Planning board moves forward on ordinance to allow casinos in Commercial Resort district with limits

The Laconia Planning Board on Jan. 7 voted to advance a proposed zoning amendment that would add "casino" as a use permitted by conditional use permit in the Commercial Resort (CR) zoning district and establish performance standards for facilities offering games of chance.

The amendment would define "casino" and "games of chance" by reference to RSA 287‑D and the New Hampshire Lottery Commission and require that any casino receive a conditional use permit from the planning board. Tyler Carmichael, assistant planner, read the draft standards and told the board that the proposed conditions were developed after consultation with legal counsel and the city manager’s office.

Key proposed conditions (as discussed and added to at the meeting): casinos must be approved to operate by the New Hampshire Lottery Commission; they would be permitted only on parcels in the CR district that abut Endicott Street East, Endicott Street North or Weirs Boulevard (the board agreed to add language allowing parcels that abut Lakeside Avenue only if primary access and parking are provided from Endicott or Weirs Boulevard); gaming floors must be indoors; casinos must submit traffic‑management, public‑safety and infrastructure plans for planning‑department review; and parking would be required at a ratio of one space per 90 square feet of gross casino floor area (the ratio was drawn from comparative practice noted by staff).

Why it matters: Allowing casinos in the CR district would add a new commercial use with potential traffic, public-safety and parking implications for the city. The planning board emphasized that any individual proposal would still need a conditional use permit and additional studies (traffic, public safety and infrastructure) before construction or operations could proceed.

Board action: After public comment was opened and closed with no speakers, the board voted to move the amendment forward with the additional provision discussed at the meeting (allowing Lakeside‑fronting parcels subject to access from Endicott/Weirs). The amendment now proceeds to the city council public‑hearing process; any future application at the project level would return to the planning board for a conditional use review.

Quote: "All casinos must receive a conditional use permit from the planning board and adhere to the following requirements," Tyler Carmichael, assistant planner, told the board during the presentation.

Next steps: Planning staff will prepare the ordinance language reflecting the board’s additions and forward the draft to the city council for public hearings and their decision. Individual developers proposing casinos will be required to demonstrate traffic, parking and public‑safety capacity as part of a subsequent permit application.