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Planning board denies sidewalk waiver for proposed White Oaks Road subdivision; application continued to May 5
Summary
The Laconia Planning Board voted to deny a developer'requested waiver that would have removed a sidewalk requirement for a proposed 25-lot subdivision at 33 White Oaks Road, concluding the application is incomplete; the board continued the application to May 5 so the applicant can revise plans to include sidewalks or escrow funding.
The Laconia Planning Board on April 7 denied a waiver request that would have let a developer avoid building sidewalks for a proposed 25-lot subdivision at 33 White Oaks Road and continued the application to the board's May 5 meeting.
Staff opened the public hearing on PB2026-031 and said the applicant seeks a waiver from the requirement to construct sidewalks that would abut or be proposed within the subject property. Neil Hansen, a civil engineer with Tyen Bonds, told the board the fronting sections of White Oaks Road lack continuous sidewalks and argued constructing a sidewalk along the property frontage would be "a sidewalk to nowhere." He said the proposed interior roads also would not connect to existing sidewalks.
Board members pressed competing considerations. Several said sidewalks are important for pedestrian safety and connectivity to nearby commercial areas, while others, citing the city's public works constraints, said installing and maintaining an isolated sidewalk section could be costly. The board heard that the city's Department of Public Works supports the waiver because adding sidewalks requires DPW maintenance and plowing and the site's terrain raises ADA concerns. Staff noted the recently adopted impact-fee framework could be used to fund sidewalks in the future, and that impact-fee or escrowed funds must be used within six years.
A board member moved to deny the waiver request from subdivision regulations 6.6.2 and 6.6.8.1; the motion was seconded and the board voted to deny the waiver. After the denial, staff said the application, as submitted, does not meet site-plan review regulations and therefore cannot be accepted as complete without either an approved waiver or revised plans that include sidewalks.
The applicant indicated they will add sidewalks to the plans and the board unanimously voted to continue PB2026-031 to the May 5 Planning Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. so the applicant can revise and resubmit the materials. The board noted that, after acceptance at a future meeting, the application will require a public hearing before any final approval.
Next steps: the applicant is expected to revise plans to show sidewalks (or provide escrow/impact-fee details) and to appear first on the board's May 5 agenda as a continued application.
