Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Developer presents 26‑unit cluster subdivision concept for Pickle Pond Road; board weighs sidewalk, buffer and conservation options
Loading...
Summary
A conceptual 26‑lot cluster subdivision on Pickle Pond Road would concentrate building envelopes on about 28 acres and preserve roughly 120 acres as open space; the planning board discussed sidewalk and buffer waivers and asked the applicant to coordinate closely with the public‑works department on road and winter‑maintenance plans.
Developers seeking to build a 26‑unit cluster subdivision on a 150‑acre Pickle Pond Road parcel presented a conceptual layout that would concentrate building sites and streets on the property’s front 28 acres and preserve roughly 120 acres as common open space. The planning board discussed sidewalk and buffer waivers, road design and the potential for deeded conservation of rear acreage.
Benchmark Engineering presented a plan for Parade REI LLC showing two new public roads ending in cul‑de‑sacs, 26 building envelopes, two cisterns for fire protection, a trail easement at the end of one cul‑de‑sac providing access to the larger conserved area and less than 10% total site disturbance (roughly 10 acres including roads and house pads). The applicant requested two waivers to the typical subdivision standards: (1) a waiver to avoid constructing a conventional sidewalk along the Pickle Pond Road frontage, and (2) a waiver to reduce the otherwise required 75‑foot perimeter building buffer along portions of the frontage down to 40 feet (the regulations allow the planning board to consider such a reduction).
Planner and board discussion focused on walkability and winter maintenance: the applicant proposed a 4‑foot striped shoulder/pedestrian accommodation on the internal roads that DPW would be able to plow with the town’s standard equipment rather than a separate raised sidewalk; staff said DPW had reviewed the concept and was conceptually supportive as long as the crown and centerline remained in the travel lanes. Board members also suggested adding a connector path between the two cul‑de‑sacs so residents could walk a loop off the road.
Another board member asked whether the rear open space could be deeded to a conservation organization; the applicant said details remained to be worked out but that the larger rear tract was intended as permanent common land under club or association control. The applicant also told the board they would commit up to roughly $300,000 toward road improvements on Pickle Pond Road if needed to meet DPW standards and allow safer access. The zoning board had previously granted a variance approving the longer than typical road length (about 1,300 feet) that was part of the layout.
The board treated the presentation as conceptual and advised the applicant to proceed to TRC, coordinate with DPW and legal counsel on the open‑space instrument, and prepare a formal subdivision application with detailed sidewalk, buffer, drainage and trail plans. No vote was taken.
Quotes in this article are taken from the meeting record for the Laconia Planning Board.
