Today's Laconia Citizen:
Weirs project revised to expand unit size
Laconia:
By RON TUNNING
Special to the Citizen
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Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Developer Skip Kelly won approval last night from the city's Planning Board to add a three-bedroom model to his list of cottages being built in his Weirs Beach Village project located on Endicott Street North.
The three-bedroom units will be constrained in size to a basic "living space" footprint of no more than 1,000 square feet, and can represent no more than 20 percent of the total number of units approved for construction.
The board also limited the number of bathrooms per unit to two, and restricted garages to a dimension no greater than 24 feet by 24 feet, large enough to accommodate two vehicles.
In seeking the Planning Board's endorsement of the change, Kelly explained that in the current market he's finding a demand for three-bedroom units in a project originally conceived as affordable, modular housing offering a typical floor plan of one or two bedrooms averaging a little less than a 900 square foot "living space" footprint. To conform with the "living space" footprint, additional square footage will be provided in second-level loft areas.
Kelly acknowledged that adding a third bedroom will likely increase costs from $139,900 for a two bedroom to $169,900, which raised concerns among some Planning Board members that the elevated prices undermine the commitment to provide affordable housing.
City Planning Director Shanna Saunders, however, observed that by restricting the number of three-bedroom units in the project "we can keep it as affordable housing."
Planning Board member Warren Hutchins concurred, noting that even a $169,900 price tag was low. "You don't find many new homes being built for that," he said.
Board members Jerry Mailloux and Tobias Paddock, however, were not convinced and voted against the motion to approve the three-bedroom units.
Attorneys Pat Wood and Rob Dyer, along with engineer Steve Smith requested that a public work session be conducted before final language is adopted on a new "Steep Slope" addition to the city's planning ordinances. All three stressed the importance of seeking input from a wide range of people and businesses who would be impacted by any new requirements or processes enacted. The Planning Board agreed to conduct such a public session sometime following its next meeting in January.
The board was equally amenable to a request by the Remington family to adjust lot lines on its subdivision on Pendleton Street. The alterations merely shift square footage from lots 2 and 7 to lots 1 and 6 in order to accommodate the residences planned for the site.
A bit less agreeable was the design review of the Meredith Bay Mid Rise Condominiums on Scenic Road, part of the development originally known as Akwa Vista. While the developer was praised for having incorporated into the plan single-level units in three, five-story buildings, concerns about the absence of any plans for sidewalks along Scenic Road were aired by board members Mailloux, Hutchins and William Contardo.
While acknowledging that constructing sidewalks would be challenging and expensive, the board strongly recommended that the developer return with a plan to better accommodate pedestrian traffic.
Two abutting homeowners raised the issue of storm water runoff arising from the project and developments further up the hill. Philip Asack of 639 Scenic Road complained that storm water is threatening his property, backing up his septic system.
"I've been there over 25 years," he explained, "And I never had this problem before."
"Ever since Akwa was built, water has consistently been coming down the hill," added Mark Ortolani of 596 Scenic Road. "This last rain washed away my driveway."
The Meredith Bay developer promised to address the board and abutting property owners' concerns as design plans evolved.