Hooksett Planning Board Meeting – May 18, 2026

The Hooksett Planning Board met on May 18, 2026. This summary is drawn from the raw transcript because no agenda or minutes were supplied. The board approved corrected meeting minutes, heard a public hearing on the Ayude LLC site plan at 36 West River Road, adopted two development-regulation amendments on change-of-use reviews, and discussed planning and code-enforcement updates. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m.

Consent Calendar

• The board approved the minutes of the May 4, 2026 meeting after adopting corrections, including changing “tearing down this green space” to “tearing down the building,” adding a reference to vertical siding, changing “wall” to “fall” in a quote attributed to Mike Summers, changing “through the property” to “to the property line,” and correcting a name spelling.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Doug Brodero of Meridian Land Services, representing the applicant Aude Inc./Ayude LLC, presented the proposed redevelopment of the Mr. Gas Plus site at 36 West River Road, Map 37, Lot 9. He said the existing 1,100 sq ft convenience store would be demolished, the canopy retained, and four pump islands placed where the store currently sits.
• The initial proposal summary described a 4,000 sq ft convenience store with a 900 sq ft fast food component; Brodero described the new building as about 4,000 sq ft total, with roughly 3,100 sq ft of convenience store and a little over 920 sq ft of drive-through coffee service intended for Dunkin’ Donuts. This slight discrepancy was noted in the transcript.
• Brodero described environmental safeguards including oil/gas hoods on catch basins, a downstream slide gate to shut off drainage in a catastrophic spill, a level concrete pad with grooves able to capture roughly 200 gallons, and breakaway hoses holding about half a gallon each. He also said the stone facade would meet the town’s 70% window limitation.
• Board members asked for architectural wall sections and material listings, sign details, and additional evergreen shrubs near the roadway. No members of the general public spoke during the public hearings.

Discussion Items

• Ayude LLC Site Plan – 36 West River Road: The board accepted jurisdiction and found the proposal had potential regional impact. Discussion covered missing architectural materials, canopy lighting and signage, landscaping in the state right-of-way, snow storage, septic system design, and the status of the state driveway permit. The applicant said the canopy would be updated, lights would be dimmed after store hours, and additional hardy evergreen shrubs could be added.
• Development Regulations – Change of Use Definition: The board reviewed a proposed definition of “change of use” intended to match the zoning ordinance and clarify when site plan review is required. Jim Sullivan expressed strong support, saying the cleanup “needs to happen yesterday.”
• Development Regulations – Part 3, Section 4.01: A related amendment would replace staff discretion with a clearer rule: a “change of use” as defined would require site plan review, while applications and proposals not equal to or exceeding a change of use would be reviewed under the New Hampshire Fire Code and Building Code referenced in RSA 155-A:1.
• Planner Updates – Legal Counsel and Plan Copies: The town planner reported that legal counsel advised the board cannot require removal of an undeveloped portion of a site plan, using Domino’s as an example, and that the town planner may legally approve lot mergers. The board also discussed the current requirement for six full-size signed plan sets plus one 11x17 signature set, and considered moving toward one full-size set for board review, smaller sets, and PDF distribution.
• EDAC / Community Visioning: The board discussed an Economic Development Advisory Committee suggestion to hold a community visioning session about local road connectivity and future land use near Route 3, with some members expressing caution about state-road constraints and whether such a session would produce clear results.
• 44 Hackett Hill Road Code Enforcement: Code enforcement had advised GTS owner David Martin to bring the property into compliance with his site plan, but the property owner had not contacted the town planner. The board discussed referring the matter to legal counsel and adding penalty provisions for failure to obtain an approved site plan.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the May 4, 2026 meeting minutes with corrections.
• Accepted jurisdiction and found potential regional impact for the Ayude LLC site plan application.
• Continued the Ayude LLC site plan public hearing to June 1, 2026, with requests for architectural wall sections and material listings, signage details, canopy lighting details, and additional evergreen shrubs near the roadway.
• Approved Part 1, Section 5, adding the “change of use” definition, by voice vote with no opposition noted.
• Approved Part 3, Section 4.01, replacing the change-of-use review criteria with the new definition-based standard, by voice vote with no opposition noted.
• Directed the town planner to contact legal counsel regarding the 44 Hackett Hill Road/GTS property enforcement matter.
• The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m.