Workforce Housing Near Bedford High School Approved

BEDFORD, NH — Despite opposition by multiple residents, the Bedford Planning Board has approved plans for 93 new workforce housing apartments near Bedford High School. The apartments will be located within three buildings off Route 101. Also part of the approved project is renovating the former Shorty's restaurant space to locate a new restaurant in its place.

The Planning Board approved site plans for the project Monday, after several residents spoke in opposition of the project, with concerns about school bus safety, traffic issues, wetlands and the plan to extend sewer service from the high school to the new residential area. The Bedford Residents' Association has collected more than 1,000 signatures in a petition opposing new apartment complexes in Bedford, and particularly this workforce housing project.

The Planning Board approved the site plans during its meeting on Monday. The three-story apartment buildingswill be located on Bow Lane off Chestnut Drive, between the former Shorty's restaurant and Bedford High School. About 69 of the apartments will be affordable housing and the rest will be market-rate, according to the plans.

The former Shorty's building will undergo exterior renovations as part of the plans. A new restaurant is planned for the space, after Shorty's closed about a year and a half ago.