Planning Board

NASHUA CITY PLANNING BOARD April 2, 2026 The regularly scheduled meeting of the Nashua City Planning Board was held on April 2, 2026 at 7:00PM in the 3rd floor auditorium in City Hall. Members Present: Bob Bollinger, Chair Cameron Green, Secretary Ald. Amber Morgan, Alt. Larry Hirsch Benjamin Zoller, Alt. Also Present: Sam Durfee, Planning Manager Connor Muise, Deputy Planning Manager Scott McPhie, Planner I APPROVAL OF MINUTES March 19, 2026 MOTION by Mr. Zoller to approve the minutes, as written SECONDED by Mr. Hirsch MOTION CARRIED 4-0-1 (Green abstained) COMMUNICATIONS None REPORT OF CHAIR, COMMITTEE, & LIAISON None PROCEDURES OF THE MEETING After the legal notice of each conditional, special use permit, site plan or subdivision plan is read by the Chair, the Board will determine if that the application is complete and ready for the Board to take jurisdiction. The public hearing will begin at which time the applicant or representative will be given time to present an overview and description of their project. The applicant shall speak to whether or not they agree with recommended staff stipulations. The Board will then have an opportunity to ask questions of the applicant or staff. The Chair will then ask for testimony from the audience. First anyone wishing to speak in opposition or with concern to the plan may speak. Please come forward to the microphone, state their name NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 2 and address for the record. This would be the time to ask questions they may have regarding the plan. Next public testimony will come from anyone wishing to speak in favor of the plan. The applicant will then be allowed a rebuttal period at which time they shall speak to any issues or concerns raised by prior public testimony. One public member will then be granted an opportunity to speak to those issues brought by the applicant during their rebuttal period. The Board will then ask any relevant follow-up questions of the applicant if need be. After this is completed the public hearing will end and the Board will resume the public meeting at which time the Board will deliberate and vote on the application before us. The Board asks that both sides keep their remarks to the subject at hand and try not to repeat what has already been said. Above all, the Board wants to be fair to everyone and make the best possible decision based on the testimony presented and all applicable approval criteria established in the Nashua Revised Ordinances for conditional, special use permits, site plans and subdivisions. Thank you for your interest and courteous attention. Please turn off your cell phones and pagers at this time. NEW BUSINESS – CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS A26-0026 John J. Flatley (Owner & Applicant) requesting conditional use approval for a flex space (office and warehouse building) with no outside storage. The property is located at L Shakespeare Rd. Map A – Lot 986. Zoned Park Industrial (PI). Ward 8. (Postponed to May 7, 2026 by Applicant request) NEW BUSINESS – SITE PLANS A26-0027 Roscommon Investment, LLC (Owner & Applicant) requesting site plan approval to allow a parking lot expansion for the Tulley Automotive facility. The subject property is located at 147 Daniel Webster Highway. Map A – Lot 987. Zoned General Business (GB). Ward 7. MOTION by Mr. Hirsch that the application is complete and the Planning Board is ready to take jurisdiction SECONDED by Mr. Zoller MOTION CARRIED 5-0 NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 3 Paul Chisholm, Civil Engineer, Keach Nordstrom Associates, 5 Commerce Park N Suite 201, Bedford, NH Mr. Chisholm introduced himself on behalf of the owner. He said this is effectively a parking lot expansion. The dealership sits over two properties, and this is the lot to the south. There is a large wetland to the southwest corner of the property, which is a man-made drainage channel from when the highway ramp system was expanded in the 90s. The dealership is looking to expand and impact that drainage channel. The project received favorable recommendation February 6, 2026, and Zoning Board approval February 10, 2026. Mr. Chisholm said they have had multiple conversations with NH Dept of Transportation and NH Dept of Environmental Services over the past few years. While this is a large wetland impact in terms of square footage, this is a low functioning wetland. The function will be recreated by stormwater infrastructure. This will require an Alteration of Terrain permit and Wetland permit from NHDES. Mr. Chisholm said there will be an additional 150 spaces from this expansion, which will allow the business to