Hooksett board approves variances for six-home Edgewater Drive plan with age and rental limits

The Hooksett Zoning Board of Adjustment on an evening vote approved three variances that clear the way for a six-home subdivision at 35 Edgewater Drive, replacing an earlier wedding-venue plan. The board granted a use variance to permit residential development in a commercially zoned portion of the parcel, approved relief from the front-setback requirements for six structures, and allowed septic tanks and associated piping to be sited closer to the water body and property line than the ordinance normally permits.

The board’s action followed roughly two hours of presentation by the applicant team and questioning from board members and several abutters. Applicant representatives described changes from earlier proposals, including a reduction in unit count from seven to six, a voluntary age-restriction covenant limiting occupancy to 55-and-older households, and deed-restricted building footprints. Opponents and nearby residents raised concerns about setbacks, neighborhood character, stormwater and septic impacts, traffic on the narrow road and impacts on private wells.

Why it matters: the approvals allow a nonconforming residential use in a commercially zoned, riverfront parcel and reduce dimensional protections that neighbors said protect the area’s character. The board attached conditions intended to limit some neighborhood impacts: the winning motion included a requirement that the development be age-restricted (55+), that building sizes not be increased beyond plans submitted to the town, and that rentals shorter than 30 days be…