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Board clears way for duplex on East Hobart Street after debate over variances and drainage
Summary
After deciding variances for frontage and width weren’t required for an existing lot, the ZBA granted a special exception permitting a duplex at a large, deep lot on East Hobart Street; neighbors raised drainage and character concerns that the applicant said would be addressed in engineering and permit reviews.
The Nashua Zoning Board on Aug. 11 approved a special exception for a duplex on a deep, triangular lot on East Hobart Street owned by a trust for Edward J. Paquin, after the board determined variances for frontage and width were not necessary for an existing lot of record.
Board members debated early in the hearing whether the minimum frontage and lot-width requirements triggered variances; staff memo language and the board’s reading of the land-use code led members to find the variances unnecessary and the applicant’s attorney withdrew the variance application without prejudice. Brad Westgate, attorney for the applicant, described a 29,000-square-foot lot with limited frontage but ample depth and said the duplex would be sited well back from East Hobart Street to respect neighborhood character.
Several neighbors raised concerns about drainage, increased standing water, and potential construction impacts. A neighbor, Bryce Young, asked the board to ensure the applicant met the strict legal standard for unique hardship and fully address stormwater runoff; Robert Goldman, who lives near the downstream culverts, also warned about flooding risk. Westgate and the applicant said they had engineering support (Fieldstone Engineering, Meridian) and would work with city departments on sewer tie-in and stormwater-management plans; staff confirmed planning- and engineering-level reviews will occur at permit or planning-board stages.
After deliberation the board found the special-exception criteria were satisfied and approved the duplex with the expectation that drainage, snow storage and technical site design will be resolved through the building-permit and planning review processes.
