19-02-2025
Derry sub shop feels the squeeze of Exit 4A construction
Feb. 18—The USA Subs sign says the sandwich shop, a mainstay of Derry since 1988, has "got it all!"
Everything but enough parking and a fair eminent domain deal from the state, that is, the owner said.
"Wow ... we are really getting screwed over," a Facebook post on Feb. 13 began.
The post included pictures of the shop's 10 parking spots and iconic oval sign on Crystal Avenue and details about the owner's struggles to negotiate with the state over land that will be taken for the $80 million project to create Exit 4A off Interstate 93 and reimagine a huge chunk of Derry.
USA Subs was offered $20,200 for the land needed to widen the intersection of Laconia and Crystal avenues, and was assured they would not lose any parking spaces or have to move their sign on their triangular-shaped property, according to Keith Kuceris, a Londonderry resident who owns the shop that his father, Karl, passed down to him.
"When we proved to (O.R. Colan Associates) that we definitely would lose a parking spot and have to move our pylon sign and flag pole, they never put this in writing in the form of a counter offer, or guaranteed in writing that we would ONLY lose ONE parking spot and not have to move our other 'Steak Bomb' sign and the planter that it is located on. Why would we sign any agreement not making these assurances for our peace of mind?" Kuceris asked in his Facebook post.
ORC is handling the eminent domain negotiations for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. ORC has now told Kuceris that USA Subs will lose a parking space and must move the sign about 10 feet.
ORC at one point said they'd pay to move the USA Subs sign, but recently told the owner he must pay $31,000 to move the sign, for which he'll be reimbursed, and gave him a deadline of May 1, said Kuceris, who grew up in Derry and graduated from Pinkerton Academy in 1992.
Since 1988, USA Subs, which took over in the same location as the old Ice Cream Factory in Derry, has employed hundreds of people. It has paid roughly $325,000 in town property taxes, paid another $936,000 in payroll taxes and around $3,500,000 in meals and business taxes, Kuceris said in the Facebook post.
State officials said the eminent domain negotiations are confidential and cannot be shared.
However, NHDOT spokesperson Jennifer Lane said after an offer is made to a property owner, reasonable counteroffers will be considered.
"(USA Subs) was first notified about the potential impact on the property during a public hearing in December 2018. Additional specific details were provided through an appraisal released in August 2024," Lane said via email.
Anyone want Exit 4A?
Large parts of Derry will be torn up for the next three years while the NHDOT constructs a major artery from I-93 all the way to Route 102 near Beaver Lake. The project was first imagined 40 years ago as a way to relocate traffic instead of funneling cars and trucks downtown, where Route 102/Broadway is only one lane in each direction for the state's fourth-largest community.
The problem is, now Derry doesn't have as much commercial or industrial land left near Exit 4A to bring in a larger business tax base, and many longtime residents will be living next to a highway that's seven lanes wide when the project is done.
Last month, some Derry residents bristled when they learned the extent of a project they said was being shoved down their throats. More than 50 residents packed a meeting with town planners.
Many said the economic benefits don't outweigh the cost to their way of life. Several residents said they found it unacceptable that their alternatives were to help shape the future zoning of the area — the one thing the town can do — or move because the state project could not be stopped.
A lawsuit against the state is also still pending after Derry Rail Trail enthusiasts went to court to fight the state's plan to ditch a $700,000 tunnel for the rail trail that was originally planned to go under traffic near the intersection of the new Exit 4A access road — Old Rum Trail — and Folsom Road.
Ash Street Extension
The engineering on Derry's Ash Street Extension is so good, everyone uses it. It's the perfect way to go west to the heart of Londonderry or for commuters from I-93 to avoid using Route 102 to get to the far reaches of Derry's eastern residential areas.
But it's becoming an area of town that's much less desirable for homeowners, residents said at a visioning session last week for the Gateway District, which was established for the area most affected by the Exit 4A construction.
Residents gave town planners feedback for the Ash Street area, including the need for safety measures, speed enforcement and sidewalks.
"I just need to know that we're going to be protected because I don't see any benefits to myself and my neighborhood with what is happening here," said Cheryl Stanion, a resident of Everett Street.
What's next?
A third visioning session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Derry Town Offices.
dpierce@
