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Residents urge town to block sale of land behind University Heights after deed shows town ownership
Summary
Two Hooksett residents told the Conservation Commission the town now holds deeded title to roughly 200 acres behind University Heights and urged the town to keep developable acreage under conservation and put a warrant article before voters.
Philip Fotanidis, a Hooksett resident and member of the Conservation Commission, told the commission he discovered a county deed showing the town now holds title to a parcel of land behind University Heights and urged officials to halt proposed development and consider a warrant article to keep the land in public hands.
“About an hour ago I looked at the agenda for the Town of Hooksett Town Council and I see a public hearing to obtain comments regarding the retention or sale of two additional town-owned properties,” Philip Fotanidis said. He said a recording at the Merrimack County Registry of Deeds dated June 9, 2025, lists the town tax collector and indicates the town now owns the property, and he cited a tax-collector figure of $14,542.35 as the recorded lien amount.
The matter matters to residents because, Fotanidis said, the roughly 200-acre parcel behind University Heights includes about 100 acres of wetlands and another roughly 100 acres he described as potentially developable. “I would put the brakes on a thousand homes that are supposedly gonna be erected back there,” he said, citing traffic and infrastructure concerns.
Mary Jo Paterra, who gave her address as 1611 Hooksett Road and said she purchased a house in the area this spring, echoed those concerns. Paterra said she had not received town notice and learned about the council agenda while reviewing plans for her property. “I second what Phil stated — I do believe conservation land is important to communities,” she told the commission, and asked that the commission consider drafting a warrant article to keep the parcel out of developers’ hands.
Commission members advised the speakers that the Town Council agenda—including an item scheduled for Sept. 10, 2025—was the appropriate forum for formal comment about retention or sale, and they encouraged residents to speak at that council meeting as well. The commission’s town-council representative, Alex Walczak, said he expected to attend the council meeting and report back to the commission.
The commission did not take formal action at the meeting on the Fotanidis/Paterra comments. Several members said the conservation commission’s role includes advising other land‑use boards and that any decision about retaining or selling town-owned land would proceed through Town Council or, if necessary, a voter warrant article. The commission noted it could request more documentation or insist on being formally notified when town-owned parcels are proposed for sale or transfer.
