BY DAVE CHOATE
A heated discussion involving board members, two sides of a property debate and a member of the Conservation Commission ended with the board voting unanimously to push the proposal back to Oct. 25.
Janice Bournival had proposed to keep a single-family home and office on her property and add 15 condominium units for people 55 and older. The proposal was already being continued from July 12 before it was pushed back again.
Board member James Raymond ultimately brought the motion to table the proposed site plan, citing a lack of snow storage and trash removal on the plan.
“I move that we deny this because it is a crappy plan. I’m tired of hearing excuses for why things are not on this plan right now,” Raymond said.
Traffic was also a point of contention for the board. Keach-Nordstorm Associates project manager James Danis presented the site plan to the board and said that the driveway into the complex was set up in a way to ease traffic as much as possible. Some board members argued that the driveway should be classified as a street.
There was some debate over the interest of residents of the complex and the town’s interests, as well.
Danis said the complex’s stated interest in providing a quiet and safe lifestyle for its residents did not conflict with the town’s master plan of development.
Board members also cited the length of parking spaces, the proposed cutting down of trees on the property and the close proximity to other property as concerns.
Danis said after the meeting that there was already notation on the plans for snow removal and trash removal. He said he believed the board’s decision was partly due to wanting to see the physical locations of the storage for both of those items.
Bournival said the condominium units are the only thing being added to her property. The barn, home and office that she and her family currently occupy would not be changed under the plan, she said.
Neighbors and abutters also expressed their unhappiness with the proposed multiple-use development. Resident George Jones and his nephew Daniel Horan presented a petition with more than 40 signatures to the board and spoke out against the plan.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out. Mixing residential and commercial like this makes a decision that’s like trying to have our cake and eat it also. Goffstown is under no obligation to stick it all in the one small area,” Jones said.
The Bournivals will return on Oct. 25 after attempting to address the board’s concerns. Their opponents are also likely to return.
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