HAMPTON — An actual property funding company having a look to construct 400 apartments, 34 townhouses and commercial retail space on 104 acres of land off Liberty Lane mentioned if the challenge strikes ahead, it may well be an financial boon for the city.
Now not handiest will it upload much-needed housing, they mentioned, however it’s going to carry jobs and draw in new companies to the Seacoast.
That was once the pitch representatives of the Kane Company Inc. made ultimate week to the city’s Planning Board.
The board voted 6-0 with one abstention to transport ahead with sponsoring a warrant article at the corporate’s behalf that, if authorized via citizens in March, would create a zoning overlay district to enlarge the allowable makes use of for the valuables close to Interstate 95.
Lately, the valuables is zoned just for commercial and grownup use. The proposed overlay district would permit for residential, retail, eating places, trade {and professional} places of work and extra to be constructed there with Making plans Board web site plan approval.
“This will likely open the door for the redevelopment of land topic to the overlay district into a real mixed-use construction that with out query will stimulate financial construction,” mentioned legal professional John Bosen, representing the Kane Staff.
The Kane Staff purchased the 104-acre property, positioned off Go out 2 and with frontage alongside I-95, in 2019. The valuables is composed of Liberty Lane Place of job Park, together with the former headquarters for Fisher Scientific, two huge ponds, strolling trails and acres of undeveloped land.
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John Kane, of the Kane Corporate, mentioned once they purchased the valuables, they meant to construct it out for commercial use.
“Each and every tenant we talked to sought after a large footprint, 400,000 to 500,000 sq. ft,” mentioned Kane. “It pained us to head in that course. We felt that that web site is gorgeous. It wishes extra and needs to be one thing else than simply a large field for logistics.”
The Kane Corporate introduced a conceptual plan for the valuables to the Making plans Board in October consisting of 4 condominium structures of 100 gadgets each and every, 34 townhouses, a clubhouse with pool and 205,000 sq. ft of “industrial flex area” that would come with “retail/eating place.” Additionally incorporated have been public facilities together with strolling trails, motorcycle trails and a canine park, which the Kane Corporate mentioned can be open to the general public.
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Bosen mentioned the overlay district is extra than simply housing.
“The previous type of establishing a big place of business development with large floor parking is over,” Bosen mentioned. “COVID did to place of business structures what Amazon did to retail. Folks now wish to are living, paintings and play locally that has the entire essential products and services shut via.”
Companies from Massachusetts, he mentioned, are eying New Hampshire to relocate because of the newly applied “millionaire tax” (a 4% tax on annual source of revenue over $1 million), just lately authorized via the citizens within the Bay State.
“With high quality housing, sport spaces, eating places and companies {and professional} places of work, this might put Hampton within the entrance of the road in relation to financial construction,” he mentioned.
Whilst the Making plans Board gave the conceptual plans for the valuables combined critiques, the board mentioned on the assembly they weren’t adversarial to giving citizens the chance so as to add attainable makes use of for the valuables.
Making plans Board member Mark Olson mentioned a mixed-use construction “isn’t the worst thought, however I feel it must be finished in moderation” and will have to come with reasonably priced housing.
He additionally reiterated issues introduced up via a resident concerning the affect a challenge of this scale would have in town.
“No person ever talks concerning the affect,” Olson mentioned on the assembly. “That is being promoted on how it’ll be nice for the neighborhood. What about site visitors, affect at the faculty machine, ambulance, no matter, select a subject matter?” Olson mentioned.
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Olson mentioned downtown Hampton already has “tumbleweeds going thru it” with vacant storefronts and wondered whether or not the advance will exacerbate the issue.
“You’ll say there may be extra tax cash, extra alternative, however I feel it’s now not in reality in the most efficient hobby of Hampton and present citizens to mention, ‘This might be superb,” he added.
Making plans Board member Ann Carnaby informed representatives of the Kane Corporate a initial site visitors find out about would possibly alleviate issues.
“Some of the issues that would possibly assist some stage of conceivable public acceptance … if there was once some type of initial site visitors find out about finished that will establish now not handiest how the site visitors may just glide with an build up of a undeniable selection of the inhabitants but in addition tactics of mitigating site visitors issues,” she mentioned.
Liberty Lane’s location is remoted from different neighborhoods, which builders imagine will permit citizens to have simple and direct get admission to to highways whilst averting different residential spaces in Hampton.
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Alternatively, board participants famous that those self same citizens would nonetheless wish to pass to the grocer on Course 1.
Selectman Richard Sawyer, the selectmen’s consultant to the board, mentioned on the assembly that growing an overlay district does now not give the “developer carte blanche to construct what they would like.” The city Planner Jason Bachand mentioned any proposed challenge would nonetheless wish to pass sooner than the board for in depth assessment and meet present the city laws.
“We’re simply including probabilities,” Sawyer mentioned. “At this level, we should not have an in depth plan sooner than the board. … They’re going to have to return sooner than this board for popularity of each step of it. How giant, the size and what we’re going to permit.”
The proposed overlay district would include belongings bounded between the New Hampshire Turnpike (Interstate 95) to the west, New Hampshire Course 101 to the east and north, and Towle Farm Street to the south.
Allowed makes use of, in keeping with the warrant article, can be residential living gadgets; condominiums; outside sport spaces for picnicking and puppy workout; retail gross sales and products and services; eating places; trade {and professional} places of work; private carrier institutions, resorts; well being care amenities; well being/athletic golf equipment; personal colleges; mild production, together with analysis and construction; electrical car charging stations; and accent makes use of.
The thing notes that any proposed construction should abide via architectural and web site design tips and different similar necessities within the the city of Hampton’s web site plan assessment laws.
