Planning Board continues Granite Woods subdivision after wide-ranging discussion on access, TIF and wetland impacts

The Hooksett Planning Board on March 3 accepted jurisdiction for an application from Granite Woods LLC to subdivide and create land condominium parcels on a roughly 60-acre site known as Lot 7, but the board deferred final action and continued the public hearing to March 17 amid detailed questions about access, TIF financing and wetland impacts.

Attorney John Cronin, representing the applicant, and project engineer Richard Whitehouse of VHB presented the plan: the master site is roughly 60 acres with approvals and infrastructure in place for phased construction of up to a 500,000-square-foot industrial building. As presented, the applicant seeks to carve a northeastern parcel—shown as proposed Lot 72—of approximately 10.29 acres off the larger property so that the developer can secure mortgage financing for the first phase (about 100,000 square feet) without encumbering the entire site.

Why it matters: The parcel sits adjacent to a town TIF (tax increment financing) district and conservation…