Planning Board approves commercial site plan for 51 Londonderry Turnpike with conditions, waivers and $17,008.59 in impact fees

The Hooksett Planning Board on May 19 approved a commercial site plan for 51 Londonderry Turnpike after the applicant committed to a series of exterior improvements and the board granted three waivers for parking, lighting-plan submission and landscaping.

Applicant Roger Duhaime showed photos of recent cleanup and repair work at the building and told the board he plans to replace failing roofing, update siding and windows and improve the sign and site appearance. Duhaime said the property will be used primarily for appointments and a showroom, and that he does not expect high daily customer volumes; staff confirmed the parking calculation for the proposed use is driven largely by the number of employees.

The board voted to grant three waivers the applicant requested: a waiver from the development regulations (part 1, section 15.01) to remove four parking spaces (those in front of existing overhead doors and loading bays), a waiver from the outdoor site lighting-plan submission requirement (part 1, section 16.042) with the condition that lighting must meet code and be reviewed with the code enforcement officer, and a waiver from the landscaping design criteria (part 3, section 3.04) for portions of the constrained frontage where trees and snow storage limit plantings.

The board also found there was no regional impact under the state statute cited in the public hearing and assessed impact fees of $17,008.59 for traffic and public safety. The applicant had not requested impact-fee waivers.

After discussing a set of site-improvement conditions proposed by board members, the Planning Board approved the site plan subject to written conditions recorded in the approval. Key conditions the board added require that the front façade be brought to a consistent architectural treatment (the applicant agreed to install new siding or matching material across the front elevation and remove or replace the existing roadside sign) prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy; the rest of the building’s exterior is to be fully repainted within one year of the certificate of occupancy; and the parking lot pavement must be fully replaced within two years of the certificate of occupancy. The board recorded several other standard conditions (insurance, as‑built plans, any required state permits) and required the applicant to provide signed plan copies for filing so the town can release building permits.

Board members and staff walked through details shown in the applicant’s photos and plans: the applicant has installed new roofing on part of the building and replaced some siding and windows but will need to extend the new siding to the other front corner to achieve a consistent look. Members emphasized that several of the old overhead doors on the building appeared unnecessary for the proposed use and discussed permanently closing or painting them so the front of the building presents a single, consistent façade rather than many garage bays.

The board’s motion to approve cited RSA 674:44 (procedures for local site-plan approval) and included the conditions noted above; the vote to approve carried after a motion and second. Staff will circulate the signed plan set to the applicant and the town’s code-enforcement office so the applicant may pursue required permits. The applicant and staff were advised that some minor maintenance work (power washing and non‑structural painting) could begin earlier in coordination with the code-enforcement officer, but siding or other work constrained by building-permit rules may require signed plan sets and permits first.