By Devon Cormier
Staff Writer

New housing developments will be sprouting up in town soon, but any more big developments will not be allowed to submit plans for residential property because of a recently imposed moratorium on sewer hook-ups. Sewer moratorium After planning for an expansion of the sewer treatment plant for five years, the town took the plans to the state and was told they could not expand because of depleted oxygen levels in the Merrimack River, said Sewer Commission Chairman Sid Baines.

The liquid waste that goes through the sewer plant is cleaned and then dumped into the river by many towns situated on the Merrimack. The state is now saying that no more effluent can be dumped into the river than is being dumped now, so Hooksett will need expensive technology and a new plan to expand.

Baines said he is disappointed because the study that found depleted oxygen levels in the Merrimack was performed in 2002, but he was never notified and continued with expansion plans that are now moot. Now near capacity, a moratorium has been issued for sewer hook-ups that could be in effect for years.

“It could take two to three years to design a treatment plant and find a way to pay for it, so as of now the planning board won’t entertain any plans for anybody that does not have sewer capacity already bought and paid for,” said Town Planner Charles Watson.

The switch to septic
However, three developments, two of them for people 55 and older, have been recently approved by the planning board and are under construction or awaiting permits. The sewer hook-ups sold to these and other developments, once connected, will put the sewer treatment plant dangerously close to capacity, causing the moratorium now in effect. Developers must arrange for the hook-ups before going to the planning board for approval, and the sewer commission has given approval for almost all the available hookups since it was expecting to be able to expand the system.

Although the surge of growth in Hooksett may be curtailed by the pollution of the Merrimack River, small- and medium-sized developments will be able to apply for approval with plans for a septic system rather than town sewer hook-ups. The town’s zoning requirements do not allow large, high-density developments to operate with septic systems. All of the property near Exit 10 of Interstate 93 has septic systems because there are not any town hook-ups available at that end of town.

“The planning board couldn’t care one way or another if a development has septic or town hook-ups, as long as it meets all of the standards,” said Watson. “I am unaware of any projects in the pipeline that are high density but any major development that would normally hook up to sewer will have to put the project on hold or redesign it.”

Watson said he is disappointed the moratorium came during the growth surge Hooksett has been seeing, but he hopes developers will pursue septic systems and continue with their plans. One trend Watson has seen all over southern New Hampshire is that of senior housing. Berry Hill and Northview Condominiums are both 55 and older developments being built now.

Residential development
Berry Hill will be 107 units on Berry Hill Road, and Northview is 76 units off of Main Street. Both clinched approval a few months ago and are slated to begin construction soon.

“There is apparently a pretty good market out there for older-person housing,” said Watson. “These places are going for in excess of $200,000. We would assume that living around this area is a reasonable commute to places of work in Massachusetts.”

University Heights has also begun construction on 83 single-family homes behind the library. The project was approved to build 83 homes now, but is approved for 148 total houses, according to Watson. Watson said they agreed to build some commercial retail after completing the 83 houses, and then build the rest. In addition to building some commercial retail, the developers also agreed to build part of the connector road.

“There’s a lot going on,” said Watson. “The interesting thing is that if all the construction on the books comes to pass, there will be a heck of a lot of additional traffic on the roadways.”

Traffic problems
Watson said proposed road improvements may need to come a lot sooner to handle the traffic that recent development is creating. The connector road has already been approved and is expected to be complete in late 2005. It will start at the HealthSource building on Hooksett Road across from the library and go all the way down to Main Street near the intersection of Maine and Merrimack. The connector road will bring drivers to Route 3Aand Village without the traffic of Hooksett Road and Granite Street.

There is also talk of building the southern leg of the parkway that has been envisioned for decades, Watson said. The southern leg will go from Exit 9 off Interstate 93 and travel northeast to Manchester Sand and Gravel’s property on Route 3 across from Hooksett Kawasaki. If Manchester Sand and Gravel goes through with plans to build a shopping center at the current location of their scale house and offices, they will build part of the parkway while making other road improvements. This will allow commuter and shopping traffic to bypass the Route 3 traffic.

“The feeling I’m getting from leaders in town is that they intend to bring this to the next Town Meeting in the spring,” said Watson. “It seems like an idea that really needs to come to fruition.”

Watson said the new residential areas and shopping centers would increase traffic, specifically the Head’s Pond subdivision that is tied up in court. Watson said he estimates there is about 30,000 cars a day in the area of the Granite State Marketplace on Route 3, just north of Bypass 28.

“If they build a shopping center, that figure will jump from 30,000 to 40,000,” Watson said. “If housing gets developed in that area – Heads Pond, University Heights and Granite Hill – that’s another 10,000 vehicles a day. Anice summer day will double traffic from what it is now to about 60,000 cars a day.”

Watson said he wants to deal with the traffic problems, but at the same time he hopes sewer problems won’t dissuade developers from pursuing Hooksett land.

“If no one wants to go forward until we have public the sewer, than that would be a moratorium on building itself,” Watson said. “But if people decide they don’t mind septic, it certainly doesn’t bother us.”