Subdivision application near Londonderry border gets approval despite neighbor opposition

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Despite contention from neighbors, 19 proposed single-family homes the border of Londonderry took a large step toward becoming a reality following a decision by the Manchester Planning Board last week.

In a 5-3 vote, the board approved a subdivision application for 30 Bryant Rd., a piece of land lying behind Forest Hill Way and South Ridge Drive, two suburban roads near the end of Bryant Road, a dead-end street in southern Manchester running parallel to I-93 up until the Londonderry border.

The 19 proposed homes on the now subdivided piece of property would be located in a new neighborhood called Whispering Woods on a new street called Logan’s Lane, connecting to the rest of the city through a right-of-way on South Ridge Drive.

During public comment for the application at the board’s Feb. 20 meeting, over a dozen letters were submitted in opposition along with almost as many residents from South Ridge Drive and nearby streets testifying in opposition to the subdivision.

A variety of reasons were given to the board from those in opposition as to why the application should not be granted such as the potential traffic impact in the area from the new homes, concerns relating to public service vehicles navigating the sudden elevation changes in the area, the impact of losing what is one of Manchester’s last undeveloped pieces of nature, the impact to the nearby Cohas Brook and impact to wetlands located on the site (with review of wetland impact also needed from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services), potential regional impact review that should have been provided by the Londonderry Planning Board and even the relocation of one man’s mailbox.

Some other reasons were repeated over several sets of testimony such as the impact to the character of the neighborhood, which received a fierce rebuke from representatives of the applicant as well as Planning Board Member Bob Gagne as classic “NIMBY” or “Not-in-my-backyard” behavior.

“’I got mine and you can’t have yours’ rubs me the wrong way,” said Gagne, disagreeing with South Ridge Drive residents who got to live in homes build in the area but were upset with developers seeking to do the same thing.

Concerns also arose over the lack of a secondary egress point for the new neighborhood, with all vehicles from Logan’s Lane needing to go in and out of South Ridge Drive and then Bryant Road, potentially trapping those residents if there is a car crash, fire or other impediment along that route.

Representatives of the developers indicated that they had reached out to land owners on Lucas Road, a road running parallel to the southeast of Bryant Road, but those land owners declined to provide any easement of portions of their property to create a connection from Logan’s Lane to Lucas Road.

The most repeated comment among residents concerned with the new development was the lack of water pressure for homes in the South Ridge Drive area. There was concern that new homes along existing city water infrastructure would decrease that water pressure even further, creating inconvenience and potentially even safety hazards if a house in the area caught on fire. Some residents believed that a home that burned down in the area in 2023 was destroyed primarily due to the lack of water available to firefighters on the scene.

In a report at the March 6 meeting of the Planning Board, the Manchester Water Works stated that water pressure in the neighborhood was within accepted parameters and that residents could boost their water pressure with additional devices. The report added that any shortages in water pressure were likely due to various usages of water in neighborhood homes at the same time as well as the hill in the neighborhood.

At the March 6 meeting, it was also indicated by the Manchester Fire Department that the primary reason for the destruction of that house that burned down was the distance firefighters had to travel given that the neighborhood is at the end of Bryant Road and there are not alternative routes to the neighborhood other than Bryant Road, giving the fire too much time to grow to a point where the home could not be salvaged.

Planning Board Member Stephen Meno also stated that he preferred the 22-unit condominium complex for 30 Bryant Rd. proposal that went before the Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustment last year and was withdrawn by the applicants after it was not clear that a variance could be obtained. While the re-imagined proposal with the single-family homes on Logan Lane would not require a variance, Meno said that the design of the 22-unit proposal had less impact on the area’s wetlands.

Brian Beaupre joined Andrew Boyle and Chair Bryce Kaw-uh in opposing the measure. Supporters included Gagne, Meno, Vice Chair Erin George-Kelly and eventually Margarete Baldwin. Initially Baldwin told the board that she could not determine how she would vote, leading to the vote being delayed until later in the March 6 meeting where she finalized her support.