By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

This postcard shows the boat dock that once existed at Robie’s Country Store in the early 1900s. Amenities like this could be brought back to Hooksett. (Courtesy Graphic)

At least one local developer, Alden Beauchemin, has a big vision for little old Hooksett Village.

Yet Beauchemin’s vision ­ which includes a riverboat, a barn turned concert venue, and a deck and boat dock for Robie’s Country Store ­ is derived from the Village’s rich history.

“Not all developers I’ve worked with think in a very historic way,” said Beauchemin, who owns Keyland Enterprises, a Hooksett-based land and construction consulting firm.

But Beauchemin, who’s been sharing and molding his plans with other developers, said the prospect of outdoor sports retail giant Cabela’s moving to town has put Hooksett, and particularly the areas surrounding Interstate Exit 11 and the Village area, at a crossroads.

“Hooksett Village doesn’t have to get run over,” he said. “We can take what some people see as a negative and turn it into a big positive.”

Beauchemin said he first conceived plans for the Village more than a year ago, when he joined on to help design a deck and boat docks for Robie’s.

While no formal plans to add to Robie’s have yet been presented to the town, Beauchemin said the project sparked his own interest in the Village’s history.

“Robie’s is important to this community,” he said, “but it’s important because of all the history that surrounds it.”

When voters in May approved the town council to negotiate spending $18 million for private and public infrastructure improvements that could lure Cabela’s to town, Beauchemin said broader plans for the Village ­ like a riverboat, a Village common area, pedestrian walkways, and fixes to the Hooksett Historical Society building ­ started to take off.

“You can’t think of all that great stuff without having an anchor store like that,” he said. “Financially it just doesn’t make sense.”

Beauchemin’s vision has been bolstered by enthusiasm from other local developers, feedback from Cabela’s, and feedback from some town officials and volunteers who’ve seen early plans, he said.

“I’ve seen his plans and I’ve encouraged him,” said Hooksett Town Planner Charles Watson. “He’s got vision, that’s for sure.”

“Those plans certainly would enhance that Village district,” said Hooksett Town councilor Michael DiBitetto. “I think they’re quite exciting.”

Beauchemin, with an office and riverfront property on 10 acres just off Route 3A at Exit 11, is right in the heart of the zone anticipated for development if Cabela’s moves in.

“I’ve got developers calling me as we speak,” said Beauchemin, “and we could sell tomorrow and walk away very comfortable.”

But Beauchemin said preserving the Village’s historical aspects currently takes precedent over his desire to sell to developers eager to tag on to Cabela’s.

“This is one big chance to give something back to our kids and our future generations,” he said.

Though no formal building plans have been presented to the town, Beauchemin has worked with engineers and other surveyors to devise some concrete drafts.

Plans include a dock off Beauchemin’s property that could serve as a hub for an old-fashioned riverboat, much like what could regularly be seen on the Merrimack River in the late 1700s and early 1800s, during the time of the Manchester-Hooksett Steamboat Co.

Beauchemin envisions a hub for the riverboat upstream at Robie’s, and another downstream, where a property owner has shown enthusiasm for the idea of converting an old structure into a type of music theater.

Beauchemin also envisions a sea plane, which he said could be chartered for hunting and fishing trips.

He’s also conceived of pedestrian walkways and a small Village common next to a hypothetically reconfigured parking situation at Robie’s.

After spending much of his career as a land consultant for residential housing developers, Beauchemin said it could be difficult to get some developers, and even residents, rallied behind the plans.

“If you want something to happen, and you stay positive it can happen,” said Beauchemin. “It’s like in the movie, if you build it they will come.”