MANCHESTER, N.H. – As the month of August comes to a close, the City of Manchester Planning and Community Development Department’s zoning ordinance rewrite listening tour is nearing its end, with the Aug. 28 event in Ward 2 at Smyth Road Elementary School marking the 10th out of 12 planned neighborhood meetings.
Like Ward 4 to the south, Ward 2’s proposed zoning district makeup under the proposed new zoning ordinances would be divided by Mammoth Road. To the west of Mammoth Road, the Civic-Institutional (C-1) district intended to foster art museums and churches will not be continued, In its place, a zig-zag of MX-2 (Mixed Use-General), MX-1 (Mixed Use-Neighborhood), R-2 (Residential – Two Family) and R-1B (Residential – One Family High Density) seeks to maintain the neighborhood feel of primarily homes mixed in with small businesses. Like elsewhere in the city, the changes also seek to reflect the numerous variances that have largely made the old zones outdated and not reflective of what’s already there.
East of Mammoth Road, there one can find R1-A (Residential -One Family Medium Density) near the ward’s border with Hooksett and Auburn and a mix of R1-B and RM (Residential – Multifamily) closer to the highway, again reflecting the reality of what is either already there or planned for the area. Eastern Ward 2 also has a BC-2 (Business Corridor – Regional) zone specifically for Dartmouth Health’s property near Edward J. Roy drive, and BC-1 (Business Corridor – Neighborhood) areas along the Londonderry Turnpike and at the intersection of Wellington Road and Edward J. Roy Drive.
That second BC-1 area, home to the Z1 Xpress gas station, has been the center of controversy in recent years. Residents noted during the meeting that a legal challenge that would allow the gas station to have a drive-thru window. The current zoning ordinance would not allow the Z1 Xpress to have a drive-thru window without a special exception from the Zoning Board of Adjustment, while the proposed new zoning ordinance would waive that requirement.
Given that the matter of the zoning board’s decision on the drive thru is heading to the New Hampshire Supreme Court in September, there was trepidation from some residents in attendance regarding this possibility.
“(The neighbors) are really concerned that all of their work would be for nothing,” said Ward 2 Alderman Dan Goonan.
Manchester Planning and Community Development Director Jeff Belanger noted that what is currently proposed is just a draft, and the concerns of the neighbors to the Z1 Xpress could modify the proposal regarding drive-thrus in BC-1 zones in the new plan once a revised draft is presented this fall.
However, Belanger said that the concerns were actually a positive thing given that the purpose of these meetings is to gather feedback to create a finalized zoning ordinance that reflects the views of Manchester residents.
Goonan also agreed that it was a positive evening overall.
“We put everything on the table tonight and the citizens here in Manchester have been giving their ideas and we’re going to look at everything when we come up with a final product,” he said.
The event had 93 participants and was almost postponed as the cafeteria was also being used to by a charity donating school supplies for teachers.
Here is a rough list of votes made by participants at all the meetings to this point on what matters to them.
| Walkability/Bikeability | – | 256 |
| Housing | – | 217 |
| Architectual Quality/Neighborhood Character | – | 200 |
| Allowing Neighborhood Business in More Places | – | 100 |
| Streamlining Permitting | – | 99 |
| More Parking/Parking Enforcement | – | 35 |
| Enforce speeding laws/Speeding on side streets | – | 17 |
| Traffic | – | 14 |
| Impact on School System | – | 9 |
| Renovating/Improving Existing Housing | – | 7 |
| More multi-family homes | – | 7 |
| Housing Affordability | – | 3 |
| Flooding | – | 3 |
| Record these meetings | – | 3 |
| Jobs and Housing on Hackett Hill | – | 3 |
| Less Density/Reduce Crime | – | 3 |
| Traffic Noise | – | 3 |
| Infrastructure investment | – | 3 |
| Maintain Green Space | – | 3 |
| Reduce setback rules on accessory structures | – | 3 |
| Stop illicit activity at Derryfield Park | – | 3 |
| Recreation Activities/Children’s Sports | – | 2 |
| Amoskeag Bridge Impacts | – | 2 |
| Speed Bump on Milford Street | – | 2 |
| Entry/Exit Roads | – | 2 |
| Get rid of useless stop signs | – | 2 |
| No more chicken restaurants/Cash for Gold on South Willow St | – | 2 |
| Less Bars/Clean up Elm Street | – | 2 |
| Ensure Sununu Youth Center land has affordable/ADA accessible housing | – | 2 |
| Create boarding housing | – | 2 |
| Don’t allow homes near city’s water supply | – | 1 |
| Climate Change | – | 1 |
| Public Transportation | – | 1 |
| Prohibit short-term rentals in single-family residential zones | – | 1 |
| Ensure home values do not drop due to development | – | 1 |
| No 5G towers in residential areas | – | 1 |
| Safety/More Lighting | – | 1 |
| Increased housing variety | – | 1 |
| Stormwater | – | 1 |
Previous meetings:
Ward 8 – South Manchester residents express concern over zoning proposal
Ward 10 – Ward 10 gets look at its proposed zoning future
Ward 12 – Zoning ordinance community meetings kick off with Ward 12 gathering
Ward 11 – Zoning rewrite draft proposes more mixed-use in Ward 11
Ward 1 – Gamut of perspectives at Ward 1 zoning gathering
Ward 7 – Community zoning meetings reach halfway point
Ward 6 – Concerns raised with the limited changes proposed for Ward 6
Ward 5 – Three types of zones removed in simplified new Ward 5 zoning proposal
Ward 4 – City planners share zoning recommendations with Ward 4 residents
Remaining meetings
- Sep 4 6 p.m. — Ward 9, Bishop O’Neil Youth Center
- Sep 7 10 a.m. — Ward 3, Palace Theater Spotlight Room
Residents who can’t make the designated time for their ward are welcome to attend other meetings.
Residents who are unable to attend the meetings can submit comments at manchesternh.gov/landusecode.