Nashua Zoning Board approves four variances and a special exception; neighbors contest oversized Porsche sign

The Nashua Zoning Board of Adjustment met Nov. 26 and approved four applications including a special exception to allow a detached garage at 14 Domaine Avenue and variances for home expansion at 4 Hideaway Road and two signage requests downtown and on Northeastern Boulevard.

Vice Chair Steve Lionel opened the meeting, explained hearing procedures and confirmed five members were present. Planning staff described the legal basis for variances and special exceptions, and Lionel reminded the public that decisions carry a 30-day appeal window and permit requirements.

In the first case, owners Laurie Grasso and Christian Carlson requested a special exception to expand a nonconforming single‑family use with a 20-by-36-foot detached garage in the PIMU zone (Ward 1). Applicant Christian Richard Carlson explained the proposal is residential and not for commercial use. Planning staff said the house is a legal nonconforming use in that zone and therefore the expansion required a special exception. Board members said the project met setback and open-space criteria and unanimously approved the special exception.

At 4 Hideaway Road (R18 zone, Ward 2), the board granted a variance to allow a roughly 12-by-38-foot addition that would encroach 7 feet into a required 20-foot side-yard setback. Tracy Trammell, representing GM Roth, and owner Peter O'Shea told the board the plan connects the existing house to a detached garage without increasing the noncompliance; the board received a supporting letter from nearby neighbors. The board found the lot’s small size and corner configuration constituted special conditions and approved the variance unanimously.

The meeting’s most contested item was a signage variance for a new Porsche dealership at 9 Northeastern Boulevard. Applicant Jillian Shedd of Northpointe Construction Management told the board the proposed wall lettering on two faces totals 91.5 square feet each but that a rear sign backer (about 145.6 square feet) pushes the total to 237.16 square feet — above the 150-square-foot allowance in the Highway Business zone. Neighbors, including Chris Farris and Jenny Santiago, testified that an illuminated sign of that size would be excessive for nearby homes and would cause nighttime glare. Shedd said exterior site lights and the sign faces can be dimmed and that planning-board site plans included lighting controls; Deputy Planning Manager Carter Falk said any lighting must meet the city’s property-line illumination limit (about 0.2 foot-candles at the property line).

Board members acknowledged neighbors’ concerns but repeatedly cited the building’s large scale, dual frontage on Northeastern Boulevard and the Turnpike, and the fact that the overage is caused mainly by the rear sign backer. The board moved, seconded and unanimously approved the 237.16-square-foot variance; members suggested the applicants consider dimming as a neighborly mitigation though most declined to impose a dimming condition they could not quantify.

The board also approved variances for two signs at 30 Temple Street (a tall, illuminated wall sign proposed above existing rooftop signage on a multi‑tenant building in Ward 4); members noted precedent on that building and approved the application with a 4–0 vote (one member had recused).

The board corrected and approved minutes from Nov. 12, set the next meeting agenda for Dec. 10 and adjourned at about 7:33 p.m.

Votes at a glance:
- 14 Domaine Avenue — special exception to expand a nonconforming use (20×36 detached garage): motion approved, unanimous (5–0). 30-day appeal window noted.
- 4 Hideaway Road — variance to encroach 7 ft into 20-ft side yard for 12×38 addition: motion approved, unanimous (5–0). 30-day appeal window noted.
- 9 Northeastern Boulevard (Nashua Motorsports/Porsche) — variance to exceed 150 sq ft wall-sign limit (237.16 sq ft proposed): motion approved, unanimous (5–0). 30-day appeal window noted.
- 30 Temple Street — variances for sign height (76 ft proposed where 20 ft permitted) and off-premises wall sign allowance: motion approved (4–0; one recusal). 30-day appeal window noted.

The board repeatedly reminded applicants that zoning approvals do not replace required building or sign permits and that approved proposals still must meet permit conditions and any city lighting standards.