Socha seeks to buy part of city’s Hackett Hill land
On Tuesday, the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen Committee on Lands and Buildings will review a request from Socha Companies to purchase city-owned land on Hackett Hill identified as a key part to the city’s growing biofabrication industry.
MANCHESTER, NH – Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen Committee on Lands and Buildings will review a request at the May 20 meeting from Socha Companies to purchase city-owned land on Hackett Hill identified as a key part to the city’s growing biofabrication industry.
A letter offering to purchase six parcels of what is known as the Northwest Business Park was submitted on behalf of Socha, totaling 88.3 acres.
In the letter, Socha seeks to facilitate the Northwest Business Park within the City of Manchester’s 2021 Master Plan, which foresees a mix of residential, commercial and educational uses for the area. The six parcels (one of which would partially be purchased as part of the deal) lie on the northern part of the Northwest Business Park area through an undeveloped street just south of the Onpoint campus on Hackett Hill Road. That parcel will serve as a gateway to the rest of the Northwest Business Park’s eventual southern region along with northern parcels Socha seeks to purchase.
The first phase of the project would construct a 230-unit townhouse development on the two parcels that would lie to the west of the future street, Map 766 Lot 15 and Map 766 Lot 15-D. This would be followed by a 96-unit four-story multi-family garden-style development across the street on the Map 766 Lot 15-B parcel and a mixed-use development next door to that on the Map 766 Lot 15-C parcel, copying the style of Pointe Place in Dover.
The other two parcels, Map 766 Lot 15-E and a part of Map 766 Lot 15-M; would be developed with residential and mixed-use intentions at some point in the future, continuing the expected road with the eventual intention of the road heading into the southern region of the Northwest Business Park more homes would join office space and the envisioned innovation area before linking up with, Dunbarton Road, Front Street and a new highway exist just north of Manchester Community College.
Due to steep slopes in the area and approximately three acres of wetlands, substantial earth moving and wetland crossings would be required as part of the plan. Given that the proposal is designed to meet the city’s master plan, the purchase request also requires rezoning of the land parcels by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
The request follows the withdrawal of a proposal to purchase property in the area back in December.
