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Developer presents updated Gilbert Crossing concept; board and neighbors press on traffic and PFOA concerns
Summary
The John Flatley Company presented a revised mixed‑use concept for Gilbert Crossing that shifts earlier retail toward housing (roughly 300+ units) and about 50,000 sq ft of retail; Planning Board members and a nearby resident raised traffic, DOT coordination and PFOA/soil‑management concerns; developer said it will pursue DES and DOT reviews and the zoning hearing is impending.
Kevin Walker of the John Flatley Company presented a conceptual update to the board on June 3 for parcels along Daniel Webster Highway (Gilbert Crossing). The concept reduces previously mapped retail, adds housing and other mixed‑use elements and, according to Walker, would create roughly 304 residential units alongside about 50,000 square feet of retail and a smaller hotel.
Walker said the plan evolved from an earlier 2014/2015 master plan and emphasized pedestrian circulation, on‑site green space and a phased approach; he said Buildings 6 and 7 are already under construction in the development and that the company has submitted a zoning application and intends to seek a courtesy recommendation from the Planning Board before the zoning hearing (the developer referenced a hearing around the "20 fifth" in his remarks).
Board members pressed the developer on traffic capacity along Daniel Webster Highway and on coordination with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (DOT). Board member Pete said he worries about added traffic and the potential for the town to be asked to accept more congestion; Walker said he has engaged DOT on roadway design and that the company is prepared to give easements or widenings to accommodate a future multi‑lane alignment if DOT requires it. Walker also said the team will supply a traffic study when the plan advances.
Several board members raised PFOA (PFAS) and soil‑management questions. Walker said the developer met with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (DES) earlier in the process, has monitoring well data and intends to keep site soils on site when required; he noted that prior tests show variable PFOA levels across the larger parcel and that DES guidance has shaped detention and infiltration plans.
A nearby resident, Ashley Tenhave of Webster Green, urged the board to weigh neighborhood traffic impacts and said existing congestion makes left turns and routine travel difficult: "Traffic is horrendous... We spend 15 minutes, 20 minutes sometimes just trying to get out of our place." Tenhave also expressed concerns about hotels and neighborhood safety based on incidents in other towns.
Walker responded that the parcels are zoned for many of the proposed uses, that the revised concept is intended to be less traffic‑intensive than the older, retail‑heavy master plan and that the company will submit full traffic, DES and site plans in future filings. The board and Walker agreed the concept will be subject to thorough technical review — traffic modeling, DES permitting, DOT coordination and later site‑plan submissions — and that the project will be phased and evaluated at those stages.
The Planning Board did not take any formal vote on the concept; the item was an informational presentation and the developer asked for a courtesy recommendation to the zoning board going forward.
