Conservation commission raises questions, sends 'no objection' letter for proposed Hooksett car wash; requests filtration and chemical data

At its Aug. 11 meeting, the Hooksett Conservation Commission voted to send a letter to the Zoning Board and Planning Board saying it had no objection to a proposed tunnel car wash redevelopment on the former auto-dealership site, while requesting additional technical information about filtration and chemical handling.

The project team from GPI (Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.) described plans to demolish an existing auto dealership, reduce roughly an acre of impervious surface and construct a new tunnel car wash with associated vacuum stations and stormwater best-management practices. Pat McLaughlin, project manager with GPI, said the filing now estimates 965 square feet of wetland disturbance for a short culverted section at a rear “pinch point.”

The commission’s request to the applicant and the town asks for: (1) Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) or product data for chemicals and waxes used on-site; (2) specifications for the central vacuum filtration and any exhaust filtration; and (3) clarification of how the operator disposes of the roughly 32% of water the presenters said would not be recycled on-site.

Why it matters: The site sits adjacent to a channelized wetland…