Planning Board grants conditional approval to Integra Biosciences site plan after waivers

The Merrimack Planning Board on Dec. 16 granted conditional final approval to Integra Biosciences’ site plan for a 334,395‑square‑foot manufacturing and warehouse facility in the town’s industrial district, after approving two waiver requests and agreeing on staff conditions.

Jim Petropoulos, the applicant’s professional engineer, told the board the project team had addressed earlier peer review comments and that the outstanding items are "fairly minor in nature" and could be resolved with staff. He described the site layout, access from Mass Road, stormwater measures, and a rail‑spur contingency and asked the board to approve two waivers: one for the parking calculation and a second for minimum sight distance on a driveway.

The board granted the parking waiver (section 3.11.E) on a motion finding the waiver "properly carry(s) out the spirit and intent of the regulations," then approved the minimum site‑distance waiver (section 3.08.c.6) after hearing a sight‑distance analysis that showed the AASHTO standards were met even where the town code required 400 feet. With no members of the public speaking during the reopened hearing, the board then voted to grant conditional final approval subject to the conditions in the staff memo dated Dec. 12, 2025; the motion carried 4‑0‑0.

Staff noted state permits remain to be obtained and the approval is conditional on resolving final engineering comments and coordinating any remaining peer‑review items. The board’s conditions include coordination with public works on culvert upgrades and a requirement that the applicant provide detailed work plans for a rail spur if it advances.

The conditional approval allows Integra to continue the permitting process and to work with town staff on outstanding technical items; if the parties cannot resolve a condition, the project will return to the board for further review.