Hillsborough Planning Board approves Harvey Way site plan and subdivision with conditions

The Hillsborough Planning Board on March 4 approved a site plan and subdivision for property on Harvey Way (Map 11O Lot 152), authorizing the creation of 10 single-family lots and an 80-unit elderly housing parcel along with a road-extension lot under a set of conditions tied to permits, drainage maintenance and phased construction.

Planning Director Robyn Payson told the board she had received test-pit data and a draft motion with conditions; the applicant, Jack Franks of Avanru Development, was represented by Chad Brannon of Fieldstone Land Consultants, who reviewed engineering changes to the plans. Those revisions include replacing a cul-de-sac with a "hammer head" turnaround, enlarging the right-of-way, locating driveway aprons on the plan, adding granite curbing and showing a "pixel hatch" to indicate buildable areas. Brannon also said the developer added 13 parking spaces intended to serve the senior housing, bringing total parking shown on the plans to 85 spaces.

The board approved the site plan motion moved by member Kim Opperman and seconded as noted in the minutes; the minutes record the motion as carrying unanimously. Conditions tied to that approval require the developer to obtain all required local, state and federal permits and were accompanied by findings of fact that noted the property is in the Commercial Zone and owned by Terry and Adele Thomas. The minutes record three requested waivers: the waiver to allow a "hammer head" turnaround was granted, the waiver to allow bituminous curbing instead of granite edging was denied, and the waiver from the four-foot landscape buffer on the sidewalk was granted.

On the subdivision vote, Opperman moved and the motion was seconded; the board approved the subdivision as recorded in the minutes. The subdivision approval includes multiple conditions: the decision runs with the land; developer responsibilities for maintenance of drainage structures until a road is accepted by the town; responsibility for a 50-foot pipe under both sides of the road; an assurance of no wetland impacts from lot development; preservation of trees, stone walls and other site features under Town Code Section 201-3(C); snow plowing and road maintenance by the developer until any town adoption; and a requirement that the developer return to the Planning Board to discuss the connection to Harvey Way prior to the start of Phase 2. The minutes also state that the project will be constructed in two phases and that completion of Phase 1 will constitute substantial completion pursuant to RSA 674:39, II. The minutes contain an internal wording inconsistency describing the subdivision as "Fourteen (12) lot subdivision"; the recorded outcome in the approval describes the resulting buildout as ten single-family lots, an 80-unit elderly housing lot and a separate road lot.

Board members raised implementation questions during the hearing. Chairperson Susanne White said she was concerned about the overall traffic impacts and the safety implications of leaving Harvey Way unimproved, noting she had "seen numbers submitted by the applicant but no study." Applicant representative Chad Brannon said traffic impacts had been addressed in a study performed with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation for the workforce-housing component. Ex-officio James Bailey stated that Highway and Fire had not yet seen the revised plans. Richard Head of the Conservation Commission flagged stormwater reporting details, saying that "AOT rules specifically say that the plan that is given to them has to have a total impervious area assumed per lot," and asked that assumptions be made explicit; Brannon said the drainage plans depict the area and that such concerns would be addressed through the Alteration of Terrain (AOT) permit process. Andrew Morris asked about a reasonable house size; responses in the record put typical house size in the 1,500–2,000 sq ft range.

Both approvals were accompanied by findings of fact recorded in the minutes. The minutes do not provide a numerical roll-call count for each vote; they state that each motion "carried unanimously." The developer is required to obtain State Subdivision approval and an Alteration of Terrain permit and to meet the other listed conditions before final vesting and potential town acceptance of the roadway. The board briefly discussed the possibility of a third-party review before adjourning at 7:45 p.m.