Citizen Portal
Sign In

Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows

Get Lifetime Access

Developers present Market Basket plaza overhaul; board flags DOT access review and stormwater improvements

Plaistow Planning Board · March 18, 2026

Loading...

AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Market Basket representatives and TF Moran presented a conceptual plan to relocate and renovate Market Basket within the 34 Plastow Road plaza, reduce impervious area, improve circulation and add a potential bank pad; the board emphasized the need for DOT and DES review of driveway changes and a traffic analysis for the proposed double‑right turn.

Developers representing DSM MB 2 LLC and Market Basket gave a conceptual presentation March 18 outlining a major redevelopment of the shopping center at 34 Plastow Road. The roughly 46‑acre site plan would relocate Market Basket into the former Kohl’s footprint, create two renovated ~26,000‑square‑foot retail spaces in the former Market Basket area, add a nearly 2,500‑square‑foot bank pad and reorganize on‑site circulation.

Presenters said the redesign would reduce total parking from about 906 spaces to just under 700 while removing more than a half‑acre of impervious surface and increasing interior landscaping. Nick Olin, principal of TF Moran, said the design eliminates dead‑end aisles, improves circulation and would enhance stormwater treatment; he told the board the team already met with the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services about the site’s stormwater expectations. “This redesign eliminates dead end drive aisles and promotes a more appropriate circulation around the site,” Olin said.

Market Basket’s team also proposed adding a second right turn lane at the state access to relieve queuing; that change will likely trigger a full New Hampshire Department of Transportation driveway review, presenters said. Project representatives described roundabout and other circulation options as being studied and said consultant VHB would handle the state driveway permit process.

Board members welcomed the conceptual improvements but asked for more detail on access and queuing and asked the developer to engage DOT early. Members also flagged potential waivers for nonconforming elements that would be made less nonconforming by the new scheme, and asked the team to provide traffic analysis, a full waiver list and detailed plans before a formal submittal. Developers said they hoped to file a formal application within six to eight weeks and aimed to start construction the following spring pending approvals.