Big Mixed-Use Site Plans Approved For Salem's Tuscan Village

SALEM, NH — Site plans for three development projects planned in Salem's Tuscan Village have gained approval by the Planning Board last week. On Tuesday, the board approved plans for a five-story medical building, a Pressed Cafe and 750,000 square feet of mixed-use development with a large parking area. The mixed-use space will house new restaurants, retailers, a hotel, a residential area and offices.

As part of its agreement with the Selectmen, Tuscan Brands will spend more than $12 million in the next few years to mitigate the entire project's impact on the town — the company will pay for increased traffic and public safety calls and reconstruct areas of Rockingham Park Boulevard and Mall Road to accommodate the new development and traffic flow coming to the Village.

Site plans for the mixed-use development, to be located in the area of 71 Rockingham Park Boulevard, were approved by the Planning Board with several waivers and conditions. One of the waivers concerns the required number of parking spaces for the 750,000-square-foot site — the number approved in the plans is lower than what typically would be required. According to Mark Gross of MHF Consultants, who represents Tuscan Brands, parking at the site is not expected to be an issue except on rare exceptionally busy shopping days during the year. Studies done by the developer show that with shared parking among some of the businesses, and given the hours of operation, the amount of parking indicated in the plans is enough.

On the busy shopping days such as Black Friday, retail employees will be required to park offsite, and a shuttle bus running several times a day will be available to drive them from their vehicles to work, said Gross. The requirement for employees to park offsite during the busy days of the year will be included in the lease of tenant businesses who choose to locate on the site, he said. At this time, the shuttle bus is not envisioned to be public transportation, though that idea could be considered in the future, Gross said last month. Three valet service stations are also planned to help alleviate parking concerns.

Site plans for the five-story medical building on Rockingham Park Boulevard were also approved Tuesday. The 77-foot-tall building will be a state-of-the art facility with urgent care, radiology and lab rooms, operation rooms, and spaces for office and retail support services. It will be located near Tuscan Boulevard.

The Planning Board on Tuesday also approved site plans for a 5,000-square-foot Pressed Cafe to be located near the intersection of Mall Road and Artisan Drive. The cafe will be in a pedestrian-friendly area and will offer outdoor seating.

The three site plans approved last week are part of the 170-acre Tuscan Village District that is being constructed and gradually occupied by businesses over the next several years. The following developments are included in the plans, specifics of which are subject to change:

• Tuscan South Village District — retail business, specialty grocer, fast or casual dining, an 83-seat restaurant with drive-through, and lifestyle retail such as gym use
• Central District — 64,000 square feet of apartments, retail, banquet facility, several fine or casual dining restaurant spaces, a 162-room hotel, office space, and a cafe or takeout establishment
• Entertainment District — 23,500-square-foot establishment for bowling with bar and food, a 10-screen theater with 500 seats spanning 3,500 square feet, an entertainment component such as a comedy club, and a 733-seat restaurant
• Mall Road Quadrant — A 185-unit assisted living facility, senior housing, 281 residential units, a fast food drive-through, and a combined gas station/convenience store/car wash/fast food with drive-through space.
• West Office District — medical and corporate office spaces
• North Tuscan Village (site plans for this 50-acre village have already been approved at previous meetings, and some of the buildings have already been constructed and occupied) — An 80,000-square-foot grocery store, a 38,500-square-foot car dealership, retail stores for home furnishings, sporting goods, clothing, health and beauty, apartments, townhouses, a bank with a drive-through, a coffee shop with a drive-through.