Goodhue Expansion of Use - Recent Events

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CLICK HERE FOR MERNIA'S COUNSEL DECEMBER 10, 2025 LETTER TO MEREDITH ZONING BOARD

SUMMARY:

In early October 2025, Goodhue notified the Meredith Town Planner and the Town Code Enforcement Officer about plans to change the use of Building B-4, a 15,500 square foot boat storage space, to a boat repair and maintenance space. The Town requested a description of the existing and proposed uses of the boat storage building which was provided as follows:

"The building B-4 is currently being used solely for boat and spare part storage. lt has rack

space for 96 boats. Unfortunately, the dimensions of those racks only accommodate smaller boats that were typical when the building was originally constructed. Modern boats no longer fit, so we have decided to use the space for boat repair and maintenance. This would include the maintenance operations that are currently happing in the current service building. This includes: engine and gear oil changes, other mechanical engine and gearbox/transmission repairs, electrical and engine diagnostics, battery replacement, and other general preventative maintenance. 

Operations that will NOT be taking place in this building: Winterization, boat washing, fiberglass, gel or paint repair. In recent years the building has not been utilized to its 96-boat storage capacity it has been accommodating. We attached a simple drawing of the building to the application. For clarity, the sides and ends of the building are symmetrical. The color of the building will be forest green. There are no structural changes to the building."

Based on that information, Meredith's Code Enforcement Officer determined that Goodhue did not "have an expansion of use and are not required for a site plan amendment." 

Several abutters to the property appealed this decision to the Meredith Zoning Board on December 11th citing the concerns expressed in our communication to supporters below and requesting a comprehensive review by the Zoning and Planning Boards. MerNIA counsel also sent a letter to the Zoning Board supporting the need for additional review. A copy of the letter can be viewed here.  

MerNIA believes these issues warrant a thorough and transparent review by the Town Boards. Our commitment remains to support sound decision-making in Meredith, ensuring that Zoning and Planning rules, procedures, and oversight are carefully evaluated to advance the community’s long-term planning objectives.

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December 9, 2025 Letter to MerNIA Supporters:  

An appeal of the Code Enforcement Decision will be heard at the Meredith Zoning Board meeting on December 11, 2025, at 6:30 PM in the Meredith Community Center. 

This decision has the effect of more than doubling the area of their boat service operation, putting even more pressure on public parking and docking access at the site and on the privacy and tranquility of the adjoining residential neighborhood.

If you are an island resident who uses the public parking or docks and are concerned about your ability to access your property, if you enjoy public access to the lake from this location, or if you live in close proximity to the boatyard and are concerned about the continued expansion and intensification of activity causing noise and congestion, please make every effort to attend.

This proposed change and expansion of use could have profound effects on the nature of the activity on the site and on the surrounding neighborhood, raising some important questions: 

• How will the additional vehicle parking requirements impact the public parking lots at Lovejoy Landing?
• How will the increase in serviced boats impact the public boat launch and boat parking at the public docks?
• How will the additional trailering or forklifting of serviced boats impact traffic and public safety in the public parking lots adjacent to this proposed service building?
• What will the impacts be on neighboring residential properties from, for example, the increased noise from expanded operations on the site?

A change of use of a building and an expansion of a use on this property requires a full public review of the property by both the Zoning Board and the Planning Board to thoroughly evaluate its impacts. This is the standard in NH’s Land Use law.

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