LEBANON — Members of the Lebanon Planning Board said they still have major questions about the traffic impact of a proposed 196-unit apartment complex at the former Kleen laundry facility on Mechanic Street, including a nearby intersection with a history of collisions and uncertainty regarding a state project to improve traffic flow.

The Planning Board held a public hearing on Monday for a proposal for multi-phase construction of a residential complex at the site of the Woolen Mill building, which housed the Kleen laundry business until 2019.

In 2021, a partnership of developers, all Dartmouth College alumni, acquired the 5-acre former industrial and commercial property, which they plan to develop into a residential complex composed of four apartment buildings, three of which would be new construction, a two-story standalone parking garage, a landscaped pedestrian plaza and a riverwalk along the Mascoma River.

Jon Livadas, of Delaware-based LWM Residential, said he and his partners aim to provide a “walkable” and “highly amenitized” downtown living experience in Lebanon, close in proximity to the city center and hiking trails along a riverfront, while also revitalizing a historic mill property.

“Our goal is for people to park their cars, leave their cars and enjoy their time on the river or on the bike trail or wherever they want to go,” Livadas told the Planning Board.

The Planning Board does not expect to render a decision on the project proposal until November. Municipal officials have asked for more details on the construction phases and on the engineering plan to address potential impacts to abutting properties.

Planning Board members also indicated that they still have concerns about traffic safety. Some Planning Board members said their greatest concern is Foundry Street, which empties onto Route 4 at a sharp bend and less than 200 feet from the awkward intersection of Mechanic, Mascoma and High streets.

“In the past couple of months I have exited there twice and almost been (struck),” board member Kathie Romano said. “So the idea of a hundred cars coming in and out of there, especially if turning left, is just a death knell.”

The hearing, which ran slightly over two hours, included project presentations by the design team, architects Eric Robinson and Ruthie Kuhlman, of RODE Architects, a firm based in Boston, and engineer Nick Fiori, of Engineering Ventures, a New England-based firm.

The board also heard a traffic impact presentation from engineer Erica Wygonik, of WCG, a Boston-based consulting firm, who conducted a traffic study for the project in conjunction with Lebanon city staff.

The proposed complex will have a total 214 parking spaces, distributed between a number of outdoor lots and garages. The complex’s three access points, including the one at Foundry Street, all connect to Mechanic Street, a heavily commercial corridor along Route 4 connecting Interstate 89 at exit 19 and Route 120 in downtown Lebanon. According to a 2019 traffic study, one intersection of Mechanic Street saw more than 14,000 vehicles per day, a traffic volume comparable to more populous New Hampshire cities.

Wygonik noted a pattern of collision at convergence of the three streets in her study. Between 2017 and 2022 there have been 10 vehicle collisions at that location. The majority of those only resulted in vehicle damage, with only one report of an injury.

“Generally they have been minor fender-benders, which is normally what you would expect there,” Wygonik told the board.

“Some people tend to drive slowly there because it is such a confusing intersection. So you wouldn’t expect to a lot of serious crashes because of (those slowdowns).”

Wygonik also found a lack of adequate sight distance on Route 4 for eastbound motorists approaching Foundry Street, based on minimum standards determined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, an industry standards organization. According to Wygonik’s study, the standards recommend a minimum sight distance of 155 feet, or the ability for a driver to see an upcoming intersection from at least 155 feet away, based on a speed limit of 30 mph, which is Route 4’s currently posted speed in that area. Wygonik found a sight distance of only 125 feet for an eastbound motorist to first see the Foundry Street entry.

But Wygonik also told the Planning Board that these safety concerns are expected to be mitigated by a planned roundabout project by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, which is still scheduled for completion by fall 2025, according to city officials.

The planned roundabout will join Mechanic, Mascoma and High streets in an effort to reduce driver confusion and to reduce traffic speed, Wygonik said. Under the state plan, the posted speed on Route 4 will be reduced to 25 mph, which also would reduce the minimal sight distance required for drivers approaching Foundry Street.

Wygonik also projected that converting the intersection to a roundabout also reduce the occurrence of vehicle collisions.

According to City Engineer Rodrick Finley, the roundabout project is in its preliminary design phase but is still scheduled for completion in 2025. The NHDOT plans to hold a public hearing for the Lebanon community by the end of the year, and state officials hope to conclude right-of-way agreements with property abutters by the end of 2023.

The state also will need to negotiate the purchase of 1 High St., in order to remove the commercial building from the property, which is an obstacle to constructing the roundabout. Top Stitch Embroidery, a screen printing company in Lebanon, owns 1 High St., which is leased to a Cambodian restaurant, Phnom Penh Sandwich Station.

The state aims for the project to go out for bid in 2024, Finley said.

But Planning Board members said they are less optimistic about the state’s timeline about the completion of the roundabout, and questioned why Wygonik’s study based so many traffic projections, including estimated traffic volumes with the additional vehicles, on the assumption that the roundabout would be complete.

“Until the roundabout is there, I am not sure it will be there,” Matthew Hall, the board’s vice chairman, said. “So I would be interested to know what the traffic impact would be, maybe at least what the (volume) numbers would look like, if the intersection stayed the same. Because you never know, and a state-backed piece of city infrastructure may not happen.”

According to the Valley News, the Lebanon City Council voted unanimously in 2018 to recommend the construction of the roundabout, after the state asked Lebanon to select one state-funded transportation project to prioritize. At the time, the state estimated the project cost at $2.9 million, 80% of which would be covered by the state and the remainder to be covered by Lebanon.

The Planning Board said it would like to continue discussion of the apartment project at its next scheduled meeting, a work session on Oct. 24. Board Chairman Bruce Garland said he would like to schedule a special meeting, likely in November, should the board be ready to vote on the proposal.

Patrick Adrian can be reached at padrian@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.

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