Selectmen withdraw request for Tarberry food hall rehearing

On Tuesday, Weathers drafted a new letter to Tarberry rescinding the request for a rehearing, and selectmen John Colbath, Mary Carey Seavey, Carl Thibodeau and Steve Porter approved the motion to send it.

“I’m glad this has been accomplished and we can move forward,” said Porter, who is selectmen’s representative to the planning board.

In the new letter, Weathers wrote, “This analysis had been requested to support the parking waiver for the Shops at Norcross Place planning board application,” adding that staff had reviewed the report and found that it conformed to the “usual and customary engineering practices” and that staff had approved the report as submitted and “therefore has addressed our concerns” as expressed in their Jan. 3 correspondence.

“We respectfully withdraw our request for the planning board to rehear the waiver request.”

The letter ended by saying “We want to thank you for your work and dedication to the Town of Conway.”

Contacted by the Sun Wednesday, Alec Tarberry said a traffic study had been conducted over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and that it confirmed their assertion that there was adequate parking after 6 p.m. on village streets and in their parking lot at the Shops at Norcross Circle.

“We’re happy to have this resolved and we’re excited about the project,” Tarberry told the Sun, saying he could not yet announce the three tenants for the project but hoped to be able to do “soon.”

Torres told the Sun Wednesday that “the Shared Parking Analysis Report, completed by HEB Engineers, Inc., identifies that there is adequate parking available for the proposed 11,225 square foot bar/lounge/nightclub land use as noted by the planning board during their full site plan review and approval of the project on Dec. 8, 2022.

“This study supports the planning board’s decision to grant a waiver for on-site parking, given the adequate supply of parking on the applicant’s properties and within North Conway village,” Torres said (NOTE: Quote attribution corrected from print version).

The selectmen’s action followed a meeting in non-public session at the selectmen’s Dec. 20 meeting with DegliAngeli.

According to Porter, who spoke to the Sun after selectmen’s Jan. 3 letter was sent to the planning board, DegliAngeli was concerned that a precedent would be set were the parking waiver to stand.

“Paul D. was concerned because with the waiver, you’re not talking 10 or 20 spaces — there’s a deficit of 140 spaces, which equates to an 86 percent deficit over what it already was for a retail operation and now you’re talking a change of use to a restaurant,” Porter told the Sun earlier this month.

The planning board granted the waiver request for parking after Tarberry explained the food hall would be “grab-and-go” during the day and at night parking would up in the village after most businesses close at 5 p.m. Therefore, nighttime patrons would be able to park along Main Street and nearby side streets.

He said the former Olympia store required 145 spaces but the lot had 40, meaning a deficit of 105. He said the proposed new change of use for the 358-seat food hall would require 282 spaces and is providing 39 spaces.

“We feel that there is not a parking issue here, that this is the way the village works,” said Tarberry.

“For the vast majority of the time, there are very busy events like the Fourth of July, where parking is a challenge in the village. But basically, we feel like the current use will really operate during the day to serve existing customers. And the idea is that it’s going to be grab-and-go quick service food. So it’s a place for people who are going to the train or shopping, or going to the park to just grab a bite to eat,” he said.

“At night when the parking in the village is much less constrained that’s when we propose that the nightlife and parking should work pretty well.”

The Dec. 8 vote followed an Oct. 27 conceptual review presentation by Tarberry.

The Dec. 8 and latest discussions took place against the backdrop of the town’s proposed paid parking plan, which if it goes forward, may install metered parking along Main Street and side streets in North Conway Village from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.