HOOKSETT, NH — A proposed warehouse project at 267 Londonderry Turnpike (Route 28) in South Hooksett—just north of Zapora Drive and the former Zapora Farm—has been revised following strong feedback from neighbors, ultimately leading the developer to withdraw a zoning variance application at the May Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) meeting after a change in town ordinances made the request unnecessary.
Whitetail Northeast Realty LLC, represented by attorney Patricia Panciocco and project engineer Katie Nelson of Bedford Design, originally sought a variance to allow a wholesale use with a warehouse larger than what was previously allowed in the Commercial (COM) zone. However, following a March zoning amendment approved by voters, warehousing is now permitted in the district, rendering the request moot.
“The ordinance has changed. Warehousing is permitted, and there’s no longer a size restriction in the ordinance,” Panciocco said at the May hearing. “But even so, we still intend to honor the size and scope we discussed with the neighbors.”
The building will operate Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with no weekend hours. Traffic to and from the site is expected to include approximately 68 vehicle trips per day, primarily employee cars, with an average of just one tractor-trailer per day and roughly three trucks total. Nelson emphasized that large truck deliveries would be minimal, with “only 3 to 4 tractor-trailer visits per month.” Many residents such as Mark Cusson residing on Farmer Rd with his mothers home directly abutting this warehouse are seriously opposed to this “monstrosity”. Cusson mentioned at a planning board meeting this past summer that this will be a bad idea and that this “is just waiting for somebody to get killed with many cars flying up and down the by-pass there at the crest of the hill where it is a blindspot.”
Concerns over sound and light pollution were also addressed. “We can add timers or dimmers to the lighting,” said Nelson, “and by moving the loading docks away from the abutters, we’ve reduced potential beeping or backup noise.”
Despite the revisions, neighbors like Claudet Brown of 21 Farmer Road still had lingering concerns. “We met with Pat and Katie and we’re appreciative of the changes,” Brown said during public comment. “But this building is massive. We want assurances that our wells will be tested before and after if blasting occurs.”
Nelson responded that blasting is unlikely, noting that no ledge was found during the site investigation. “We don’t anticipate the need to blast at all,” she said. “And if we do, it would be minimal.”
The Hooksett Heritage Commission held a public hearing to find historical significance on this property. The commission declared that this property met 3 out of the 5 criteria for historical significance and with that declared the property known as the old O’Brien House to be historically significant. This means that a meeting with the property owner was held, and alternatives to demolition were presented to the owner, the demolition company and later the property owners attorney. After much negotiation back and forth with the attorney, the Heritage Commission and the property owner settled on an agreement that the commission would allow the property owner to demolish the historic home with stipulations. The owner is responsible for paying for and erecting a historical marker sign in front of the new warehouse sharing the history of the property and the families who owned it, including a civil war soldier who built the house in the 1850’s, and survived the war. The owner agreed to allow for a ceremony to be held for the unveiling of the marker. The owner allowed the commission to have until September 30th to salvage any historical items in the home.
What’s Next?
With the warehouse having gone through the planning board, and the Heritage Commission it appears that we are waiting on an approval from the Planning Board for the presented plans. The Planning Board conducted a site walk in September with the next meeting to be determined. The Agenda for October 6th meeting does not have the property at 267 Londonderry Turnpike listed. Be on the lookout on our website for updates for when this will be discussed for approval at the planning board moving forward.
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