West Lebanon
Members of the Lebanon Zoning Board on Tuesday said they want to be sure the project won’t drastically increase ambulance calls or require additional staff from the fire department.
Some officials also sought confirmation the proposal wouldn’t compound existing traffic problems on neighboring Route 10.
“I don’t want to add a problem when there is one,” Zoning Board member Dan Nash said in an audio recording of Tuesday’s meeting.
Developers say the three-story building, which is being called the Lake House, is needed to ease an ongoing senior housing shortage in the Upper Valley.
The project would increase the total number of units at the combined Quail Hollow and Quail Ridge developments to 320. But that’s still unlikely to meet demand, said John Giebink, who owns the 39-acre development through the South Burlington-based Summit Property Management Group.
Apartments have always filled quickly ever since Quail Hollow’s first building was completed about 18 years ago, he told the board.
“Each building we’ve built has been 100 percent occupied within two months of its opening,” Giebink said. “We have a waiting list of people waiting to be there.”
The heavy demand also is unlikely to lighten up anytime soon, the developer warned the board, citing recent demographic studies.
New Hampshire’s senior population is projected to jump to 323,000 people by 2025, up from 178,000 in 2010, according to a study performed in 2014 by the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority.
The New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies also predicts a “silver tsunami” in the Granite State’s future. According to a 2011 report, about 32 percent of Grafton County’s population will be 65 or older by 2030. In 2010, those 65 and older comprise about 15 percent of the total county population.
Giebink said the Quail Hollow development is the ideal place for many of those senior, citing a close proximity to both West Lebanon and Hanover.
The building itself is slotted to be tucked behind Quail Hollow’s existing T-shaped River House, out of view of nearby homes but close enough to make use of the complex’s services.
Quail Hollow has an on-site salon and barber shop, cafeteria, fitness center and wellness club, which is staffed by the Lake Sunapee Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice.
The even split of one- and two-bedroom apartments in the new building also would offer full kitchens, bathrooms and living/dining rooms.
“It’s a great location and we can have a tremendous, large community of senior citizens here who can relish in all of the supportive services,” Giebink said. “It’s our goal for all residents at Quail Hollow to remain completely independent as they age gracefully.”
Plans also call for 40 parking spaces to be located underneath the building, with another 12 spaces outside, Giebink said. City regulations require one parking spot per unit.
But some at the meeting wondered if another building would make the Quail Hollow community too crowded.
“I’m concerned as to what this board sees as a limit to the number of people who should live in that hollow,” said Anne Harms, president of the Quail Hollow Cottage Association, which governs the 50 townhouse-style homes at the property.
Zoning regulations would allow for 52 “dwelling units” on the Lake House and River House’s 11.9-acre parcel, according to the city Planning Office. But together, the two buildings would contain 154 units.
Developers argue that most of Quail Hollow’s units are filled by only one occupant. If they instead choose to develop 52 family units, they could expect three people in each, according to documents filed with the city.
A traffic study also said the apartment building would draw only eight peak hour weekday vehicle trips, and 10 on weekends.
Still, Harms said she worried about how the increased population would impact congestion in the area, as well as the ability to quickly evacuate during emergencies.
“My concern is that there’s no real ceiling as to how many units can go into a very prescribed area,” she said.
Giebink told the board he’s worked to address many residents’ worries, including a difficult traffic situation at Route 10.
He’s spoken with New Hampshire Department of Transportation officials, and they’ve agreed to move a speed sign away from the community’s intersection with the road.
There also are plans to build a sidewalk up to Route 10, as well as a crosswalk with flashing lights.
That was good news to Ruth Brothers, who moved into Quail Hollow about three months ago. She said there’s few traffic problems in the community and advocated for the Zoning Board to approve the project.
“I really and truly have enjoyed living at Quail,” she said.
Ultimately, the board requested that Giebink obtain a letter from the fire department detailing how the project would affect operations there. It also asked for a letter with input from the state DOT, and additional drainage documents.
The board will discuss the project when it meets at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at City Hall.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.