Prologis, Logistical Services, Inc., the builder of what will eventually be a 614,000-square-foot distribution facility for UPS to put together kits for Pratt & Whitney manufacturing facilities, received final site plan approval for phase two from the Planning Board, as well as several waivers.
Prologis now has approval for “grubbing,” which allows for tree and stump removal on what will be the future Pettengill Road. The company is building Pettengill Road from the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport access road to a roundabout 1,800 linear feet toward Industrial Drive.
The waivers requested at the Wednesday, Aug. 6 Planning Board meeting included waiving the requirement of utility clearance letters for gas, electric, telephone and cable to service all lots; waiving a subdivision requirement of sewer service to all new lots; and submitting easements deeds, protective covenants and other legal documents indicating that the owner of the lot agrees with the extension of proposed utilities across the lot.
Assistant Public Works Director John Trottier said town staff recommended granting the waivers for the purpose of accepting the site plan as complete only.
The board unanimously granted the three waivers and accepted the plan as complete.
Chris Rice of TFMoran, engineers of the project, and John Clohessy representing UPS, said they were seeking a subdivision approval and site plan acceptance, and noted that they had appeared before the Conservation Commission and Heritage Commission and had gained their approval.
He noted the project has been on an accelerated time line from the start.
Prologis requested a subdivision to exchange four acres of land with the airport
“The subject lot is 45 acres and the remainder lot is 17 acres,” Rice said. “Also as part of the subdivision is a rectangular piece in the middle of the property that is part of a land swap with Manchester Airport.”
Rice said the swapped land given to the airport would be conservation land. He said the airport had already authorized the swap, pending Federal Aviation Administration approval.
Rice requested four additional waivers, including nine benchmarks where 28 are required because the Manchester Airport parcel is to be conservation land and nine benchmarks meets the requirement of the associated site plan; allowing the subdivision sheet to be scaled at one inch to equal 250 feet, where one inch to 100 feet is required, so that the plan can fit on one page; waiving subdivision requirements for topographic information for all lots because incomplete topographic information is related to the Manchester Airport parcel that will be conservation land; and waiving the requirement that all wetlands be shown for the lots of the subdivision as the wetlands will be in the conservation easement.
Staff recommended granting all the waivers, and the board did so unanimously. The board also unanimously voted to accept the subdivision plan.
During discussion of the site plan approval for phase two, Rice said that at start-up there would be 200 employees, while at about the eight year mark, that number would increase to about 400 employees, with about 50 trucks per day.
“As for utilities there will be 5,000 linear feet of sewer from the pump station to the site and 3,000 linear feet of gas, water power and telecommunication extension from the mains on Industrial Drive,” Rice said. “We have met with all the utilities and they assure us that they have size and capacity for the development.”
Russ Thibeault of Applied Economic Research, Inc., in Laconia said that from a financial impact analysis, he concluded that the development of Pettengill Road was “the most significant economic development opportunity in Northern New England. This project is a significant benefit.”
Thibeault said that when he was doing the analysis of the Pettengill Road development for the town last year, he said that it would take 600 square feet of building for the town to break even if the town were building the road. Now the proposed building is 600,000 square feet and the town is not building that portion of the road, it’s being built at the developers’ cost, making it even more beneficial to the town.
Town Planner Cynthia May said the Prologis subdivision plan will be recorded with the Rockingham County Registry of Deeds before a Certificate of Occupancy will be issued. “This will allow the site plan to move forward on the existing lot and they can get going and get their building permit,” May said.
Manchester Planner Jeff Belanger asked what the traffic would be, as Manchester is an abutter.
Engineer Bob Duval of TFMoran said the traffic for employees will be “relatively proportionate” with employees going to Manchester and surrounding towns and would be spread out over three shifts. He said the trucks would be going to the Everett Turnpike, not to Manchester, other than for servicing if needed.
The board voted unanimously to grant the waivers, and to grant final approval for the phase two site plan.