organize their cars and relieve the burden of transporting cars from different locations. We have reviewed staff comments and take no issue with the proposed conditions of approval. Mr. Zoller asked what wetland mitigation is proposed. Mr. Chisholm said it is a financial contribution, which is what the state preferred. Mr. Zoller said there are a few culverts that empty onto this lot. Is there a known flow they’re working with? Mr. Chisholm said they were able to look through NHDOT record plans and get a pretty good idea of where things drain. We put together a comprehensive drainage model and NHDOT took no issue. Everything drains into a 24-inch pipe; we are providing a detention system in between to slow that down. Mr. Zoller asked if there are any comments from Alteration of Terrain. Mr. Chisholm said no. We have had some preliminary conversations. They have a new permit by notification process, which we are following. NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 4 SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION OR CONCERN None SPEAKING IN FAVOR None PUBLIC MEETING Mr. Bollinger closed the public meeting and opened the public meeting. He said this seems fairly straightforward. There is one waiver request, a fairly common one. This looks like parking to accommodate existing demand. There is no new sales area, no new structures. He is in favor of this. Mr. Zoller said it is nice to see that there is no grading work on those tight slopes on the off and on ramp. Mr. Bollinger said and they knew what they were dealing with for drainage, they went to the appropriate authorities. The AoT permit is a condition of approval. All the pieces are there. Mr. Green said the waiver is very common. They did do a comprehensive look at the property and surrounding properties, we are well within the normal waiver. MOTION by Mr. Green to approve the following waivers for New Business – Subdivision Plan A26-0027: a. §190-279 (EE) Site Plan Submittal Requirements: To waive the requirement to show existing conditions on adjacent parcels as appropriate. As per RSA 674:36(II)(N), RSA 674:44(III)(e), and §190-148(D), Strict conformity would pose an unnecessary hardship to the Applicant and the waiver would not be contrary to the spirit and intent of the regulations; and specific circumstances, or conditions of the land, and the waiver will properly carry out the spirit and intent of the regulations. SECONDED by Mr. Zoller MOTION CARRIED 5-0 NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 5 MOTION by Mr. Green to approve A26-0027 – Site Plan. The Board finds that the application meets the Approval Criteria under §190- 146(D) with the following conditions: a. Any waiver(s) granted shall be listed on the plan. Should any waiver(s) be denied, the plan must be revised to comply with the applicable site plan regulations. b. The plan set shall be sealed and signed by a New Hampshire licensed Professional Engineer. c. All comments in a letter dated March 31, 2026, from Joe Mendola, PE, Senior Staff Engineer, shall be addressed to the satisfaction of the Division of Public Works. d. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, an electronic copy of the plan will be submitted to the Planning Department. e. Prior to the issuance of a building permit, all stormwater documents shall be prepared in accordance with §190-217 and shall be submitted for review by City staff. f. Prior to the commencement of site work, a pre-construction meeting shall be held, and a financial guarantee, to be reviewed and approved by City staff, shall be in place. g. Prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, all stormwater documents shall be recorded at the Applicant’s expense. h. Prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy, all site improvements will be completed i. Prior to the issuance of the final Certificate of Occupancy, an as-built plan locating all driveways, buildings, utilities, and site landscaping shall be completed by a professional engineer or a licensed land surveyor and submitted to the Engineering and Planning Departments. The as-built plan shall include a statement that all construction was completed in accordance with the approved site plan and applicable local regulations. j. Prior to issuance of Certificate of Occupancy, all state permits shall be submitted and approved. SECONDED by Hirsch NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 6 MOTION CARRIED 5-0 Mr. Bollinger said he would take A26-0012 and A26-0013 together. The staff report deemed the applications were complete and recommended the Board take jurisdiction. The staff report also stated that if the Board does so, the Board should