30-04-2025
Plans for six-story, 51-unit mixed-use building at North End Superette site head to ZBA
Plans to build a new six-story, 51-unit multifamily housing development at the site of a popular Manchester convenience store will go before the city's zoning board next week.
Plans submitted by Granite Earth LLC show the store, North End Superette at 1308 Elm St., would remain part of the new, larger structure, which includes commercial uses on the first two floors — including a new underground parking garage with 39 spaces.
Granite Earth LLC's application is seeking a density variance to allow 51 units where 15 units are allowed under Section 8.04 of the city's Zoning Ordinance. The application appears on the agenda for the Wednesday, May 7, meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
While the ZBA usually meets on Thursdays, the meeting was moved to Wednesday as Manchester is hosting the annual Taco Tour downtown on Thursday, May 8, from 4 to 8 p.m.
DEV, LLC owns the approximately 9,200-square-foot property at 1308 Elm St. that has frontage on Elm Street, Fir Street, and North Hampshire Lane, and is home to a stucco-walled store known as North End Superette.
1308 Elm Street
Plans to build a new six-story, 51-unit multi-family housing development at the site of a popular Manchester convenience store go before the city's zoning board next week. Plans submitted by Granite Earth LLC show the store, North End Superette at 1308 Elm Street, would be incorporated into the new, larger structure, which includes commercial uses on the first two floors – including a new underground parking garage with 39 spaces.
The underlying building dates back to 1890, according to assessment records. The property has its origins in the 19th century as one of the lots shown on the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company plans.
Through 2023, the northerly portion of the property was subject to a lease for approximately 20 parking spaces, and located within the Central Business District zoning district.
Granite Earth, LLC is looking to redevelop the site by incorporating the existing store into a larger mixed-use building.
The first and second floors will consist of parking and a commercial unit, with the second floor being at street level.
Parking on the first two floors will consist of 39 spaces, including three handicap-accessible parking spaces. The owner also proposes including an EV charging station on each of the first two levels.
There are two proposed entry points to the garage, one on the upper Elm Street side and another on the lower North Hampshire Lane side.
The upper five stories of the structure would consist of 51 one-bedroom and studio apartments, with proposed amenities including a street-level mail room, a trash chute to a street-level dumpster, laundry room, theater, recreational room, fitness room, a common dining room/kitchen, and common area top level deck with a barbecue grill.
In applying for a density variance, Granite Earth LLC points out the property's immediate area is characterized by a mix of commercial and mixed-use developments, as well as a school campus.
To the north is a mixed-use development with 23 apartments on the upper floors of its building, including 16 two-bedroom units, per city assessing records. The properties across Fir Street and North Hampshire Lane are part of the Massachusetts School of Pharmacy campus.
Across Elm Street from the site are a mixed-use building with 52 residential units in addition to commercial units, a mixed-use building with seven commercial units and 22 apartments, as well as a parking lot.
'The proposed density, particularly given the use of one-bedroom apartments, will not be out of character for the area,' the application states. 'The variances will allow for the replacement of an older, single-use structure will a new mixed-used building. As such, the variance will not only not diminish surrounding property values, but would likely increase the value of surrounding properties with its new development.'
