Planning board approves Eagle’s Nest site plan with landscaping waivers and conditions

The Hooksett Planning Board on Monday approved a commercial site plan for the Eagle’s Nest property at 1501 Hooksett Road, granting two landscaping waivers and adding conditions for additional screening and plantings.

Brad Caspersen, a professional engineer with Meridian Land Services, presented updated plans the same day for the project, including color architectural plans, a landscaping performance exhibit, screening details for a dumpster, and driveway sight-distance profiles. Grant (community development staff) confirmed the packet included the updated set and noted two waiver requests from front landscape area and street tree strip requirements.

The board voted to grant two waivers from the Hooksett Zoning Ordinance: H2B (reduced street-tree strip landscaping) and H2C (reduced front landscape area plantings) citing existing, nonconforming site conditions. The waivers passed by roll call. The board and applicant discussed the amount of existing vegetation likely to be lost during construction; the applicant said much of the interior vegetation would be disturbed and proposed wildflower seed mixes and other plantings to stabilize cut slopes.

Owner Christy Ledger told the board she wanted flexibility for site amenities and said, “I would hate to box ourselves into something because we do have a lot of pets up there... maybe have some grass because grass is not bad either.” The board discussed options including adding a dog park area later, and agreed that staff (Grant and Community Development) could review substitutions of existing vegetation per the landscaping ordinance.

Planner Grant read the development regulation citation that permits substitution of retained vegetation in lieu of new plantings (Section H2D) and the board made that citation a condition: if existing plantings are removed during construction, the applicant will work with Community Development to substitute plantings that meet the ordinance intent.

The board also required additional screening around the dumpster and asked that plantings be added along the roadside of the dumpster to break sight lines. Legal counsel advised that commercial impact fees did not apply to hotels/motels, and the board noted no impact fees were required for this application.

The final motion approved the commercial site-plan application pursuant to RSA 676:4 II with conditions (items 1–6 plus newly added items 7 and 8), standard subsequent conditions 1–5, and conditional items prior to issuance of certificate of occupancy 1–5. The approval passed in a roll-call vote with all members voting yes.