Planning board approves 4‑unit conversion at 500 Union Ave amid parking concerns; vote 4‑2

The Laconia Planning Board voted 4‑2 to approve a site plan converting the property at 500 Union Avenue into a four‑unit multifamily building, despite several members describing the parking layout as awkward and raising concerns about safe vehicle egress.

Applicant Daryl Dunham, owner of the property, told the board he had worked through the Technical Review Committee and that TRC comments were incorporated into the plan. The staff report found the application complete and recommended conditions that must be satisfied before and after construction, including 9‑1‑1 addressing, all municipal and state permits in place before Mylar signing, water‑department and fire‑department specifications, a required residential buffer (a fence or vegetative screen) along parking adjacent to residential parcels under section 235‑48, delineation of parking spaces, snow‑storage provisions, prohibition on vehicles backing out directly onto Union Avenue and payment of impact fees ($3,481.11 per new dwelling unit as identified in the staff report). The project must be completed by Oct. 7, 2030, or approval will lapse.

Board members focused significant discussion on the proposed parking layout. Several members said the first parking space nearest Union Avenue would require a vehicle to back directly onto the road unless the driver performed a multi‑point turnaround on‑site; others said that in practice residents would find ad hoc workarounds (e.g., parking across the street or using off‑site spaces the applicant reported he had an agreement for). The applicant said two off‑lot parking spaces are reserved by agreement with a neighbor and that the plan shows four legitimate spaces meeting the ordinance requirement of one space per dwelling unit, per state law.

During debate one board member said: “I don’t love it, but at the same time, I think he’s provided us what we need to see in order to give this an approval.” Another member said the proposed layout creates a potential ongoing hazard where vehicles might back into Union Avenue, and noted enforcement of a “no backing onto Union Avenue” condition would be limited once the project is approved.

After discussion a motion to approve the application with the staff’s recommended conditions carried on a 4‑in‑favor, 2‑against vote. The record shows the board required a 10‑foot landscape perimeter buffer for the parking area that abuts residential parcels and a prohibition on vehicles backing out onto Union Avenue; the staff report also required snow storage and as‑built submissions before certificates of occupancy are issued.

The applicant was advised to secure any off‑site parking agreements in writing and demonstrate compliance with the buffer and municipal water and fire specifications before final Mylar signing. Quotes used in this article are from the hearing record and from the applicant’s presentation.