MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Manchester Planning and Community Development’s draft zoning ordinance road tour continued on Wednesday with an event at Webster Elementary School in Ward 1.
Often known as Manchester’s North End, Ward 1 extends from Webster Street and Smyth Road in the south to the Hooksett border in the north and Merrimack River in the west. The proposed new zoning map for Ward 1 did not hold many major changes from the previous map outside of a proposed mixed-use general (MX-2) neighborhood for the former Sununu Youth Center land.
Currently, most of Ward 1 is zoned as R1-A (Single-Family Medium Density) and R1-B (Single-Family High Density), and most of that will remain intact with a few exceptions.
The first change is in a neighborhood north of the former Sununu Youth Center up to Arizona Street and Worthen Street along River Road that will be switched from R1-A to R1-B given over a hundred lots in that area would still not be in compliance even with the smaller lot-size requirement proposed for R1-A zones in the new ordinance.
The other change would come near Morton Street to allow duplexes to recognize the fact that numerous duplexes were built in that area in the 1940s and 1950s. There is also an area between Clarke Street and Appleton Street currently zoned as R1-B that would be transformed into MX-1 (mixed-use neighborhood). That change would allow limited business uses like professional offices and boutique retail shops with a conditional use permit granted by the Planning Board, a less onerous process than the zoning board variance that would currently be needed for those uses in that area.
Ward 1 Resident Karen Rosenberg expressed disappointment that more effort was not made to promote more affordable housing, feeling that it is unclear that the slight increase in single-family home density in the proposed ordinance will be enough for the North End to pull its weight in addressing the severe lack of housing in the city.
She noted that she knows people in much larger cities that have been able to get housing at lower prices than Manchester and that it’s unlikely that many people not directly affected by high rent would feel the need to see change.
“There is a less than one-percent vacancy rate in the city and as a result, rents have become very high,” said Rosenberg. “And I think the high rent has come from people who are focused on preserving their home value at the exclusion of what is really needed for our community to thrive.”
Rosenberg also expressed concern about potential redevelopment of the Sununu Youth Center land, which the State of New Hampshire has indicated it may sell in the near future. Paul Vigneault, another participant at the event, also expressed concern about what would go into that area. For Vigneault, he felt an extension of the R1-B from the north would make sense if walking trails and green space in the area could also be preserved.
“I think it fits in with what the neighborhood already has,” said Vigneault. “Not everybody might happy with it, but I think it’s consistent with what’s already there, so I’d be good with it.”
City of Manchester Planning and Community Development Director Jeff Belanger said that Ward 1 is not seeing as many changes as other parts of the city when it comes to the proposed zoning ordinance, but that did not prevent a gamut of opinions from the 137 people counted in attendance by the UNH Cooperative Extension, the most of any of the five meetings on the ordinance so far.
“There were people who said that we need to attract young people to Manchester and we need to have housing choice and older folks who want more options to downsize and see more walkability,” he said. “We also heard from lots of people that want Ward 1 to stay largely single-family. And all of those are valid options. All we want is to get all that information together so we can move forward with a final draft,” Belanger said.
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
Here is an updated tally of participants’ primary concerns posted through impromptu votes at the meetings
Walkability/Bikeability- 117
Housing – 112
Architectual Quality/Neighborhood Character- 93
Streamlining Permitting- 53
Allowing Neighborhood Business in More Places- 50
More Parking/Parking Enforcement- 21
Traffic- 14
More multi-family homes- 7
Jobs and Housing on Hackett Hill- 3
Less Density/Reduce Crime- 3
Traffic Noise- 3
Infrastructure investment- 3
Maintain Green Space 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
Climate Change- 1
Public Transportation- 1
Enforce speeding laws- 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
And here is a list of the remaining meetings.
- Aug 3 10am — Ward 7, St. Anthony Community Center
- Aug 14 6pm — Ward 6, Green Acres Elementary
- Aug 17 10am — Ward 5, Manchester Community Resource Center
- Aug 21 6pm — Ward 4, McDonough Elementary
- Aug 28 6pm — Ward 2, Smyth Road Elementary
- Sep 4 6pm — Ward 9, Bishop O’Neil Youth Center
- Sep 7 10am — 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 participate in an online survey or learn more about the ordinance at manchesternh.gov/landusecode.