People and Property: Real Estate and Construction News From Around NH

Additional 300 apartments OKd at Tuscan Village

Developers of the multi-use Tuscan Village in Salem has been given the go-ahead by the Salem Planning Board for 300 more apartments as well as a Whole Foods Market.

The NH Union Leader reported that the board approved changes to the development’s master plan involving replacement of a two-story office building with a six-story retail and residential building. The new building will have a Whole Foods on the first floor.

Developers of the multi-use Tuscan Village in Salem has been given the go-ahead by the Salem Planning Board for 300 more apartments as well as a Whole Foods Market. The plan also calls for installing pickleball courts and other recreation areas open to residents and the public.

Site plan approval is still required before construction can begin.

The site plan review will consider detailed plans for the new six-story building, including building materials.

Clubhouse at The Timbers opens

Socha Companies has announced the opening of the Clubhouse at The Timbers, a townhouse community with more than 200 new construction townhomes.

At the center of The Timbers community, the clubhouse features a gym with a dedicated yoga area, comfortable seating, individual office space, a dog washing station, and a kitchen.

Maugel DeStefano Architects named 2023 Architectural Firm of Year

Maugel DeStefano Architects, an architectural firm based in Harvard, Mass., with an office in Portsmouth, NH, has been named Architectural Firm of the Year for 2023 by Boston Real Estate Times, commercial real estate digital and multimedia magazine.

The firm will be honored at the magazine’s annual Excellence Awards Gala on Sept. 13 at Burlington Marriott in Burlington, Mass.

The firm, which is celebrating its 30^th anniversary, acquired DeStefano Architects of Portsmouth in 2019, with founder Lisa DeStefano becoming a principal of the combined firm.

Kershaw named to Mental Health Center board

Newton Kershaw III

Newton Kershaw III, CEO of Manchester-based Elm Grove Companies, was recently elected to the board of directors of The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester. He will serve a six-year term.

Developer says Somersworth apartment project may be canceled

Developer Ben Stebbins, who is proposing a four-story apartment building with over 150 units in Somersworth, said surging costs led him to seek approval of changes to the project, but the changes were rejected by the city’s Historic District Commission, Foster’s Daily Democrat reported.

The decision may lead him to cancel the project altogether, Stebbins, owner of Condor Capital LLC of Portsmouth, said.

Stebbins said he will appeal the HDC decision to the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment on Oct. 4.

“If we don’t get approval on that appeal, the project will not happen,” Stebbins told the newspaper.

The primary change sought made was to the facade of the building, eliminating brick fronts and replacing it with clapboard. Stebbins also asked the HDC for an amendment to a certificate of appropriateness to add residential units, remove underground parking, and alter exterior building materials for the property.