Hooksett ZBA approves six-home plan at 35 Edgewater Drive with age restriction and septic, setback relief

Hooksett — The Hooksett Zoning Board of Adjustment on a series of motions approved variances that clear the way for a six-home residential development at 35 Edgewater Drive, granting (1) a use variance to allow single-family residential units in a commercially zoned parcel, (2) relief from the front-setback requirements for six structures, and (3) a variance for placement of six septic tanks and associated piping. The board attached voluntary, recordable conditions the applicants offered: age restriction (55+), deed or association covenants that prevent later enlargement of the houses beyond the submitted plans, and a prohibition on rentals of less than 30 days. Vote tallies recorded by the board were: use variance — approved 5–0; setback variance — approved 4–1; septic variance — approved 5–0.

Why it matters: the approvals change what had been a commercially zoned parcel along the Merrimack River into a small residential cluster and resolve several technical limits related to water setbacks, septic placement and narrow Edgewater Drive. Neighbors pressed concerns about density, flood risk, wells and traffic; applicants said the revised plan reduces impact compared with a previously approved wedding-venue plan.

What the board decided and what the applicants proposed The applicant team — represented in the hearing by Brent Cole (Granite Engineering), with Paul Scarpetti, John Cronin and Ken Scarpetti present — told the board they revised an earlier seven-unit plan down to six units and added voluntary protections. The record shows the applicants offered to: reduce the unit count from seven to six; make the development age-restricted (55 and older) through deed covenants and homeowners-association rules; prohibit short-term rentals under 30 days in the chain of title; and record covenants preventing enlargement of the submitted house plans.

The board considered three separate variance applications filed as part of the same project. The principal technical facts presented at the hearing include: - Zoning/setbacks: the commercial zoning on the waterfront carries a 50-foot front setback; the applicants sought relief to allow structures with as little as 17 feet to the foundation and 11 feet to a porch eave in several locations along Edgewater Drive. -…