Baker Properties, LLC (operating under the name of Exeter Rose Farm, LLC) plans to develop 49.9 acres of land in Exeter, NH. Just outside the heart of downtown and up the hill from the Squamscott River and Swasey Parkway, the multiple adjoining properties are bordered by the railroad tracks to the east, the Henderson Swasey Town Forest to the north, the "Jailhouse Spring" on Oak Street to the South and Norris Brook Condominiums to the West. The Norris Brook, which flows through this property and its associated wetlands are tributaries to the Great Bay watershed.
Exeter Rose Farm, LLC began the application process in March 2016 with the presentation of a conceptual plan. This presentation kicked off nearly three years of sustained concern and resistance from the local community. On Thursday, January 10, 2019 the proposed Rose Farm residential development appeared before the Exeter Planning Board for a final time. Between 10:45pm and 11:50pm the board (at times laughing and making light of the haste with which they were conducting the vote) rushed to approve--without substantive deliberation, consideration for the facts, or even adherence to the guidelines set out in the Town's regulations--all nine of the requested waivers and the project as a whole.
The members who voted to approved the project were: Langdon Plummer, Selectwoman Kathy Corson, Aaron Brown, John Grueter and Kelly Bergeron (who had not attended a meeting in months prior to Thursday). Peter Cameron and Gwen English voted against the project.
The actions of the planning board represent a truly troubling turning point for our town. Aside from the significant negative impacts this specific project will bring to the environment, the neighboring residents and the Town as a whole, the planning board has set a dangerous precedent that will be impossible to undue. In the time since this ill-conceived approval, we have seen many developers involving the Rose Farm project as an example of why the Town's rules should be waived for their projects.
In July 2022, Exeter Rose Farm, LLC, after years of legal troubles and multiple rounds of State DES application reviews, has secured the required Wetlands and Alternation of Terrain permits from the State.
The property is listed for active sale with an asking price of $5.25M.
Exeter Rose Farm, LLC began the application process in March 2016 with the presentation of a conceptual plan. This presentation kicked off nearly three years of sustained concern and resistance from the local community. On Thursday, January 10, 2019 the proposed Rose Farm residential development appeared before the Exeter Planning Board for a final time. Between 10:45pm and 11:50pm the board (at times laughing and making light of the haste with which they were conducting the vote) rushed to approve--without substantive deliberation, consideration for the facts, or even adherence to the guidelines set out in the Town's regulations--all nine of the requested waivers and the project as a whole.
The members who voted to approved the project were: Langdon Plummer, Selectwoman Kathy Corson, Aaron Brown, John Grueter and Kelly Bergeron (who had not attended a meeting in months prior to Thursday). Peter Cameron and Gwen English voted against the project.
The actions of the planning board represent a truly troubling turning point for our town. Aside from the significant negative impacts this specific project will bring to the environment, the neighboring residents and the Town as a whole, the planning board has set a dangerous precedent that will be impossible to undue. In the time since this ill-conceived approval, we have seen many developers involving the Rose Farm project as an example of why the Town's rules should be waived for their projects.
In July 2022, Exeter Rose Farm, LLC, after years of legal troubles and multiple rounds of State DES application reviews, has secured the required Wetlands and Alternation of Terrain permits from the State.
The property is listed for active sale with an asking price of $5.25M.
