By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

A proposal to build 70 condominium units near the Hooksett’s historic Mount St. Mary’s building has resurrected a dispute some local officials thought was buried more than a year ago.

A limited liability company representing Brady Sullivan Properties, which owns the former New Hampshire College building, and converted it from apartments to condominiums last March, hopes to build another three-story building behind Mount St. Mary’s.

Yet vague references to perhaps building on the lawn that sprawls from Route 3/28 to the St. Mary’s building has refueled a fire many thought was doused last year.

The Hooksett Planning Board and Brady Sullivan representatives agreed last year that the lawn in front of the building would be kept as open space “in perpetuity,” and that nothing could be built on the area, according to minutes of the board’s March 21, 2005, meeting.

“It was made clear that the grass in front was supposed to be open space in perpetuity,” Hooksett Town Planner Charles Watson remembered of the agreement.

Brady Sullivan’s plan is to build a three-story, 70-unit condominium building with 176 parking spaces behind the building and the adjacent Hooksett library building. The group is asking for a variance from the town’s limit of 12 units per building.

In its application for the variance, the company recalls how Hooksett residents adamantly opposed building on the front lawn.

The application also cites the agreement with the town and says building behind the Mount St. Mary’s building would uphold that agreement and “preserve the historic integrity of the land and view at the front of Mount St. Mary’s.”

The company also contends that fulfilling its plan to build 70 units under the town’s current zoning rules would necessitate six 12-unit buildings, some of which could sprawl out to the front lawn.

“The variance would be safeguarding a part of the Town’s history and accommodating the requests of the Town residents and the Town Planning Board,” company officials wrote. “It would be a shame to demolish it.”

Hooksett Library Trustees Chairman Mary Farwell, who was outspoken in opposition Brady Sullivan’s consideration to develop the Mount St. Mary’s front lawn last year, said she’s baffled by the Brady Sullivan application.

“We all think it’s strange that this is coming up again,” she said.

Farwell said she, the library trustees and many of the library’s patrons haven’t had a change of heart in the last months.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places we have in town,” she said of the view in front of the library. “It would be a travesty to put apartments on that front lawn.”

Calls to Brady Sullivan, based in Manchester, weren’t returned by press time.

A zoning board public hearing on the company’s request for a variance is scheduled for Tuesday, July 11, at 7 p.m. at the Hooksett municipal building.