Laconia City Council creates ad hoc committee to review plans for 10‑acre Old North Main parcel

Mayor Hosmer opened the council’s report on housing and said the city had received multiple responses to a request for qualifications for the 10‑acre Old North Main Street parcel and needed a transparent public process to review them. He proposed creating a special ad hoc citizen advisory committee under the council’s rules of procedure and appointing two councilors to the panel.

The council approved the creation of the committee 6–0. Councilor Felcher made the motion; Councilor Haynes seconded. The mayor said he would appoint Councilor Cheney and Councilor Hoffman to the committee and asked the city manager to staff the group and schedule an initial public meeting.

Why it matters: Old North Main is a city‑owned, 10‑acre parcel that drew public attention after the council issued a September 2024 RFQ for potential development. Residents who live adjacent to the property and others raised concerns at recent meetings about transparency, traffic, design and the types of housing proposed. Council members said they want citizen representation and public hearings before any responses advance to formal council consideration.

What the committee will do: Mayor Hosmer described the intended process. He said the city has four responses to the RFQ. The plan as described to the council was for appointed citizens and the two councilors representing nearby wards to be the first reviewers of those responses; the materials would then be shared with other council members as appropriate. The mayor said the committee could recommend inviting one or more respondents to make public presentations or conclude that none of the RFQ responses should be pursued further.

Council discussion and next steps: Councilors debated committee size and membership. Some council members said the committee should include residents who live on or near Old North Main; others cautioned against making the group so large that it becomes unwieldy. The mayor suggested an 8–10 person committee combining ward representation and neighborhood residents. Councilor Cheney said he preferred residents see the responses first; others said that approach would reassure neighbors and improve public confidence. The council directed the city manager to staff the committee, to arrange the initial meeting and to make the RFQ responses available to committee members when the committee convenes.

Public input that informed the decision: During the public comment period, city residents raised related issues. Sean Flanagan asked the council for clarification about a recent planning board zoning change in the Weirs area and urged public engagement. Tom Scribner asked about the status and public availability of an engineering assessment for the nearby antique mall building (601 Main Street) and raised questions about the city’s outstanding bond on the Colonial Theatre and potential added debt if the antique mall purchase and renovations proceed. The mayor and city manager responded that public documents would be shared where legally allowed and that certain discussions had occurred in nonpublic sessions for legitimate reasons under state law.

Formal action taken: The council voted 6–0 to create the special ad hoc citizen advisory committee under Rule 24(j)(1) of the council rules of procedure and to proceed with staff support and public meetings. Mayor Hosmer stated he would appoint Councilor Cheney and Councilor Hoffman to the committee and asked councilors to recommend residents to serve.

What the council did not decide tonight: The council did not approve any particular development, expenditure or contract for the Old North Main parcel. The action was limited to forming a citizen advisory committee to review the four RFQ responses and to hold public meetings before any recommendation comes back to the full council.

Outlook: The council indicated it will schedule committee meetings and a public review process; if the committee recommends pursuing one or more proposals, the matter would return to the council for additional public hearings and possible formal votes.