Wright Avenue Project to Get Closer Look

A proposal to create a luxury retail and condominium development at the site of the former Rosa restaurant parking lot will get a closer look at City Hall on Tuesday afternoon.

The Wright Avenue site plan is scheduled to be reviewed by the Site Plan Review Technical Advisory Committee at a work session on Tuesday at 2 p.m. before it is then scheduled to go before the committee again on Feb. 5.

According to the agenda, the developer Steve Kelm of Wright Avenue LLC wants to raze the former Rosa building that is located on Wright Avenue and construct a more than 9,138 square foot building. Somma Studios of Portsmouth has been retained as the project's architect and they have published some images of what the proposed Wright Avenue project would look like on their Facebook page.

Retail shops would be located on the first level and residential units would be on the other four levels. The proposed development is located within the city’s central business district and the historic district.

Planning Department Director Rick Taintor said the developer first presented the plan in December and is scheduled to bring back a revised plan for Tuesday's work session.

The project is located right next to the former Connie Bean Recreation Center, which was sold in December to Steven Wilson, owner of Hampshire Development Corp. in Exeter for $1.5 million during a live auction. Wilson has not made his redevelopment plans for that building fully known yet.