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Planning board approves 22 Union Street special permit and waives commercial parking
Summary
The board closed the public hearing and approved the special permit and site plan for 22 Union Street with conditions including historic commission review, an approved construction schedule, ADA-compliant sidewalk and driveway details, erosion control, and a waiver of section 6.1 commercial parking requirements. Neighbors expressed support and the board recorded the vote by roll call.
The Manchester Planning Board voted March 9 to approve a special permit and site plan for a proposed three-unit building at 22 Union Street, granting a waiver of the town’s commercial parking requirement under section 6.1 and attaching conditions the board said will protect public safety and historic character.
The board closed the continued public hearing after hearing a presentation of a revised landscaping plan and a stormwater narrative. Applicant representative Chris Vance summarized landscaping changes: “We did revise it ... we ended up kicking out some of the shrubbery along Union Street and supplemented it with perennial flower gardens,” which the board said would improve sight lines and provide space for snow storage.
Conditions the board attached include: submission of the three-unit design to the historic commission for a certificate of appropriateness (with return to the planning board if there are substantial changes); a construction schedule and a designated project point person; demolition timing (the board settled on a mid-June window and agreed to a modest extension to allow for school schedules); requirements for erosion control and covered dumpsters; dark-sky-compliant exterior lighting and motion-sensor driveway lighting; police details when required; and requirements to repair any damage to sidewalks or roadways and to coordinate lane-closure notifications with town departments.
A neighbor, Gar Morse, spoke in support of the proposal, saying it was "very well drawn up" and praised the architectural attention to detail. Board members discussed technical stormwater issues at length; the project team said they will replace and extend a failing trench drain, route downspouts to the curb/gutter line rather than across the sidewalk, and provide sediment control during construction.
Outcome and procedural note: the board voted by roll call to approve the conditions and then moved and seconded a motion to grant the special permits and the parking waiver; the transcript records the roll-call approvals and the board noted a 20-day statutory appeal period before mobilization on site. The board also authorized the planner to incorporate final administrative edits into the decision draft.
Speakers quoted (first reference): Chris Vance (Applicant representative), Gar Morse (neighbor).
