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Board grants conditional approval for home‑based physical therapy practice at 7 Woodward Road
Summary
The Planning Board granted conditional final approval for a level‑2 home‑occupation conditional use permit enabling a small outpatient physical therapy practice at 7 Woodward Road (year‑round, appointment‑only, up to 500 sq ft) subject to staff conditions; board asked applicant to consider driveway lighting and parking management.
The Merrimack Planning Board voted 7–0 on Jan. 20 to grant a conditional use permit allowing a small, outpatient physical therapy practice to operate from a portion of a residence at 7 Woodward Road.
Applicant Charles Weiss described a Level‑2 home occupation limited to no more than 500 square feet, appointment‑only one‑on‑one visits, no walk‑ins, no exterior signage, no amplified sound and no group classes. Weiss said his wife will be the sole practitioner and that appointments will be scheduled to prevent overlapping arrivals.
Board members asked about hours, lighting and parking. Weiss proposed operating hours of roughly 7 a.m.–5 p.m. (typically 8 a.m.–noon) with flexibility for urgent appointments, and said current parking is a single‑lane driveway with two on‑site spaces; he acknowledged patients would likely need to back out onto Woodward Road if turnaround options remain limited. The board discussed adding low‑impact, downcast lighting on a motion sensor for winter evening hours; Weiss said existing solar path lights are in place and the couple could add modest lighting if needed.
Staff reminded the board that state licensing and other applicable approvals must be obtained from New Hampshire prior to operation. The board conditioned approval on the staff‑recommended conditions in the Jan. 16 staff memo and noted the home‑occupation standard aims to keep the residence primarily residential in character.
The approval allows the practitioner to begin operations under the conditions the board adopted and requires the applicant to comply with any further conditions the board may set in the future if site problems arise.