table the case to a date certain, to allow review of engineering materials. He would be in favor of taking jurisdiction and allowing the applicant to make their presentation. NEW BUSINESS – CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS A26-0013 ARBI Farms, LLC (Owner & Applicant) requesting conditional use and site plan approval for a 41,000 SF charitable gaming facility, five-story parking garage, and associated site improvements. The property is located at 11 Tara Boulevard. Map A. Lot 333. Zoned Park Industrial (PI). Ward 8. (Postponed to April 2, 2026 by Applicant request) NEW BUSINESS – SITE PLANS A26-0012 ARBI Farms, LLC (Owner & Applicant) requesting conditional use and site plan approval for a 41,000 SF charitable gaming facility, five-story parking garage, and associated site improvements. The property is located at 11 Tara Boulevard. Map A. Lot 333. Zoned Park Industrial (PI). Ward 8. (Postponed to April 2, 2026 by Applicant request) MOTION by Mr. Green that the applications are complete and the Planning Board is ready to take jurisdiction SECONDED by Ald. Morgan MOTION CARRIED 5-0 Atty. John Weaver, McLane Middleton, 900 Elm St, Manchester, NH Atty. Weaver introduced himself on behalf of the applicant. With him is architect Derek Soltes from Montgomery Roth, civil engineer Danielle Danzing from Kimley Horn, traffic engineer Bill Scully from Kimley Horn, and hotel manager Ernie Dellaverson from Delaware North. They are hoping to obtain conditional approval to redevelop the existing Sheraton Hotel into an expanded entertainment destination. The gaming operations located at 55 Northeastern Blvd NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 7 would be relocated to this property and this property would be renamed to the Gate City Casino Hotel. Atty. Weaver described the subject lot. The hotel has operated since 1979 and has 300 guest rooms and 29,600-sqft of meeting and function space. The redevelopment includes a phased expansion of charitable gaming, new gaming floor area, a new structured parking garage and later expansion, new restaurant and dining facility, and related site and stormwater improvements. Charitable gaming is permitted here under the zoning code as a conditional use permit. This use was previously approved onsite May 5, 2022 to convert the event space, but ultimately, they have decided to keep the event space and construct new space for gaming. Atty. Weaver said there are two phases. The first phase proposes a two-story building addition within the existing parking lot in 2027. This will accommodate charitable gaming, restaurant service, support areas, a new steakhouse, employee dining facilities, and a parking garage. This will add 65,900-sqft of gaming floor space and 1,275 garage spaces. Phase 1 also includes fire safety updates. Atty. Weaver showed an aerial view of how the proposed structure will look on the property. The addition is designed to build on the design elements of the hotel character while introducing contemporary elements. There are three goals; to maintain the hotel as the dominant presence, maintain consistency between the building and addition, and to use exterior lighting to emphasize the distinctive design features. Atty. Weaver said the second phase is planned for 2030. This will add 26,960-sqft to the casino gaming floor, and 425 garage parking spaces. This will be a total of 92,860-sqft of gaming floor, 1,000 games, and 1,700 parking spaces. He said the project will not generate excessive traffic, the unique architectural character of surrounding buildings will be maintained, the project complies with the master plan, and the project will handle stormwater consistent with Nashua’s code. Derek Soltes, Project Architect, 5120 Woodway Dr Suite 3039, Houston, TX Mr. Soltes said the hotel project aims to respect the established architectural design and add modern design only where necessary. The original hotel has served as the site’s main visual focus, with the casino and parking structure designed as compliments to serve as supporting features. NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 8 Mr. Soltes said brick is accentuated to ensure continuity. The tone and color palate were deliberately chosen to invoke warmth and friendliness. Detailed elements are incorporated to guide attention towards the overall architectural progression, culminating in a cohesive whole. Exterior lighting is essential to this strategy, considering the usage in the evening. Mr. Soltes said there are three core design intentions. The first is foreground and background hierarchy. The second is material continuity without replication. The third is lighting as a