The area of Old Bedford Road and Route 101 would look very different if a plan to build a housing and retail community is approved.

An assisted-living facility with 84 apartments is slated for the area as the farthest side from Route 101 would have 88 townhouses and two buildings with 36 condos each. Residents of either must be 55 and older.

Most in the 55 to 65 range would live in the townhouses. The condos would cater to those in the older age bracket.

The developer also plans to widen one intersection on Route 101 and contribute money toward improvements to five others in town.

The changes would compensate for new traffic generated by the development of a residential, office and retail complex on 38 acres of forested land now owned by Saint Anselm College at the corner of Old Bedford Road and Route 101. On the side closest to Route 101 there would be 75,000 square feet of commercial space split among a bank, coffee shop, pharmacy, medical office building and Mexican food restaurant.

The town Planning Board spent most of its meeting on Monday, March 24, poring over a traffic study for the development. Richard Bryant, the traffic engineer, said the project would have the greatest impact on the intersection of Route 101, Old Bedford Road and Constitution Drive.

His study rated the intersection from a high of A to a low of an F. The development would make the intersection an E, but the proposed expansion would bring the rating up to a C where it is today.

“We’re the ones who broke it, so to speak,” Bryant said. “We need to fix it.”

The developer, Hawthorne Partners, would add a right-turn lane from Route 101 to Old Bedford Road and adjust Constitution Drive so there is a right-only lane with a second lane for both drivers turning left and those going straight across. That will cost an estimated $250,000, according to spokesman Scott Tranchemontagne.

Hawthorne Partners will also give the town $288,000, which it has calculated as its fair share toward improvements to other intersections. The largest share is $145,450 toward the widening of Route 101 and Meetinghouse Road.

Planning Board members asked for several revisions to the study. Member Deb Sklar pointed out that much of the data for the study dates back to October 2006. She wondered how valuable that information is today. Bob Young, a liaison from the Town Council, said he would also like to see a wider range in the data.

Board member Harold Newberry said the traffic engineer relied on some outdated information about the new high and middle schools. The study assumes that there will be a connector road between Nashua Road and Wallace Road. In fact, voters defeated that proposal in 2006 and a second plan for improving access to the high and middle school failed on March 11.

One resident further questioned the traffic study. Roberta Gouveia said she spends four minutes every morning waiting to turn left on Route 101 from Old Bedford Road. The traffic engineer had pegged the wait time at less than a minute. “I certainly don’t consider that a well-rated intersection if that is a C in your eyes,” she said.

Several residents who spoke at the March 24 Planning Board meeting said they might want to live in the development someday.

The townhouses and condos are being designed as an active adult community for residents 55 and older, according to John Kiely, a principal in Hawthorne Partners.

Sidewalks and pathways will encourage residents to get out for a stroll or walk to the retail outlets on the other side. A two-story clubhouse will have a pool, exercise room and social rooms. “The amenities that really drive these things are the people that live there and the things they do together,” Kiely said.

Hawthorne Partners is the lead developer for the project and will focus on the residential portion. Benchmark Assisted Living will own and develop the center building with 84 apartments, and Alex Vailas and *** Anagnost will be the developers for the commercial area.

The site will be subdivided into four parcels – one for the active adult community, another for the assisted living facility, a third for the medical office building, and a final parcel for the rest of the businesses.

The Planning Board also reviewed the project’s architectural renderings. The townhouses and condominiums both incorporate traditional New England colonial elements. The renderings for the retail buildings, however, had less of a traditional emphasis and more variety in style. Several board members said they want more work done on the architecture there.

Town Manager Russ Marcoux, a member of the board, said it was an improvement from the last presentation, but is still not quite where he wants it to be.

The development goes before the Zoning Board for sign variances and drive-through attached to the coffee shop. In a best-case scenario, the developer hopes to break ground this summer, according to Tranchemontagne.