The first January meeting of the Londonderry Planning Board saw its members engage in a nonbinding discussion aimed at the analysis of a Planned Use Development to be located at 109 Auburn Road. Representing the Governors Hill Corporation, Nashua Attorney Morgan Hollis and Project Engineer Brian Pratt were at the meeting to give a presentation on the PUD.
“The purpose of a PUD ordinance is to allow a property owner to approach their own development largely independent of land use regulations,” explained Hollis. “I think Londonderry is really at the forefront of this advanced land use planning and always has been. We now know the only way to obtain more affordable housing in to have proper zoning allowing that type of housing.”
Their development would include a mixed-use design with 1,360 residential units, around 28,000 square feet of commercial space, and other site improvements like private ways, open space, and parks, all on a single 241-acre tract. Currently, the property is home to the Brook Hollow Sand-Gravel Corporation, which has a mining operation which Hollis claimed was slowing down.
“It is a very large product, no doubt about it,” said Hollis. “I’m happy to call this a concept plan, but I’ve been doing this over 40 years and this is the most detailed concept I’ve ever seen presented.”
Auburn Road served as the site’s main point of access, along with at least two other secondary roads, connecting the relatively rural PUD location to the rest of Londonderry. Part of the property extends into Auburn, but that section would not formally be part of the PUD. Environmental concerns were also taken into account, focusing on surrounding wetlands.
“We really want to fit in with a topography, protect the wetlands,” said Pratt.
He outlined a variety of buildings ranging from single-family homes, a clubhouse, a “downtown,” parking areas, and townhouses, along with three- and four-story apartments. More focus was given to denser housing. Governors Hill already has approval to extend nearby water and sewer lines to the PUD. Approval for natural gas and electricity remained pending, although Pratt did not foresee much trouble in those areas.
“We really wanted to limit the number of surface parking lots, we didn’t want to create a sea of pavement,” said Pratt. “We want make sure this is bikeable, as well as walkable.”
With that in mind, the PUD included extensive shared-use paths and walking trails. Any later approval will need a full traffic study.
“I do want to stress is that the sewer lines will extend from this development and into the Auburn development,” added Director of Engineering and Environmental Services John Trottier. “Auburn would need to negotiate an intermunicipal agreement with Londonderry.”
He emphasized such a coordination would need to happen between the towns, not with Governors Hill.
“I do have some concerns about this project truly meeting the requirements of our PUD ordinance in Londonderry,” added Assistant Town Manager Kellie Caron. “Specifically, in the regulations one of the points criteria as part of this review calls for infrastructure capacity in the affected PUD regarding public services and public safety.”
She was not the only official worried that Londonderry’s road system might struggle to deal with such a large development, especially when it came to coordinating with emergency services.
“I see a fairly large development just about as far away as it can get from any public safety services,” said Planning Chair Jake Butler. “I would want to hear quite a bit from our friends at the police department and fire department.”
He also wanted to consult with the town attorney to ensure the PUD complied with local regulations.
“It’s separated from the activity centers of Londonderry; it’s all out there by itself,” Vice-Chair Arthur Rugg noted. “I can’t support this as a PUD because it lacks the commercial part and it lacks the industrial part.”
Other Board members also asked to see more businesses in the PUD to reinforce the “mixed-use” factor, saying there was too much housing and too few businesses. They also worried there was no nearby grocery store.
As the initial presentation was nonbinding, no action was taken by the Planning Board.
If the project moves forward, it will be the third PUD Londonderry has approved.
The Woodmont Commons project was the first to take advantage of the ordinance.