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Board approves site plan for 1279 South Willow charitable gaming facility after traffic and landscaping conditions
Summary
The Manchester Planning & Zoning Board approved CU 2024-025 and SP 2024-019 for a proposed charitable gaming facility at 1279 South Willow, approving waivers and requiring continued traffic coordination and a $20,000 off‑site tree contribution. Staff will track signal timing and post‑opening traffic study commitments.
The Manchester Planning & Zoning Board on Dec. 5 approved applications to consolidate three parcels and build a roughly 63,000–70,000-square-foot charitable gaming facility at 1279 South Willow Street.
The board voted to approve CU 2024-025 and SP 2024-019 with findings of fact and staff recommendations after the applicant and city engineers addressed outstanding traffic and landscaping concerns. Brian Pratt, civil engineer for the applicant, described site changes intended to reduce conflict at the driveway and nearby intersections, including consolidating a curb cut, extending on‑site queuing lanes and adding video detection cameras and adjusted signal timing. "We will be providing a signal timing plan," Pratt said, adding the applicant offered a 3‑ to 6‑month post‑opening follow‑up study to reassess intersection performance.
Why it matters: Daniel O'Neil, alderman at large, told the board the project would create "90 to 95 construction jobs, expand the current complement of jobs from approximately a 120 to approximately a 170, $80,000,000 of investment in our city," remarks the board cited in weighing economic benefits against traffic concerns.
Staff from the city's traffic division flagged several technical items that still need refinement — notably confirmation that left‑turn queueing will not block John Devine Drive during interim conditions and that pedestrian interactions with increased right‑turn volumes are safe under proposed phasing. Jonathan Golby of planning staff read the traffic comments into the record and said most items relate to signal timing and equipment details that can be finalized administratively unless they become material changes requiring a return to public hearing.
As part of the approvals, the applicant increased a previously offered off‑site tree fund contribution from $15,000 to $20,000 to offset an on‑site tree shortfall under current ordinance requirements. The board also accepted the applicant's commitment to work with police and public works on a comprehensive traffic management plan and to perform a follow‑up traffic study within about three to six months of opening.
Board action and next steps: The board approved the site plan and conditional use permit with staff recommendations and recorded a recusal for Andy Boyle. Staff will continue technical review with traffic, DPW and police; if proposed changes exceed a material threshold the applicants will return to the board. The approvals will appear in the city’s minutes and the project will move to final plan recordation and permitting.
