Keene Zoning Board unanimously approves expansion of Court Street Veterinary Hospital
Loading...
Summary
The Keene Zoning Board of Adjustment approved ZBA2025-04 to expand a nonconforming veterinary hospital at 686 Court Street, permitting about a 1,000 sq ft infill addition and interior renovations to add medical services and a barrier-free entrance. The approval was unanimous and granted with no conditions.
The Keene Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a request to expand a nonconforming veterinary hospital at 686 Court Street, granting ZBA2025-04 for an approximately 1,000-square-foot infill addition and interior renovations to Court Street Veterinary Hospital.
Planner Evan Clements told the board the site is a 4.2-acre parcel with a 7,106-square-foot, one-story building that houses the hospital and that the property abuts the Ashwillette River. "The parking requirements . . . with the proposed addition, that would bring their demand up to 27 parking spaces," Clements said, and he noted the site currently provides 33 parking spaces. He read the three approval criteria for enlarging a nonconforming use and recommended approval of the application without conditions, citing previous ZBA approvals for the property in 1984, 1989 and 2020.
Peter Hill, president of HDA Architects (representing the applicant), said the project focuses on medical services rather than high-volume retail grooming. "We're taking out a service that would be considered a very high volume retail service, and that's grooming," Hill said, adding that the renovation will allow additional medical therapy services, including a physical therapy area with an underwater treadmill. He described the work as a modest infill that "is only 1,000 square feet of a floor plane" realized over two levels and said most of the work is internal.
Hill described materials and accessibility changes, saying the project will "bring the siding around" to unify the exterior and will relocate the main entrance to provide a barrier-free entry. "We're making the building handicap accessible by putting in the new entrance," he said. Hill also noted the project will remove a propane system and convert the building to all-electric, with only a small increase in electrical demand.
Board members said the presentation addressed their concerns and met the three approval standards. Board member Tad Shrantz moved to approve ZBA2025-04 as shown on the HDA Architects plan dated 05/05/2025 and in application materials received 05/16/2025, with no conditions; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously on all three criteria.
The board closed the public hearing after no public comments were offered. The approval allows the veterinary hospital to proceed with the described infill and interior renovations; the motion and vote record were entered into the meeting minutes.
