Planning board grants final approval for 44‑unit Merritt Place townhouse development at 8 Merritt Parkway

The Nashua Planning Board granted final site plan approval to Merritt Place LLC for a 44‑unit townhouse development at 8 Merritt Parkway.

Paul Chisholm of Keach Nordstrom Associates described the plan as 11 four‑unit buildings on a 6.2‑acre parcel in the Maplewood Mixed Use Village overlay, with internal roads, underground utilities, on‑site garages and a landscape buffer exceeding regulations. He told the board the project had received an Alteration of Terrain permit and that staff memos from water and traffic engineers indicated adequate capacity. "There's adequate water supply, adequate sewer capacity and traffic is not a concern," Chisholm said when asked about infrastructure.

During the public hearing, dozens of residents and neighborhood representatives raised concerns about vehicle trips, pedestrian safety for school crossings, habitat impacts and density relative to the master plan. Conservation Commission member Gloria McCarthy urged the board to consider impacts beyond the wetland buffer: "44 units will bring significant artificial lighting ... to wildlife and plant life," she said. The applicant and staff responded that the traffic impact review (TIR) used recognized trip generation standards and that projected peak-hour and daily trips were well under city thresholds (peak hour estimates ~25–31 trips; daily ~322 weekdays, ~358 Saturdays).

The board approved the applicant's waiver (to limit the 1,000‑foot survey requirement) and then approved final site plan subject to conditions a–u in the staff report; both votes were unanimous by roll call. Conditions require completion of final engineering, landscape plans, and standard department sign‑offs prior to permits being issued.