Changes Coming to 8 Loudon Road

The approved three variances to a property on Loudon Road that will be developed into a new addition to an existing building and a restaurant.

FLOMAC Limited Partnership owns the building at 8 Loudon Road which previously housed a sporting goods store and fireplace shop. The company asked the ZBA for variances that would permit the construction of a new restaurant on the site; would permit an addition to an existing structure; and would permit structural alterations to an existing non-conforming structure. Two of the variances specifically related to the fact that the building now exists in a floodway, not far from the Merrimack River.

Richard Uchida, an attorney from , said the request was the first step in redeveloping the parcel.

Currently, there is a 24,000 square foot building on the site that is “in truth, in less than optimal condition today,” according to Uchida. The company would like to reduce and renovate the existing building for mixed use and construct an addition to the building. In front of the building, a 6,500 square foot building would be built, near the access road, for a restaurant.

“Normally, we wouldn’t permit buildings in the floodway,” he said. “This site was developed long before the flood hazard zoning went into place, back in the 1960s.”

Uchida also noted that the building was in the Gateway Performance District. The GPD is an area of the city that is expected to be used for revenue generating development for the city. Uchida said the plans “represent an improvement to what is there now.”

Richard Lundborn, a civil engineer with Norway Plains Associates, said that the project would not increase or change flooding in the area at all.

“You’d have to have a pretty substantial flood to get out this far,” he said.

Lundborn said the redevelopment would not only improve the drainage but also allow cleaner water from the building. Currently, the water just runs through the parking lot into the river. Reducing the part of the building that is closest to the river would actually reduce the drainage volume.

“It’s strictly a volume argument here,” he said. “It really is a benefit.”

Uchida said it was also important to note that the owners had controlled the building for more than 25 years and during that time, flood waters had never flowed close to the building, even with the major storms the city has seen. He said that the ground would be raised a bit even though it’s not in danger of flooding.

“We all want to see the property redeveloped,” Uchida said.

City Engineer Craig Walker noted that when the King’s building, currently the location of a Bed & Bath, was constructed, the ground had to be raised up to deal with potential flooding issues. He said they also looked into federal regulations.

Uchida said there will be significant expense in order to meet the federal regulations in terms of by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that is often concerned about constructing buildings in floodways.

The ZBA unanimously approved the variances.