The Planning Board unanimously approved a site plan for the construction of a manufacturing facility on Pettengill Road.
Developer Dick Anagnost said there are two items on the lease the future tenant and the Manchester Airport Authority need to work out before he can announce the identity of the company that will be operating in the 301,500-square-foot facility.
The manufacturing company, which is based on the West Coast, has a presence in New Hampshire that will expand with the new building, according to Brian Pratt, project manager for CLD Consulting Engineers in Manchester.
Pratt told the Board at its Wednesday, Oct. 14 meeting that the new facility is to be constructed in two phases, the first of which includes construction of a two-story, 204,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a 516-space parking lot.
Phase One construction will also include the development of North Spur Road, connecting the facility to Pettengill Road, and the construction of three infiltration ponds.
Subsequently, the developer plans to construct in phase two a 97,500-square-foot addition to the facility.
The Board granted several waivers for the project, among them a waiver to the Gateway Business District Ordinance, or that the proposed development meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards; a waiver to allow internal parking lot landscaping to be reduced from 10 percent to 7 percent; a waiver to permit underground detention and infiltration of stormwater in the ponds and under the parking lot; and a waiver to permit a 26-foot-wide driveway with 2-foot-wide grass panels over the Class VI road right of way, where 28 feet of paved roadway with 3-foot-wide grass panels are required.
Pratt told the Board the development will include some LEED features, including the installation of a bike rack, a gym with showers inside the facility, LED lighting for the parking lot and encouragement of facility owners to carpool.
Member Mary Soares noted the developer also plans to install picnic tables for employees to enjoy lunch outside.
“This looks nice,” she said of the site plan.
The Board additionally approved Conditional Use Permits to permit the corner of the building to be located 9 feet from the right of way of a Class VI road and for an off-premise sign.
Town Planner Cynthia May told the Board she has started the process, at the direction of the Town Manager, of developing a plan for signage throughout Pettengill for businesses located in the area.
Last month, the Zoning Board granted a variance to allow with the development a second freestanding sign on the property, and to allow a 20-foot sign where a maximum of 10 feet is permitted.
Anagnost said he anticipates he will be able to reveal the identity of the future tenant to the Town in the next week, and the Town could see progress at the site by Dec. 1.