The June 12 meeting of the Hudson Planning Board heard a conceptual site plan presentation from Sam Foisie of Meridian Land Services and Tom Boucher of the Great NH Restaurant Group, the company responsible for operating T-BONES. The plan includes 9,500 square feet of restaurant space and 45 residential units.
“With Hudson T-Bones, we are in a situation, which is public knowledge, the culvert that runs under that property is in failure,” Boucher explained. “The landlord was given notice to repair this, I don’t remember the exact year, but it got to the point where the town said ‘you need to repair this and filed suit.’ Now there’s a lien against the property.”
While a culvert repair plan is being developed and T-BONES promised to stay at 77 Lowell Road if repairs are made, Bouchet was unsure when or even if that plan would be approved. A refurbished culvert will require approval from state and federal regulators.
“It’s not just the town, it’s the state and the Army Corps of Engineers. We started looking for a property,” said Boucher, who settled on 256 Lowell Road as the spot for a “ground up” restaurant. “It’s time for us to upgrade and build a really nice restaurant for Hudson.”
Foisie explained the residential add-on as an additional use to “offset the economics” of constructing what is essentially a new restaurant from the ground up. They will be multifamily units.
“Multifamily is definitely a need in the country but probably more specifically in NH,” said Foisie. “We are looking to move pretty quickly once we get some input form the Board.”
Previously, the Great NH Restaurant Group was involved in apartment construction in Bedford.
Board members had a few questions for the pair.
“I assume these residential units are rentals?” asked Alternate Board member, George Hall.
Site planners were unsure what the housing would look like, as Foisie admitted the apartments “may turn into condos” as things develop.
“When done, does the NH Restaurant Group actually own the property? You’re not going to be a tenant?” asked Board member, James Crowley.
Boucher confirmed that would be the case, his company would own the land, the new T-Bones, and the included apartments or condos.
Other questions came from confusion related to a letter Boucher sent to Hudson residents talking about a possible relocation of T-Bones and did not include any mention of the apartments or condos.
In the letter the owner claimed that came from being forced to quickly throw together a plan without knowing all of the details.
“I would like to comment on the letter that went out. In full transparency, that letter went out, and I did not want rumors to start,” said Boucher. “If we started to say we were going to put apartments there and all of the sudden, we decide it’s going to be a breakfast place, they’re going to say, ‘you lied to us, you didn’t tell us the truth.”
As a conceptual plan, many aspects of the project still lack detail and are subject to change.
