Executive Summary

Development Pipeline

Industrial Projects

Entitlement Risk

Approval Patterns

• Utility Repurposing: The board favors industrial projects that reuse existing utility or commercial footprints without expanding the non-permeable surface significantly .
• Administrative Streamlining: Small-scale service uses (e.g., dog daycares) with adequate existing parking are increasingly handled via administrative "no site plan required" determinations to save board time .

Denial Patterns

• High-Density Encroachment: The ZBA and Planning Board are signaling strong resistance to high-density residential projects in industrial-adjacent or agricultural zones, citing concerns about "spot zoning" and traffic on narrow roads like Henry Bridge .
• Conceptual Safety Gaps: Projects lacking engineered traffic flow or defined curb cuts face immediate deferral or demands for formal conceptual dimensions .

Zoning Risk

• Stricter Buildable Area: Voters will consider Amendment 7 (now #6), which increases wetland buffers to 100 feet and reduces the acceptable steep slope for building from 25% to 20%, effectively reducing usable acreage for new developments .
• Residential-Commercial Conflict: Under state mandate HB 631, the town is attempting to preserve commercial inventory by requiring ground-floor retail in new multi-family developments unless a Conditional Use Permit is granted .

Political Risk

• Infrastructure Funding Tension: A sharp divide exists between the Select Board, which favors using unassigned fund balance for roads, and the Budget Committee, which recently cut $450,000 from the road plan and refused to recommend a new trash packer truck .
• EDC Activation: The Economic Development Council has established a new primary goal to proactively attract industrial and commercial entities to grow the tax base .

Community Risk

• Through-Trucking Opposition: Residents are successfully lobbying for "no through trucking" ordinances on collector roads like Parker Station Road and Grady Hill Road due to visibility and narrowness .
• Maintenance Discontinuance: Abutters are fiercely opposing DPW efforts to discontinue maintenance on low-volume town roads, fearing loss of property value and utility access .

Procedural Risk

• Regional Impact Scrutiny: Goffstown is now requesting southern-flow traffic data from neighboring town projects (e.g., Weare) to assess the cumulative impact on local corridors like River Road .
• Bond Expiry: The town is becoming more aggressive in reviewing unreleased bonds for incomplete site work, with potential to "call the bond" on legacy projects .

Key Stakeholders

Council Voting Patterns

• Infrastructure Protectionists: Peter Grigorakakis has emerged as a vocal advocate for restoring road reclamation funds, arguing against "kicking the can" on maintenance .
• Tax Hawks: Budget Committee members like Joe Alexander and Brian Mazer are leading the push for sub-3% increases, resulting in the non-recommendation of several capital projects .

Key Officials & Positions

• Ben Selleck (New Fire Chief): Now the primary authority on fire safety code compliance and station-level generator infrastructure .
• Tim Redmond (EDC/Planning): Recently appointed to the EDC; initially critical of the committee’s efficacy, he now serves as a key liaison between economic goals and planning regulations .
• Scott Oana (Town Engineer): Increasingly focused on requiring oil hoods in industrial drainage structures and enforcing strict sight-distance profiles .

Active Developers & Consultants

• Bedford Design Consultants: Actively managing complex subdivisions involving wetland buffer variances .
• TF Moran: Managing utility-scale site plans and environmental mitigation for Eversource .
• Aspen Environmental: Leading technical wetland delineations for long-driveway subdivisions .

Analysis & Strategic Insights

Forward-Looking Assessment

• Pipeline Momentum: The industrial sector is shifting toward support services and storage rather than heavy manufacturing. Developers should expect high scrutiny on environmental protection (oil hoods, invasive species management) for any site near Glen Lake or the Piscataquog River .
• Approval Probability: Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) for driveways and wetland buffers remain highly probable if the applicant can demonstrate "best management practices" for erosion and no increase in net runoff .
• Strategic Recommendations:
• Site Positioning: Avoid parcels requiring high-density multi-family variances in transitional zones; the current board sentiment is that Goffstown is "tripling" its allowed density in these areas without adequate infrastructure .
• Engagement: For projects on "no through trucking" routes, proactive coordination with the Highway Safety Committee is necessary to avoid restrictive conditions of approval .
• Incentives: Ratepayers will see a temporary reprieve as sewer rate increases are suspended for 2026, though long-term costs for PFOA monitoring are on the horizon .
• Near-term Watch Items:
• March 10th Election: Critical for the passage of the tightened "buildable area" definition and the establishment of the Library Capital Reserve Fund .
• March 12th Planning Meeting: Scheduled review of the entirely rewritten Development Regulations (125 pages), which will include new standards for slopes and open space .