Fairfield Kia is on track for an upgrade. The dealership in Keene got planning board approval Monday night for plans to tear down the existing building at 440 Winchester St. and build a new, larger one behind it.
A new 15,365-square-foot building would replace the existing 9,950-square-foot building. The new building would be built behind the current one, allowing the dealership to continue operating through most of the construction, according to plans presented to the board.
The new design for the lot would switch the bulk of the parking from behind the building to in front of it, toward Winchester Street, according to the plans. It would also add two electric vehicle chargers in parking spots to the rear of the building, Fieldstone Land Consultants Project Manager John Noonan said Monday. The chargers were a requirement from Kia corporate, Noonan said. The company, which is pushing to increase its percentage of EV sales to 58 percent of its total sales by 2030, wants dealerships prepared to meet the needs of EV customers, according to an April news release from Hyundai Motor Group.
Due to the unique needs of car dealerships, the plans for the lot include some divergences from typical planning standards. To keep the total amount of impervious asphalt on the property down, part of the rear lot at the dealership would be paved with porous pavement, which allows water to soak through and absorb into the ground instead of becoming runoff. The board approved waivers to allow the dealership to plant shrubs instead of trees, which are typically required for large parking lots, and to exceed typical standards for light levels.
Fairfield Kia is owned by Christian McCauley, who also owns the GMC dealership directly north of it and the Mitsubishi dealership directly south of it. He was not reachable for comment Monday.
The board approved the plans unanimously Monday despite a letter from a Keene resident and civil engineer who raised concerns about re-siting of a fuel tank on the property, as well as whether there’d be sufficient stormwater filtration, and whether the project would need a N.H. Department of Environmental Services alteration of terrain permit due to its scope.
Board members said they received the letter about 10 minutes before the meeting and did not have time to review it thoroughly. However, some of the concerns were addressed at the meeting.
In a presentation to the board, Noonan said the fuel tank on site would be moved to the Mitsubishi dealership property. Planning board member Michael Remy, who is also a city councilor, noted N.H. DES may want to review the new placement, but said that’s a state-level concern and outside the board’s purview.
Similarly, City Planner Megan Fortson said the city engineer had reviewed the plans and found them compliant with city ordinances. The community development office doesn’t review for compliance with state standards, like whether a site will need an alteration of terrain permit, she said, and those standards are outside the purview of the planning board.
In their approval of the plans, planning board members did add a condition noting that the applicant would need to get an alteration of terrain permit if required and present a copy to the city.
“I just want to make sure, and I think we’ve done that, that there’s a path forward for addressing concerns that have been raised fairly late in the process,” Mayor Jay Kahn said. He said he was satisfied that the concerns in the letter would be addressed.
Fieldstone Engineer Chad Branon said his team was surprised by the letter and did not believe the project would need an alteration of terrain permit. However, he said he would be reaching out to the state right away to get clarity and make sure everything is squared away.
“The timing of this project is critical,” Branon noted. If plans weren’t approved by the end of the year, he said the dealership wouldn’t qualify for corporate funding.
The project still needs a building permit and a floodplain development permit, Branon said Tuesday. Once those are secured, construction is expected to begin quickly, he said.
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