First zoning update in over 20 years seeks to reflect city’s new reality
What constitutes Manchester’s downtown? If it’s a matter of where more densely packed buildings are located and could be located, especially housing, the definition of that downtown could be changing soon.
MANCHESTER, NH – What constitutes Manchester’s downtown? If it’s a matter of where more densely packed buildings are located and could be located, especially housing, the definition of that downtown could be changing soon.
Manchester Senior City Planner Jeffrey Belanger provided a presentation to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BMA) on Tuesday regarding proposed updates to the city’s zoning ordinances, following listening sessions in recent years as well as efforts to create a new master plan for the city.
The first zoning ordinance in the city was established in 1927, followed by updates in 1965 and 2001. Belanger said this latest zoning ordinance update will be provided for a final approval decision this winter.
Belanger and the Manchester Planning and Community Development Department recently did an analysis of non-single family homes in the city, looking at buildings housing two families and buildings housing three or more families as well as where these buildings are allowed by right under the city’s zoning ordinance.
While some of the non-single family homes were grandfathered in due to their establishment prior to zoning ordinance changes that didn’t allow their construction by right, further analysis discovered that the Manchester Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) approved variances 86 percent of the time from 2015 to 2021.
Belanger also noted that Manchester currently has an apartment vacancy rate of 0.46%, down from 2.83% in 2011, a figure still well under national averages.
Bringing those observations together, Belanger presented a preliminary redrawing of the city’s zoning districts, expanding areas in Manchester’s downtown that allow greater density to reflect the current reality of greater demand for housing, as well as the city’s growth since earlier zoning ordinance updates.
He added that a reworking of these districts is also needed due to concerns from engineering firms refusals to invest in potential building projects if they think there is a chance the ZBA would deny a variance.
Alderman At-Large Joseph Kelly Levasseur asked Belanger if there is a maximum number of people that can living within a certain area if zoning districts are changed, also asking if traffic may become a concern if density becomes too high. Belanger replied that transportation methods can help mitigate traffic, particularly when placing grid system streets versus the arterial collector system generally found in more suburban areas.
Levasseur also asked if the need for additional housing may change, as projections in recent years said the city’s student population would boom and it did not. Belanger said that while not everything can be predicted, Manchester holds a special place in the state given its size, and that gives it a competitive advantage in creating jobs, thus necessitating a likely need for more housing in the future, regardless of other factors.
A second round of staff comments regarding the zoning ordinance update is expected this summer, with public feedback sessions coming this fall and a final submission for the approval coming this winter.
More information on the initiative can be found at manchesternh.gov/landusecode or by emailing luc@manchesternh.gov
