'Help us protect College Square': Plan for 172 apartments behind Claremont's Hannaford dropped after neighbors push back

A plan to build 172 affordable apartments behind the Hannaford supermarket in Claremont is off, after neighbors told the zoning board it would send too much traffic through their quiet streets.

Southwestern Community Services has withdrawn its application for a density variance for the land off Washington Street, the Valley News reported.

Why was it dropped?

Beth Daniels, CEO of the Keene-based nonprofit, said the decision came from what residents said at a Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting in early September.

"We work closely with community members, and we certainly wouldn't want to move forward with anything that had a lot of pushback from the community," Daniels said.

"We work with the community, not against it."

What was planned?

The site is a 75-acre parcel in the rural agricultural zone.

The variance would have changed the allowed density from one home per 5 acres to one per 19,000 square feet.

The nonprofit's attorney, John Arnold, said that would match the neighborhoods next door on First Street and College Square, which sit on either side of the Hannaford property.

The plan proposed a "loop" road connecting the complex to Washington Street through those neighborhoods.

'Help us protect College Square'

That loop road is what neighbors fought.

At the September meeting, many residents said the extra cars heading for Washington Street would destroy the peace of the area. They said it would make walking in the neighborhood less safe.

They also warned the streets would need widening and new sidewalks, which would mean taking road-frontage property.

"There is not much traffic, and we would like to keep it that way," Dartmouth Street resident Jim Litevitch told the board. "Help us protect College Square."

Was it close to being built?

No. Even if the variance had been approved, it would only have been a first step.

The project would still have needed a special exception and site plan approval, according to the Valley News.

What it means for you

If you live around College Square or First Street, nothing is changing near you for now.

If you're looking for an affordable place to rent in Claremont, those 172 units are not coming to this site.

Daniels said the nonprofit is still "optimistic" about developing affordable housing in Sullivan County and wants to help find a suitable place, "but not at the expense of the surrounding neighborhood and residents."

No new site has been announced.