Summer may be a slow season
Perhaps the best argument in favor of Twin Pines’ proposal for a 31-unit apartment building on Main Street in West Lebanon is its location. It is near Advance Transit stops and a public library that offers free Wi-Fi and the use of computers; two things that make it ideal for job seekers and job holders.
Thus far, the discussion before the Planning Board has highlighted the need for more rentals in the Upper Valley. Andrew Winter, executive director of the nonprofit Twin Pines, recently said New Hampshire’s apartment vacancy rate is near 1 percent, well below what he considers a healthy rate of 4 to 5 percent. For individuals, the shortage means higher rents; for employers, it creates challenges in finding new workers if prospective employees can’t afford to live near the jobs.
Twin Pines would provide 28 units with rents based on income, and three at full market rates. Although some nearby property owners have raised questions about parking, traffic and the building’s height — which at four stories would not exactly tower over its neighbors — Twin Pines has already made adjustments. It will provide 65 parking spaces, which would also serve Mascoma Bank and the expected first-floor tenant in the new building: Child and Family Services of New Hampshire. Given the information presented at Planning Board sessions thus far, we expect the project to be approved and be a net positive for the city and the Upper Valley.
Sometimes the city is accused of moving too slowly in its planning and review processes, but at times a dogged pace is merited. Developer Doug Homan is getting antsy after a year of meetings about his proposed housing development on Carter Country Club land off Route 4. But the scale of the project, at nearly 300 homes, and substantial concerns about what it would do to traffic, the existing neighborhood and a golf course where generations of Lebanon’s youths have learned the game, argue for caution.
Traveling Route 4 is already no picnic during busy times, and adding around 225 more vehicles in the morning and evening could add to the challenge. For starters, planners must be satisfied that traffic flow won’t be degraded on an important stretch of city road before any approvals are handed out.
And finally, something needs to be said about the Planning Department’s draft of a proposal to create mixed-use zoning on a stretch of Route 10 near the Campion Rink — What were they thinking?
Although the highway has some low-key businesses now, such as an insurance office and a professional park, it also has a residential feel, and the proximity to downtown Hanover makes the need for additional small businesses doubtful. At a recent informal hearing, neighbors were proffered the benefits of picking up a gallon of milk at a small business near home, but given that most convenience stores now come with gas pumps and bright lights, they weren’t persuaded.
Neighborhood opposition at the hearing effectively killed the plan when Planning Director David Brooks said it was a draft that wouldn’t go forward without support. We doubt there is much, if any. Brooks also conceded that planners should have held a hearing to gauge neighborhood sentiment before putting together a draft. To their credit, city planners recognize when they’ve been sent back to the drawing board.