Planning board approves Parade Road subdivision, 11 West Street conversion and Lexington Drive extension; tables Blueberry Lane rezoning

Laconia Planning Board members on March 4 approved a sidewalk waiver and a two‑lot subdivision on Parade Road (PB2025‑032), approved a conversion adding two dwelling units at 11 West Street (PB2025‑037), and granted an extension for an approved site plan on Lexington Drive (PB2025‑044). The board also voted to table a zoning map amendment for 35 Blueberry Lane to its April 1 meeting.

The approvals came with standard staff conditions, impact fees and recording requirements; the board recorded one abstention on the Parade Road sidewalk waiver.

The Parade Road application: The applicant, owner Steve Maury, told the board he is proposing a boundary line adjustment that will allow creation of two single‑family lots from an original 5.12‑acre parcel. Each new lot will have roughly 200 feet of frontage; one lot will be about 2.1 acres, the other about 3.27 acres. The board granted a waiver of the sidewalk requirement for the rural Parade Road location and then accepted and approved the subdivision (application PB2025‑032). Staff conditions include correcting deed book and page numbers, recording a deed at the Belknap County Registry of Deeds conveying 10,638 square feet between parcels, submission of final plan sets and mylar at the applicant’s expense, and payment of impact fees. Staff stated an impact fee of $3,814.80 is due for each new single‑family dwelling and that the approval will expire if all conditions are not met by March 4, 2030. Steve Maury described the septic and well arrangements and confirmed the sidewalk waiver had been requested and approved.

11 West Street conversion: Applicant Sam Calmerton said he purchased the four‑unit building in 2021 and proposed converting an attached barn into two additional rental units (application PB2025‑037). Staff presented conditions that must be met before construction and before certificates of occupancy, including municipal water and sewer specifications, installation and annual testing of a testable backflow device, compliance with the New Hampshire State Fire Code (including a fire sprinkler system and separate service for that system), CCTV inspection and upgrade of sewer service to a minimum 6‑inch SDR‑35 pipe, delineation of required parking, and payment of an impact fee of $3,481.37 per new dwelling unit. The board voted to approve the application with the conditions in the staff report.

Lexington Drive extension: Property owner Robert Gallagher requested more time to complete an approved site plan; he said he purchased another building and delayed construction while seeking tenants and because drainage work along the road may require DES permits. The board approved an extension of the project's completion date to May 3, 2028 (application PB2025‑044), with the original approval’s other conditions to remain in effect.

Blueberry Lane rezoning tabled: Planning staff presented a proposal to rezone a single parcel at 35 Blueberry Lane from Residential Single‑Family (RS) to Residential Apartment (RA). Staff said the proposal aligns with the master plan’s encouragement of mid‑market multifamily housing and noted the parcel’s irregular shape and wetland buffers. A board member asked for more time for review; a motion to table the rezoning was adopted and the item was scheduled for the board’s April 1 meeting.

Votes at a glance - PB2025‑032 (Parade Road) — action: sidewalk waiver granted; application accepted and subdivision approved; impact fee $3,814.80 per new single‑family dwelling; approval expires 2025‑03‑04 +5 years extension deadline of 2030‑03‑04; one abstention recorded. (Provenance: staff report and applicant presentation.) - PB2025‑037 (11 West Street) — action: conversion approved with conditions including fire sprinkler, backflow device, sewer upgrade to 6‑inch SDR‑35, and impact fee $3,481.37 per new dwelling unit; completion deadline 2030‑03‑04. (Provenance: applicant presentation; staff conditions.) - PB2025‑044 (Lexington Drive) — action: extension of completion date approved to 2028‑05‑03; all original conditions remain in force. (Provenance: applicant comments; staff report.) - Rezoning 35 Blueberry Lane — action: tabled to April 1, 2025. (Provenance: staff presentation; motion to table.)

Ending: Planning staff noted applicants must meet all listed conditions, obtain required municipal, state and federal permits and record final plans where required. The board and staff repeatedly referenced RSA 674:39 for impact fee authority and the New Hampshire State Fire Code for building and fire‑safety requirements.