City Council denies cul de sac rehearing request, schedules hearing on livestock amendment

LACONIA — City Councilors denied a request from the Taylor Community for a rehearing on the issue of the Cottonwood Avenue cul de sac at their Aug. 22 meeting.

They also voted to approve a new street performer policy, the allocation of ARPA funds to several projects, the sale of a Lakes Business Park property to Laconia Refrigeration, to fill selectboard vacancies, and parking ordinances for the Belknap Mill Society Sock Hop and the Timberman Triathlon. 

Cottonwood Avenue cul de sac

Cottonwood residents petitioned the council to lay out a public road over the cul de sac turnaround at the end of their road. Taylor, who built the cul de sac on their property at the end of Cottonwood Avenue, had looked into reconfiguring the turnaround to allow for additional property development there. Taylor argued there was insufficient public need to make the cul de sac a public road and that the city had previously demonstrated that it agreed with this stance.

The dispute is underwritten by long-simmering tension surrounding how city residents view the Taylor Community. During the public hearing on the cul de sac petition, Cottonwood residents made accusations of unneighborly behavior — increasing noise and traffic and a lack of forthrightness — by Taylor, who has purchased a handful of properties on Cottonwood Avenue. Throughout the cul de sac dispute, Taylor representatives have repeatedly asserted that “Taylor is a good neighbor.” 

After the council sided with Cottonwood residents, Taylor Community President Michael Flaherty said in an interview that he did not think the public hearing and concerns brought by Cottonwood residents presented an accurate picture of the dynamic in the neighborhood. Flaherty also said he felt the concerns brought by petitioners and signatories at the hearing were emotionally fueled. 

At the time, according to Flaherty, Taylor had not determined what its next steps would be. He said they were “considering bringing this back to Superior Court” but were “keeping all our options open,” including alternative redevelopment plans.  

Flaherty could not be immediately reached for comment on the rehearing denial. 

Christopher Cole, the attorney representing Taylor that requested the rehearing, and Stephen Nix, the attorney representing Cottonwood Avenue resident Nancy Ettelson, attended the meeting but did not speak during public comment.

Public hearings

Public hearings on the sale of a community beach property on Paugus Bay to the residents it is deeded for use by, the city reconstruction of a water main for the Langley Cove Development and a proposed zoning amendment regarding home gardens were scheduled for the council’s next meeting on Sept. 12. 

Elizabeth Gleason, whose daughter is allergic to traditional pets, and her family have instead raised two dwarf goats. Zoning does not allow residences such as the Gleasons’ to keep livestock. Their request for a variance, or exception, was denied by the zoning board out of concern for setting a precedent that would allow future requests to keep chickens in the city.

The Gleasons, and many of their neighbors, assert that the animals are an addition, not a nuisance, to their neighborhood. The Gleasons moved to Garfield from a previous residence where the animals were permitted. Gleason told the council at its Aug. 8 meeting that “It wasn’t a problem,” in the neighborhood, “until somebody else wanted chickens and couldn’t have them and they said something.” 

At that meeting, the council voted to send the ordinance’s wording to committee, which displeased Gleason, who was in attendance. Councilor Robert Hamel expressed strong concern that creating an exception for the Gleasons would open the door for “thousands” of city residents to request similar exceptions so that they could keep chickens.

On Monday, Councilor Robert Soucy reported that the Government Operations and Ordinances Committee met on Aug. 15 and recommended the removal of wording from a proposed city ordinance amendment that would have allowed the Gleasons to keep their two dwarf goats. Minutes from that meeting have not yet been published.

“The consensus would be to leave that part of the ordinance alone,” Soucy said. “The purpose behind it was that we did not want to set precedent to create a mass amount of requests and changes and deviations.” 

Full house

The meeting began with a proclamation to honor the M/S Mt. Washington for its 150th anniversary. Ward 4 Councilor Mark Haynes presided over the meeting, as Mayor Hosmer attended remotely. 

It was the first council meeting since Ward 6 Councilor Tony Felch resigned as moderator in his ward after the state attorney general’s office found evidence of unintentional vote miscounting under his watch. Rep. Richard Littlefield, who has called for Felch to step down as city councilor, attended the meeting. Felch did not address the controversy.

Though the chambers were nearly full with attendees from various parties, no one spoke during public comment sections.