unifying element. They aim to create an environment that will foster meaningful experiences and memories. Ernie Dellaverson, General Manager, Sheraton Hotel, 11 Tara Blvd, Nashua NH Mr. Dellaverson said there are currently two facilities, Gate City Casino at 55 Noreastern Blvd, and the Sheraton Hotel at 11 Tara Blvd. The NH Lottery allows operating hours of 8AM-4AM and we are seeking approval for that. We have a strong ongoing relationship with the Nashua Police Dept., with a planned investment in the Nashua extra duty program to support proactive presence during peak hours. We have continued collaboration to ensure public safety for guests, employees, and neighbors. Mr. Dellaverson said Gate City Casino runs 450-550 gaming machines, 18 table games, and 13 poker tables. Phase one of the redevelopment would bring to the Sheraton 600-700 gaming machines, 27 table games, and 10 poker tables. There will be a full service restaurant with an expanded menu, a steakhouse with private dining, a sports bar, and an Asian noodle bar. Gate City Casino sees about 25,000- 35,000 visitors per month. Once the casinos are combined at the Sheraton would increase that by 30%. The casino has generated $7.1 million in 2025, and $20 million since 2023. This will result in an additional 290 permanent jobs. Danielle Danzing, Civil Engineer, Kimley-Horn, 271 Waverley Oaks Rd # 302, Waltham, MA Ms. Danzing said the proposed development is primarily within parking and impervious surfaces. We are slightly increasing the impervious area, so we are adding stormwater mitigation measures onsite. We are installing everything in Phase 1. This will include an underground detention system and two on-site water quality units. We have submitted an Alteration of Terrain permit to NHDES. NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 9 Ms. Danzing said we have coordinated with the fire dept. for access and circulation routes across the site. Utilities already exist onsite. A big part of our design is the traffic component, so she will turn it over to the traffic engineer. Bill Scully, Traffic Engineer, Kimley-Horn, 271 Waverley Oaks Rd # 302, Waltham, MA Mr. Scully said the updated traffic study was submitted following a series of meetings with city staff and NHDOT. We understand it’s still under review. Overall the analysis showed that while this project is a traffic generator larger than the existing casino, we believe that we will be able to ameliorate whatever impacts there are. Mr. Scully said the study area focused on Spit Brook Road, from Oracle Drive to Daniel Webster Highway, and Tara Blvd up to the site. They analyzed weekday and weekend traffic conditions. Friday and Saturday evenings are when demand for the casinos increases, and that is when the roadway network volumes decrease. That serves to help minimize impact of the casino. Mr. Scully showed a chart of projected traffic trips for phase 1, phase 2, and the total build out. Much of the casino traffic they expect to come from a 30-60-minute drive radius, primarily from Everett Turnpike. The intersections in that area will operate at a D Level of Service. Mr. Scully said there are several proposed traffic mitigation measures. This includes signal timing modifications at a few of the intersections, stop control at the site driveways, increase intersection visibility, increased signage, and a potential bus stop. After phase 1 we propose traffic monitoring to confirm how much traffic is generated. Atty. John Weaver, McLane Middleton Atty. Weaver said they have requested five waivers, as noted in the staff report. He described each waiver in detail. He said they believe the applicant has satisfied the conditions of approval and hope the Board sees fit to approve the application. Mr. Bollinger asked for a rough comparison to the present facility. Mr. Dellaverson said this probably would be double in size. NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 10 Mr. Bollinger asked how it would compare to the one recently established at the Pheasant Lane Mall. Mr. Dellaverson said it’s similar in size. Both facilities have a lower and upper level, and roughly about the same games. Mr. Zoller asked has any research been done for restorative actions for the existing building. Mr. Soltes said the interior was remodeled about five years ago. The exterior has been freshened. Ms. Danzing said a lot of the utility structures onsite are sized to take this expansion. There are some lines running underneath what will be the garage, so they will be rerouted. There will be some regrading. Mr. Zoller asked what condition the utility lines are in. Ms. Danzing said they are not aware of any degradation. Typically