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Developer outlines phased master plan for Laconia State School site; DOT traffic sign-off and sewer transfer remain outstanding
Summary
The Pillsbury Group presented a 217-acre Laconia Village master plan with mixed-use gateway, housing phases, civic campus and open space. The developer said construction likely won’t start before 2027–2028; the project awaits an NH DOT traffic review and transfer of sewer membership from the state to the city.
Representatives of the Pillsbury Group updated the council on the Laconia Village master plan for the former Laconia State School site, describing a phased development that mixes commercial, retail, multifamily housing and civic/open-space components.
Kevin Smith, project manager, said the team was selected in July 2024 and reached a master-plan milestone with city staff in November 2024. The project area totals roughly 217 acres; the team emphasized a development approach that preserves substantial open space while phasing build-out into five segments: a mixed-use gateway, housing-focused phases, a civic campus and neighborhood trails and recreation.
Smith said outstanding items include a traffic-membership signoff by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and a sewer-membership transfer from the state to the city. He also said land closing with the state is scheduled for July (year noted in the presentation) and that actual construction is not expected until at least 2027, more likely 2028. The team has prepared a fiscal-impact statement and earlier traffic scoping work with DOT and city staff; those documents are on file with the planning department.
Councilors asked for additional distribution of presentation materials and expressed particular concern about traffic impacts on Elm Street and North Main Street and potential school-district enrollment effects. The developer said preliminary traffic work and a fiscal-impact statement are available and that each subsequent site-plan review will revisit traffic mitigation and school impacts.
Next steps: DOT traffic review and sewer transfer work continue; master-plan approval does not permit immediate construction without subsequent site-plan submissions and agency approvals.
