On Monday, the Peterborough Planning Board approved the site plan review application for mixed-use development at 14 Grove St., including nine apartments and a restaurant space.

The application, submitted by Keach Nordstrom Associates on behalf of 14 Grove St., LLC, is for a proposed change of use from commercial to mixed-use.

“This had been approved previously, but the owner did not realize it was a one-year approval, so it had expired. The owner just has a lot of other projects happening,” said Bridget Sousa of Keach Nordstrom Associates.

Planning Board member Andrew Dunbar noted that 14 Grove St. LLC  originally obtained approval for the project from the Planning Board in June 2023. 

“The application has not changed except that we have since added a bike rack, which the board had listed as a condition of approval,” Sousa said. 

The application was signed by Todd Enright, who is also linked to the Hancock Inn. On Nov. 7, 2023, Enright represented 33 Main St., LLC,  the owner of the Hancock Inn, at a hearing at Hillsborough County Superior Court regarding zoning decisions on the renovations to the inn. 

The proposed renovations to the building will create nine one-bedroom apartments on the upper floors of 14 Grove St., which is directly across the street from the Peterborough Town House. Planned improvements to the property include landscaping in the rear, a patio and off-street parking spots for residents. 

“I love this project. It will provide desperately needed housing and will beautify the downtown,” said Bill Kennedy, who is the Select Board liaison to the Planning Board. 

Vann project lot line adjustment approved

Hugh Beyer, representing his wife, Ivy Vann, presented the proposal for an adjusted lot line at Vann’s “Pocket Street rowhouses” project. The lot line adjustment, which was requested by the Planning Board to satisfy wetland requirements for the project, added 4.14 acres to the lot. 

“Given the wetlands, the proposed lot was not given enough land for the project. You told us to move the line, so we are moving the line,” Beyer said. 

“This is exactly what we asked for,” Director of Building and Planning Danica Melone said.

The project includes 14 townhomes, which will be constructed between 35 and 39 High St. A new dead-end road, Pocket Street, will be built to provide access to the homes. 

A few abutters  and neighbors, including Emily Manns and Ellen Derby, expressed concern about approval of the lot line adjustment and about the project moving forward, including questions about a possible easement owned by  the ConVal School District. 

Beyer said he would happy to meet with any abutters or neighbors to walk them around the property and explain the lot lines and the easements. 

Old Greenfield Road property causes concerns 

Troy Rich of Graz Engineering presented a preliminary review application to the board on behalf of Aaron Seppala, who has initiated the process the creating four building lots at his land at 238 Old Greenfield Road.

The property, which is nearly 17 acres and has 1,343 feet of road frontage, is located in the Rural District and Wetlands Protection Overlay Zone.

Rich said a wetlands scientist had visited the site and that the proposed application included an extended wetlands buffer of 75 feet. 

While the board approved the preliminary application, in the public comment session, several abutters  brought up the history of flooding in the neighborhood. James Gates, who lives across the street from the property, said that in spring of 2007, the entire area which is now being considered for potential building lots was underwater.

“If the wetlands scientist had come in spring 2007, he or she would have thought this was a lake,” Gates said. “The previous homeowner was pushed out by these floods.”

Gates said during the 2007  flood, the adjacent section of Old Greenfield Road was under five feet of water, and that the bridge further up Old Greenfield road washed out.

“I am not against development at all; I know we need it. That’s not why I’m here,” Gates said. “I just wanted everyone to be aware of what happens on this land. When it rains, this brook is a torrent. It runs through my property and causes significant erosion, and I have had to have it reinforced twice in the 19 years I have lived here.” 

Gates noted that due to current dry conditions in the region, the impact of the wetlands is not immediately obvious. 

Abutter Mary Sweet pointed out that the preliminary plan does not indicate topography.

“It is very steep. The land is way below the road,” Sweet said. 

Melone said that a stormwater and erosion plan would be a requirement for the application, and added that if Gates could send pictures, they would be included in the preliminary application.

Planning Board member Lisa Stone thanked Gates and other abutters for attending and providing information to the board.