A pending “conceptual” design for Dollar General presented to the May 3 meeting of the Boscawen Planning Board is not a fait accompli. It was not a public hearing.
The applicants indicated they require three or four significant variances from the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The ZBA public hearing is at 7 p.m. on May 24 at the Municipal Building.
Two years ago this lot housed a Royal Barry Wills designed single-family home that burned in an intensive fire on June 10, 2014, in addition to a small barn, now removed. The section of the village on the left side of Routes 3 and 4 is adjacent to at least 12 single-family dwellings within the horseshoe formed by King Street, Queen Street and Lew-Alice Drive.
A 9,100-square-foot retail operation operating from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. destroys peace, security and residential character surrounding this lot. Abutters on King Street include a single-family home that has two of seven state historic markers on King Street, and an active funeral home.
In the mile of the village are four buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, with a fifth, the white church, just north of the intersection of Routes 3 and 4.
Based on the number of variances required for the building, and the nature of the village, is this particular lot the best location for a retail outlet of this type?
ELAINE CLOW
Boscawen
(The writer is an abutter and librarian and secretary of the Boscawen Historical Society.)