137 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham
The Boulos Company announces sale of prime commercial property at 137 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham
The Boulos Company recently announced the successful sale of 137 Portsmouth Ave. in Stratham, NH, a prime commercial property in a high-traffic location.
Known for its excellent visibility and accessibility, the property attracted strong interest from owner-users looking to establish or expand their businesses in Stratham’s growing economy. Its strategic location and commercial potential made it a highly desirable asset.
Christian Stallkamp, partner and senior broker, and Katherine Gemmecke, senior associate, at The Boulos Company, commented on the transaction: “It was a pleasure working on this transaction and helping bring it to a successful close. We really enjoyed working with the sellers and wish them all the best in retirement. This property generated a lot of interest, and it’s great to see it go to a business that will serve the community. We’re excited to see what the group does with the space.“
The buyer, MacVogel Enterprises, LLC, plans to establish an emergency veterinary clinic alongside its existing pet dermatology services.
Bill Riffert of eXp Realty represented the buyer’s in this transaction. — Contributed to NH Business Review
Belknap Hall at PSU (Photo courtesy of Plymouth State University)
PSU repurposing campus spaces for workforce housing
Plymouth State University (PSU) has some big plans to address the region’s housing demand by transforming campus buildings into workforce units and creating spaces for the burgeoning life sciences market in the Granite State.
The plan has three parts and the first two are intended to create more workforce housing and new homes for various university offices, says PSU President Donald Birx. The university, he explains, had trouble in recent years hiring people due to a lack of housing. “People can’t find homes because there aren’t any, and we’re trying to think ahead on this,” he says.
The Kelly House at PSU, formerly housing the university’s Human Resources Center before being consolidated with the University System of NH, has been completed. “[That] now houses the family of the PSU Provost,” Birx says, adding eight or nine other campus houses are currently being assessed. “One immediate option we’re looking at is relocating the University Police Department and health services into available space in Highland Hall,” he says. “This would free up two houses for the workforce and provide a better place to support these services.”
The second part of the plan would convert sections of Belknap Hall, currently a student dormitory, into apartments for workforce housing. Birx says this would increase the housing stock in Plymouth and add up to 25 to 30 affordable apartments. PSU is looking to fund the project with congressionally directed funding and has been in contact with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen “We’re looking at creating two- to three-room units to be used by new faculty and staff, as well as other new or existing residents as space is available.”
Birx says PSU’s residence halls and apartments are still full but that a demographic decline in college-age students will be occurring in the next few years. Repurposing buildings, he explains, “would be an ideal solution that also provides another revenue source,” as well as an efficient use of existing resources to save on energy costs.
The third part of the plan is to extend the state’s tech corridor along Interstate 93 and to create an industrial park at Tenney Mountain Resort, Birx says, adding that conversations with Tenney Mountain are still developing. “Plymouth is in a sweet spot and Tenney offers an excellent location to develop an industrial research park that would include housing and PSU programs mainly in the sciences, life sciences and tech,” Birx says.
Birx describes universities like PSU as “workforce pipelines” that are intertwined with various markets. “Ours is in the northern half of New Hampshire, which is an entirely different area than the southern part of the state. We’re full of small businesses often struggling to recreate themselves and they don’t have the resources to compete,” he says, explaining that finding affordable housing for staff needs to happen first. For more information about Plymouth State University, visit plymouth.edu. — Scott Merrill, Business NH Magazine
Left to right: Corinne Ray, Mark Ray, Tara Peirce & Brendan Battenfelder (Courtesy of Badger Peabody & Smith Realty)
Corinne & Mark Ray join Badger Peabody & Smith Realty in North Conway
With extensive real estate experience and dedication to client satisfaction, Corinne and Mark Ray have joined the real estate firm of Badger Peabody & Smith Realty based out of their North Conway office.
With more than a decade of experience in the Mount Washington Valley, Corinne and Mark bring a client-first approach and a deep commitment to their community.
