Plaistow Planning Board declines to accept site-plan application for 111 Plaistow Road as complete

May 21, 2025 — The Plaistow Planning Board voted May 21 not to accept as complete an amended site‑plan application (PB 2505) from David Berry to redevelop a retail plaza at 111 Plaistow Road to include a drive‑thru restaurant and continued retail uses.

The vote means the board will not open a public hearing on the application at this meeting. The property is identified in the meeting notice as Tax Map 28, Lot 16 in the C‑1 zoning district; the owner of record listed in the notice is Plaistow Road 111 LLC.

Board members said staff and outside consultants received key materials too late for the board to review them before a completeness determination. A consultant report from Steve Keach arrived only the day before the meeting, and members said several required items remained outstanding. Board members noted that accepting the application as complete would start statutory review timelines and, in their view, would shorten the board’s effective response period (comments in the meeting cited a 65‑day window reduced to roughly 35 days if the board accepted completeness without additional review).

During discussion a member said the applicant had asked for an extension and that the applicant ‘‘wants the time to adequately address all of the concerns raised by staff,’’ and another member said they did not want to establish a precedent of accepting applications where completeness was in question. The board asked whether re‑noticing and the applicant’s request for more time mitigated any harm from delaying the completeness determination.

The motion on the table was to accept the application as complete so the board could immediately proceed to a public hearing. The motion was seconded. After discussion the board voted not to accept the application as complete, and the chair stated that the application would not be accepted at this time. The transcript does not record a clear numeric roll‑call tally for the vote.

Next steps discussed by board members included further review between the planning staff and the applicant, and a potential continuance to a future meeting after the missing materials have been submitted and reviewed. Several members indicated the board would revisit the application once staff and the board have had time to review the consultant report and outstanding materials.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the item is listed on the agenda as PB 2505; the application proposes redevelopment of an existing plaza at 111 Plaistow Road to include a drive‑thru restaurant plus landscaping, drainage, parking and lighting updates; a consultant report from Steve Keach was received the day before the meeting; the property was identified as Tax Map 28, Lot 16 in the C‑1 zoning district; the property owner of record shown in the legal notice is Plaistow Road 111 LLC.

The board did not take a final substantive vote on site plan approval; the completeness determination failed and the board signaled it will require time to review outstanding materials before setting a public hearing.