when they get to the point of construction and find that, they will have to fix that. Mr. Zoller said the access drive that goes down the center of the site is not a right of way and wouldn’t be held to any kind of setbacks. It seemed a little crammed, any concerns about it feeling crowded as patrons drive into the site? Mr. Soltes said there is a curb and a strip of landscaping. He doesn’t think there is a sidewalk there. There is an access easement that makes a backwards L shape for the office buildings to the south. We aren’t encroaching on that. Mr. Zoller said it seems like things are a bit tight on the drive aisle. Mr. Soltes said there is quite a bit of grade not visible on the concept plans. Between the hotel entry and the bottom there is over 20-ft. In the process of developing how this should work with the existing hotel, we don’t want to put up something as high as the hotel. He pushed to locate this in the lowest part of the site. Atty. Weaver indicated a different concept sketch, which gives a sense of the setback from the access way. NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 11 Mr. Zoller said in regards to the traffic report, there is a section for non-project related actions, which alludes to a private and public partnership. Are there any contributions that the applicant would be looking to put forward? Atty. Weaver said we are in conversation with city and state traffic engineers and what the scope of mitigation measures would be. We are still determining what that looks like. Mr. Zoller said these intersections range from level of service D- F. Level C is an acceptable level, once you hit D, E, and F you start to take a greater look at those areas. What range do other cities look at for partnerships? Mr. Scully said in Boston it would typically be level of service E or F during peak hours. The guidelines state that level of service D and above meets the criteria in not likely requiring action. If you’re bringing an intersection down from D to E that would be a justification for action, then you have to determine what to do to get there. And is it all on one development or did they put service over the edge? Everything from the highway interchange to Tara Blvd would be level of service B or better. There are some approaches that will be below D, in those areas we are looking at improvements. Things would improve if there was a second left turn ramp off the highway, but that’s a NHDOT ramp and there’s processes and costs. Everything to the east of the interchange we really have no impact to level of service. We have focused on where we have potential impact. Mr. Zoller asked what additional documents where submitted after the package. Mr. Durfee said that was the revised traffic report, which was the result of a scoping meeting that occurred with NHDOT staff and the applicant. Ald. Morgan said she lived in Las Vegas for ten years, and make or break is how they design their parking structure. She sees that there are two points of egress to come in or out of the garage. The one thing that isn’t clear is the flow for pedestrian traffic. Mr. Soltes said there are two vehicular exits and entries. One is off the bottom right of the site circulation road. There is also another one south of the existing ballroom porte-cochere, a covered drive. Someone can drive through there and go right into the garage. Pedestrian access from the garage has a same-level pathway NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 12 into the building from the first and third levels of the garage. That is one way to get into the hotel without going outside. There is also a pedestrian stair across from the hotel porte-cochere. Mr. Hirsch asked if there are any improvements proposed to Tara Blvd. Will it be able to handle the flow? Mr. Scully said we are not proposing anything farther up the hill, there’s nothing going up there. The storage area between Spit Brook Road and Innovative Way is an intersection we identified, we want to make sure that is clear. If the city is looking at future additional development up there, maybe there’s a longer-range plan of what the city would impose coming down Tara Blvd. SPEAKING IN OPPOSITION OR CONCERN None SPEAKING IN FAVOR Letters of support from the following: McCarthy Memorial Foundation Senator Kevin Avard Senator Cindy Rosenwald Bridges Domestic and Sexual Violence Support Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashua and Manchester Home Health and Hospice Care Humane Society for Greater Nashua L’il Iguana Meals on Wheels Marguerite’s Place Special Olympics New Hampshire United Way Greater Nashua Nashua VFW Post 483 Mr. Green said most of the conditional