Corinne Ray has built a strong reputation for her work in residential and investment properties. Known for her in-depth knowledge of the Valley and personalized service, she has earned the trust of both buyers and sellers alike.
Mark Ray, a former police chief and 30-year Army veteran, complements Corinne’s work with his practical knowledge and hands-on approach. He is also an active member in the local real estate community and serves on the White Mountain Board of Realtors as the president-elect.
“We are pleased to welcome Corinne and Mark to our North Conway office,” Brendan Battenfelder, VP of sales at Badger Peabody & Smith Realty, said. He added, “Their combined strengths, integrity and client dedication are a natural fit for our culture of collaboration.”
The Ray’s will be working closely with long-time North Conway agent Tara Peirce, who is helping them integrate into the Badger Peabody & Smith systems and continue delivering the high level of service the firm is known for.
“As a married couple, we really enjoy working as a team and helping people whether they’ve lived here for years or are relocating to the area.” said Corinne Ray. “It’s a privilege to assist clients through such an important moment in their lives.”
2 College Park Dr. on April 8, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Sylvia)
Hooksett Zoning Board grants variance for 160 residential units at former Cigna complex
Earlier this month, the Hooking Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 4-1 to approve variance requests allowing Chelmsford Hooksett Properties LLC to construct 160 residential units in the former Cigna building at 2 College Park Drive, a large step in what could become a significant addition to the Greater Manchester area’s available portfolio of housing.
Built in 1986, the almost 100,000 square foot building sits on a mostly wooded 35-acre lot at the intersection of College Park Drive and Route 3. It has remained largely vacant since it was purchased in 2021 by Chelmsford Hooksett Properties LLC, a company of Manchester-based real estate developer Brady Sullivan.
Currently, the building is zoned in the first of Hooksett’s five different Mixed Use Development zone types, which does not allow for any housing by right, Chelmsford Hooksett Properties LLC, was denied for a variance seeking 80 units in 2021 and was denied a rehearing to reconsider the denial in 2022., appealed that decision to the New Hampshire Housing Appeals Board (see below), with most of the prongs in the zoning board’s statements of fact behind the decision being overturned by the Housing Appeals Board.
Members of the Zoning Board struggled to determine whether the criteria for a variance were met. Zoning Board Members Matt St. Pierre and Gerald Hyde felt that allowing residential units on the property would not be out of line with the character of the neighborhood given residential neighborhoods just south of the property.
The collapsing market for office space since the COVID-19 pandemic was also deemed as a hardship for Chelmsford Hooksett Properties as it was determined that since efforts to find tenants for the building were unfruitful to this point and were likely to be so for the near future, restricting the ability to put residential units at the property would likely force it to be vacant at Chelmsford Hooksett Properties’ expense.
Chair Anne Stelmach built on this premise noting that possible comparable uses to housing that would not require a variance, such as building a hotel, were also deemed financially non-viable.
St. Pierre also added that with the current configuration of the building, renovation would be needed if a tenant only wanted to use part of the building instead of using all of the building as Cigna did.
Substantial justice, or the theory that granting the variance would help the applicant more than it would harm abutting residents, was met according to members of the board citing the belief that the lot no longer being vacant would not create a noticeable difference to nearby residents given expected traffic counts would actually be slightly lower if used for residential purposes compared to the building’s former office use. Additionally, St. Pierre said that the proposed use had a low impact on the community compared to some other potential uses and that the setbacks from property lines are far beyond what is required, creating a noise buffer for neighbors.
The variance was granted on a 4-1 vote, with Richard Bairam joining Hyde, St. Pierre and Stelmach. Timothy Stewart voted in opposition after hearing concerns at previous meetings over fears from nearby residents regarding property values of land in the surrounding area as well as disbelief that a non-residential use could not be obtained at the property given its proximity to nearby busy roads, recent renovations at the property and a belief that the building could be feasibly subdivided among multiple tenants. — Andrew Sylvia, Manchester InkLink
