Developer pitches concept for 24 condos on Hilliard Road at the Weirs

LACONIA — As many as 24 new condos could be coming to the Weirs as soon as this year, and members of the city’s planning board heard a conceptual presentation about the potential development, at 5 Hilliard Road, at their meeting Tuesday night.

Owner and developer Michael Bousaleh, of Brockton, Massachusetts, is also the one behind the Lady of the Lakes Estates on White Oaks Road. According to property records, Bousaleh owns a single-family home on 8.26 acres on White Oaks, as well.

He told planning board members he hopes to transform the 0.491-acre lot, located in the commercial resort zoning district, into a 6,900-square-foot condominium building with two elevators and parking for 26 vehicles.

They’d demolish an existing building located on the property, and construct the five-story building, with access off Hilliard. The design review documents state the project would “add affordable housing to the area.” During the meeting Tuesday night, Bousaleh described condos as being “starter homes,” priced between $400,000 and $500,000.

The proposed project name is “Water View Properties.”

“I’m proposing a 24-condo-like-apartment building which is five-stories high, elevator, two sets of stairs. Move it forward toward Endicott Street, parking in the back,” Bousaleh said Tuesday night. “Pretty simple condo building.”

Members of the planning board expressed concern regarding the proposed height, density in that location, potential issues with water runoff, and issues regarding parking capacity.

On Thursday, Bousaleh said the point of making conceptual presentations is to understand the feasibility of an idea on a given parcel, not in presenting a hard-and-fast plan. The concept could change, he said, though he plans to submit an application this year.

Conceptual presentations are made by developers to the planning board to gather feedback before they submit an application and begin the process of securing necessary approvals, permissions and permits. Developers typically consider the feedback they receive when submitting their applications.

“The entrance and exit is going to be on Hilliard Road, and you’re going to push the building toward Route 3?” Charlie St. Clair, chair of the planning board, asked.

“Yep, and the parking comes behind it,” Bousaleh said.

The condo units would be two bedrooms, 1,150 square feet. The footprint of the overall building would be 115x60 feet, and the parking lot would be 55x150 feet. There’d be green space toward the front and on the side near Hilliard. Bousaleh said they’d have a 10-foot buffer between his property and those of the neighbors.

“Where do you propose to put the water that’s going to wash off, flow off that driveway, since it's dirt now?” St. Clair asked. Bousaleh told St. Clair he’d work with an engineer on that detail.

“If this is not done right, to the — not just the acceptance of the planning board, but your neighbors — are so important. If they’re not happy with the way this is being planned out, you’ll find yourself in court, and we’ll be getting instructions here from city attorneys about, ‘Well, you better not say this and you better not do that,’” St. Clair said.

St. Clair advised Bousaleh to spend time getting his concept onto paper, and speak directly with abutters about their concerns.

Planning board members also advised Bousaleh to consider the problem of snow storage and removal, and asked if he’d do any plantings in the buffer between his property and neighbors.

“This is just a conceptual, this is just a conversation with the board,” Assistant Planning Director Tyler Carmichael said.

“I, personally, have major concerns about the height, and I have major concerns about the number of units going into this tiny little half-acre lot,” Amy Lovisek, director of recreation & facilities, said. “I, myself, am not comfortable with this giant barn structure, I think it's too big. I think it's too much for that small area. I think it needs to be maybe three stories high, so it's not this monstrosity on the edge of our Route 3.”

Planning board member Richard MacNeill said he has concerns about where people with more than one car would end up parking.

Many of the specific, code-related concerns, Bousaleh said, would be addressed through the engineering, site plan and technical review processes.

“I feel the same way,” board member Dave Ouelette said. “There’s very limited green space, I understand you want to get as much as you can out of it, but my concern is it's overbuilt, there’s too much there.”