Merrimack Planning Board: consent agenda approved; multiple continuances set; master-plan work delayed

The Merrimack Planning Board’s May 6 meeting included routine approvals, several continuances and a staff report noting that the town’s master‑plan timetable will be delayed because the town is operating under a default budget.

Key votes and procedural outcomes: • Consent agenda: Nelson moved to approve; Halim seconded. Vote recorded 6–0–0 to approve the consent agenda. • Item 3 (44 Daniel Webster Highway, Picard trust): Applicant requested continuance to 06/03/2025; the board voted to continue (6–0–0). • Item 5 (101 Herrick Street, Ferris Enterprises): Applicant requested continuance to 06/03/2025 to allow third‑party engineering review; board voted to continue (recorded 5–0–1). • Minutes: The board approved the minutes for 04/01/2025 with a recorded vote of 5–0–1. • Adjournment: The board adjourned after roughly one hour of business; adjournment recorded 6–0–0.

Staff report and other business: Casey (planning staff) introduced Amanda, the new assistant planner, and said staff processed two administrative approvals in the last month: a reduction to the parking footprint at an approved veterinary hospital at 106 Herrick Street and a small drainage/survey correction at Colt Refining’s site. Casey also told the board that because town voters left the town on a default budget, funding for consultant work on the master plan will be delayed by at least a year; the board discussed focusing the next plan cycle on redevelopment along the Daniel Webster Highway corridor.

No public comments were offered during the planning‑board public hearings on the evening’s docket.