use permit criteria has been met, it’s some of the site plan criteria that has not. He doesn’t feel comfortable moving forward until city Engineering has had a chance to provide comments. Mr. Bollinger said it’s not indicative of the quality of the presentation or the materials submitted, this is an interesting multijurisdictional area. It’s not just city staff reviewing this, there is a third-party engineer peer review as well. In the interest of completeness, we would like to provide our subject NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 13 matter experts the time to fully review the technical details provided. Mr. Zoller said there are a lot of moving pieces. If Engineering has not had a chance to thoroughly review and provide comments, he would very much like to hear what they have to say. In regards to a public private partnership that’s been mentioned, he would like to see a little more information. He is in favor of a continuance. Mr. Hirsch and Ald. Morgan agreed. Mr. Bollinger asked staff what the next meeting would be and if the applicant has to assent to this. Mr. Durfee said we have a May 7th and May 21st meeting. Any continuance would have to be at the assent of the applicant. Mr. Bollinger asked if the applicant is willing to table to a meeting in May. Atty. Weaver said we would prefer May 7th, we are looking to get shovels in the ground sooner rather than later. Mr. Bollinger said he would like to continue to a topic certain, getting some consensus on the supplemental traffic materials. There didn’t seem to be any other issues in the staff report. There was a lot of stuff submitted last Friday and he would like to give staff time to review. His intent would be to focus on what appears to be the one outstanding issue, but if someone thinks of something else they can bring it up. Atty. Weaver asked if members of the public who attend the next meeting would be limited to that topic of discussion. Mr. Bollinger said they would be able to speak on whatever testimony is given that evening. We have not closed the public hearing yet. Mr. Zoller asked if we are expecting any additional documents. Atty. Weaver said no. We have received civil engineering comments from Mr. Mendola, we would make revisions in response to that and comments from NHDOT. In terms of something new, he would not expect anything. NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 14 Mr. Bollinger said there will be a lot of written communications. The Board would like to see something that says everything is resolved, here are the final mitigation measures. He would ask all parties to be cognizant of when they submit things, if something comes in late many of us may not be able to give it due attention. Atty. Weaver agreed. Mr. Zoller said that’s fine. Just no additional information, like new elevations or parking analysis. Atty. Weaver said he would not expect that. Mr. Bollinger said if they came in with a new façade the Board would totally look at it. But the applicant has passed muster with a number of critical elements. MOTION by Mr. Green to table A26-0013 – Conditional Use Permit, and A26-0012 – Site Plan to the May 7, 2026 meeting, for the purpose of review and comment of traffic related items SECONDED by Mr. Hirsch MOTION CARRIED 5-0 NEW BUSINESS – SITE PLANS A26-0010 John J. Flatley (Owner & Applicant) requesting approval of a site plan amendment to move a proposed building forward 40’ and update associated grading and site improvements. The property is located at L Shakespeare Rd. Map A – Lot 986. Zoned Park Industrial (PI). Ward 8. (Postponed to May 7, 2026 by Applicant request) A26-0028 Bishop Guertin Highschool, Inc. (Owner & Applicant) requesting site plan approval for improved athletic fields and accompanying structures along with associated parking and site improvements. The subject property is located at 194-196 Lund Road. Map 106 – Lot 16. Zoned C Suburban Residence (R-9). Ward 6. (Postponed to the May 7, 2026 meeting by applicant request) OTHER BUSINESS 1. Review of tentative agenda to determine proposals of regional impact. NCPB April 2, 2026 Page 15 MOTION by Mr. Green that there are no items of regional impact SECONDED by Mr. Zoller MOTION CARRIED 5-0 DISCUSSION ITEMS Mr. Durfee said there is a pending urgent Board of Aldermen referral. The Board discussed possible meeting dates. MOTION to adjourn by Mr. Green at 8:53 PM MOTION CARRIED 5-0 DIGITAL RECORDING OF THIS MEETING IS AVAILABLE FOR LISTENING DURING REGULAR OFFICE HOURS. DIGITAL COPY OF AUDIO OF THE MEETING MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE UPON 48 HOURS ADVANCED NOTICE AND PAYMENT OF THE FEE. Kate Poirier – Taped Hearing