborhoods, public open space and a mix of housing and commercial uses. Justin Kernan, design lead for City Collective, told the board the filing “is not an individual site plan approval and submission,” and that if the board approved the master plan, the first site plan would return to the board in 2026.

Ari Pollock, an attorney on the project team, summarized the fiscal memo included with the submission and said the consultant’s work shows the proposal would be net positive for municipal revenues. “We believe we've provided a very positive and conservative estimation for what the fiscal impact of the project will be on the community,” Pollock said.

The board attached detailed conditions to the approval. Among the principal requirements: the developer must identify which internal roads will be public versus private; acknowledge that impact fees will be assessed at rates in force when site plans are approved; build roads to the city’s minimum standards unless specifically waived by the planning board; and carry private‑road maintenance, solid waste and utility plans for any private streets. A final traffic study covering off‑site mitigation is required before Phase 1 plan submission, and both the traffic and the full build‑out stormwater report must pass third‑party review paid by the applicant and approved by the planning department. The stormwater work must address snow storage and melt and the effects of proposed discharge points on downstream properties.

The planning‑department staff report also conditions recording a voluntary lot merger, submission of condominium documents where applicable, and submission of 9‑1‑1 addresses and floor plans for all units. The board’s conditions require the developer to submit a completed overall development plan by Sept. 25, 2026, and state that if the conditions are not met or no extension is filed, the approval will lapse.

Residents and stakeholders raised a range of concerns during public comment. Dean Hanson, chair of the Conservation Commission, urged the developer to scale back tall buildings in visible areas — “5‑story buildings on this site … I think it's too much,” he said — and to prioritize keeping stormwater on site. Star Lawton of Fun Spot asked the board and developer to study traffic impacts on Route 3 and existing intersections; project engineers told the board an extensive traffic study covering 21 intersections is underway and will be peer‑reviewed before permits are issued.

Board members emphasized that this approval is a master plan and not authorization to construct buildings. Mike Della Vecchia moved to approve PB2025‑054, including the conditional use permit and the overall development plan, and Amy Lovisek seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

The board’s action sets the framework for subsequent phase‑by‑phase site plans and requires multiple additional technical studies and approvals, including third‑party reviews of traffic, stormwater and building/fire life‑safety code submittals, before vertical construction can proceed.

The developer and city staff said they will continue outreach with neighbors and with municipal departments to refine mitigation and design before Phase 1 returns to the planning board.