Hooksett Planning Board Meeting - October 19, 2026

The Hooksett Planning Board met on Monday, October 19, 2026, to consider a site plan amendment for the College Park Drive project by Brady Sullivan Properties, discuss a proposed impact fee payment, approve two voluntary lot mergers, and review regional planning and zoning matters. The board approved the amended site plan condition by unanimous roll call, heard concerns from Thompson Avenue abutters about unresolved construction damage, and deferred the impact fee proposal for further staff and legal review.

Consent Calendar

• The board approved the minutes of the September 21st regular meeting and the September 28th workshop. A date header discrepancy in the draft September minutes was noted, the first motion was withdrawn and re-seconded, and the minutes were then approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

• In the site plan public hearing, Hooksett Town Councilor David Smith said the applicant's proposed 10-unit holdback was not enough and urged a 50 percent compromise; he also said he would speak on impact fees later.
• Thompson Avenue abutters Brenda Crovo, Kim Ratnoff, and David Ratnoff testified about damaged driveways, a gash cut into a driveway that damaged a 2017 Camaro, over $7,000 in claimed vehicle damage, safety hazards, and lack of response from contractors and town departments. They asked the board not to approve additional requests until their property issues were resolved.
• Town Councilor Roger Duhain said he had not previously heard of the Thompson Avenue complaints, noted that the town has no town engineer, and recommended not deciding the site plan amendment until the concerns were investigated.
• Attorney John Cronin and staff responded that the Thompson Avenue sewer work was a separate sewer commission project, that disputed facts should be handled through insurance and legal processes, and that the board's decision should be based on the application before it. Town councilors present said they would follow up, and a board member who also serves as a sewer commissioner said the sewer commission would discuss the matter the next day.

Site Plan Amendment - Discussion and Vote

• The applicant requested amendment of Condition 6 of the prior approval, which had withheld all certificates of occupancy (COs) for the 81 residential units in the converted former Cigna building until the 8,000-square-foot commercial strip building was completed to vanilla-box standard. The applicant originally proposed releasing COs for all but 10 units, with 3 released after the foundation, 3 after framing, and the final 4 when the vanilla-box standard was met, plus a $100,000 performance bond.
• Attorney Cronin said work on the strip building had started: the pad was prepared, steel was set, foundation work was underway, a $165,000 glass contract was signed, and trusses were in transit. He argued the original condition was meant as security, not a penalty, and that withholding 10 units at roughly $2,500 per month per unit created a $25,000 per month incentive.
• Board members discussed a 50 percent holdback. Paul Scarpetti recommended issuing COs for half the units and allowing monthly reviews of progress; Mike Summers favored flexible language. The board ultimately approved a motion to allow COs for 41 residential units immediately, with any additional COs issued only after planning board approval based on progress on the commercial strip building.
• The board also accepted jurisdiction and made a regional-impact finding. The public hearing was closed, and the roll-call vote to approve the amended condition was unanimous.

Impact Fee Discussion

• Attorney Cronin presented a written October 9th proposal to pay $209,960 in impact fees. He argued Hooksett's impact fee ordinance is outdated, especially school fees based on older apartment occupancy assumptions. Citing Mark Fougier's analysis, he said the 161 units are projected to generate 16 school-age children, and using $2,033 per child gives about $32,500 for schools.
• Cronin also claimed a $260,000 set-off credit for the existing 100,000-square-foot Cigna commercial building's prior contributions, and offered to waive or assign any six-year rebate or refund rights back to the town if the fees were not spent.
• Board members questioned the set-off concept, the administrative mechanics of a gift or waiver, and the long-term impact of waiving fees. James Valeo of the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission said the planning board lacks clear authority to accept a gift and that a separate town council process is needed. Staff advised keeping the impact fee process separate.
• A board member cited Fougier's report showing the property should be assessed at at least $19,013,029 and generate $289,949 annually in property taxes plus $34,560 in vehicle registration fees.
• No vote was taken. The next step is for the applicant, town legal staff, and administration to draft a formal proposal and determine whether it goes to the planning board or town council. Because the item was a discussion rather than a public hearing, public comment was not opened, but the board noted there would be a public hearing when it returns.

Lot Mergers

• The board approved the voluntary merger of GR Hooksett Land LLC's two lots at 1317 and 1319 Hooksett Road (Map 25, Lots 20 and 57), the car wash property, under RSA 674:39-a, with the applicant responsible for recording the merger with the Merrimack County Register of Deeds.
• The board also approved the administrative voluntary merger of 14 Highland LLC's two Highland Street lots (14 and 16 Highland Street), with the applicant responsible for recording.

Other Business

• James Valeo discussed the town's membership on the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission, encouraged full and active appointments, and warned that NH DOT's highway trust fund is essentially insolvent, limiting new 10-year plan projects. Hooksett's priorities remain Hackett Hill Road and Main Street.
• Valeo and staff are drafting zoning amendments for the March town ballot, packaged into three votes: state-law alignment, residential and commercial district provisions, and elderly housing. Drafts were expected for the land use subcommittee meeting later in the week.
• A board and staff update noted that town council had authorized $1 million for the TIF district force-main sewer crossing under the river from Martin's Ferry to the end of Quality Drive.
• Board members praised the redevelopment of the Hooksett Road car wash property as an example of successful negotiated improvements.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous approval of the site plan amendment with revised CO release: 41 COs initially, with remaining COs subject to planning board approval based on commercial strip progress.
• Approval of the two voluntary lot mergers.
• Impact fee proposal left as a discussion item; administrative and legal follow-up and a future formal proposal or public hearing are pending.
• Thompson Avenue abutters' complaints were referred to town councilors and the sewer commission for follow-up, outside the planning board's site plan scope.