Zoning ordinance community meetings kick off with Ward 12 gathering

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The process of community feedback for the proposed new zoning ordinance is officially underway.

On Wednesday night, the Manchester Planning and Community Development Department along with the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension hosted a community meeting at Northwest Elementary School, the first of 12 scheduled in each ward of the city.

Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais said that the recently released proposed zoning ordinance is only a draft and he hopes community insight can improve it before it returns for final review.

“One of the things we talk about all the time at City Hall is the importance of involving the community. We can put together a plan and put it before the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, but if it doesn’t have your input, it doesn’t have your feedback, it’s inherently flawed,” said Ruais to the assembled crowd.

Manchester Director of Planning and Community Development Jeffrey Belanger added that Ward 12 was chosen as the first community meeting location due to the importance of making the West Side feel that it is not ignored in this process.

Belanger provided a brief overview of the presentation recently provided at City Hall, with a specific focus on changes in zoning to Ward 12. While most of the ward will stay the same zoning-wise, in some parts of the ward there will be efforts to make it easier to build residential structures. Additionally, the draft proposes greater consolidation of zoning along Front Street to encourage a mix of neighborhood business and homes, and a brand new “innovation district zone” near Hackett Hill.

In the draft, the innovation district is described as “a new discernible center in the northwestern area of the City, surrounded by one or more neighborhoods that support a variety of uses, including research and development, education, light manufacturing, retail and services, and higher-density residential.”

Additionally, a new road between the intersection of Country Club Road and Front Street all the way to Dunbarton Road, just north of Manchester Community College and the city’s solar panel farm, was mentioned. That road will have exits onto I-293 to facilitate access to the innovation district.

Members of the audience provided several questions on issues like traffic flow on the proposed street and impact on tax assessments that could not be immediately answered given that they were not in the direct purview of the Planning and Community Development Department’s expertise, and the community members also gathered into smaller groups after the presentation to discuss issues related to zoning in the area.

State Representative Jess Grill (D-Manchester) is one of Ward 12’s current representatives in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and she was excited for the changes discussed at the meeting, although she hoped that the New Hampshire Department of Transportation could provide additional details on the new highway exits to members of the community.

“I love those mixed-use spaces; I’d love to see more of that. I personally think walkability is important, I feel right now that it’s necessary to get in my car to do errands nearby because it’s fairly dangerous now to walk or ride your bike in some areas,” she said. “Increased walkability would improve things for young families and help bring the community together.”

Her legislative colleague in Ward 12, Juliet Smith (D-Manchester), voiced her concern about increased traffic near the area of the new road as well as additional parking needs associated with greater residential density.

“Route 3A is already bad and if you add more traffic, we might not be able to get out,” she said. “And with these new houses, they need somewhere to park, so I am worried about that.”

Overall, Belanger was pleased with the event’s turnout and the enthusiasm of the several dozen people that attended.

“I couldn’t be happier, it’s great to see so many people passionate about zoning in the City of Manchester and the city’s future,” he said.

The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, July 12 at 10 a.m. at Parker Varney Elementary School. More information on the proposed zoning ordinance can be found at manchesternh.gov/landusecode.