After more than a year of discussion, Boscawen residents will have to wait longer to see if a Dollar General will be allowed in town.
The Boscawen planning board voted to postpone a public hearing on an application for a 7,500-square-foot Dollar General on King Street after a lawyer brought up concerns about zoning variances during a meeting Tuesday night.
David LeFevre, who represented two Boscawen residents in a lawsuit against the town, argued the proposal needed three zoning variances before it could be accepted as complete. He said the project did not have enough parking spaces, the lot size was too small for the zoning ordinance and the proposal would allow for delivery trucks to maneuver around the parking lot in order to reach the loading bays, which is not allowed in the town’s zoning ordinances.
Planning board member Roberta Witham said the decision means the board will have more time to review the proposal before accepting it as complete.
Discussion on whether Dollar General should be allowed in the town has been ongoing for more than a year. Bohler Engineering originally submitted plans on Dollar General’s behalf for a 9,100-square-foot store in the beginning of May, which was later changed to 7,500 square feet. After two rounds with the zoning board (each included several continued hearings and multiple variances denied) and after resubmitting their application, store representatives went back before the Boscawen Planning Board in January.
The planning board issued a conditional approval for the site plan in April, a decision that was shortly contested by residents in Merrimack County Superior Court. LeFevre said his clients argued the town did not follow due process and did not allow residents to voice their opinions when Dollar General submitted plans for a smaller store.
The lawsuit was dropped when the town agreed to rehear the planning board application and allow for public comment after a decision was made on whether to accept the application as complete, LeFevre said.
If approved, Dollar General plans for 10 transactions an hour between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and for delivery trucks to come once per week at 7 a.m.