Claremont welcomes 2 new real estate service firms
Two new businesses have opened their doors in downtown Claremont at 43 Pleasant Street: Brick House Management, a full-service residential and commercial property management firm, and Downtown Realty, a Bedford-based commercial real estate brokerage firm.
Brick House Management will manage some of the region’s most iconic buildings including the Union Block Apartments at 1 Pleasant Street, the Kite Hill Commons at 66 Myrtle Street, the Baker’s Block at 37-45 Pleasant Street, and several other properties throughout Claremont and Newport.
Downtown Realty will provide commercial leasing and sales services throughout the region and supporting Brick House Management in its efforts. Downtown Realty was founded in 2021 with the goal of providing white-glove sales and leasing services to small and medium-sized commercial property owners throughout northern New England.
Kids play on the playground at Robin Hood Park on Monday. A new playground is one of many planned amenities at the East Keene recreation area. (Photo by Ethan Weston, Keene Sentinel)
Keene awarded $500K grant for Robin Hood Park renovations
The city of Keene was recently awarded a $500,000 federal grant to go toward renovating the pool and other infrastructure at Robin Hood Park on Roxbury Street. Plans, which have been in the works since 2018, call for construction to start in 2026.
“I’m sure people are saying, ‘Well, that’s a long time away,’ but [in a] couple of weeks its gonna be … ’25, so, we’re getting close,” City Councilor Thomas Powers said of the project timeline at last Thursday’s City Council meeting.
Councilors voted unanimously that night to accept the grant for the project, which the city expects to cost almost $3.9 million, according to Deputy City Manager Andrew Bohannon. Refurbishing the pool, at an estimated cost of $1.7 million, accounts for a large portion of the budget, but it is considerably less expensive than the $5 million Bohannon said last November it would cost to put in a new one.
Other planned amenities include a new playground, pavilion, multi-sport court and a new restroom facility.
The $500,000 Land and Water Conservation Grant, federal money that helps fund outdoor recreation space projects, will be spent in the coming years on site work, demolition and construction costs, Bohannon said. The grant requires the land become park land in perpetuity, according to Bohannon.
Bohannon, who was the city’s director of parks and recreation until recently, applied for the grant in December 2023, and had been working on it since May of that year. The city received word that Keene had been awarded the funds on Oct. 8.
Bohannon said few applicants across the state receive funding through the program. He added that Keene’s demonstration of community engagement in the planning process for Robin Hood, including a public input session it held in July 2023, shows the city values its parks and recreational spaces.
So far, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant is the only grant money going toward the renovations, and though the city might pursue other grant opportunities, Bohannon said there aren’t many options.
Parks improve the quality of life in the Elm City, Bohannon noted, and he added that Robin Hood Park is a treasure that people should explore if they haven’t yet. — Sophia Keshmiri, Keene Sentinel
New medical offices coming to Windham
Windham Planning Board has approved plans two buildings on Indian Hill Road that will house an outpatient medical center, medical facilities, a restaurant, a lounge, a function room, and retail space.
The first is a 5,730-square-foot, two-story building with the recreational spaces, and the second is a 38,016-square-foot, two-story building which will hold a new Derry Medical Outpatient Center.
The final site plan along with a waiver from the Wetland and Watershed Protection District were both approved at the meeting on Nov. 6.
Chris Nickerson from Nickerson Design and Karl Dubay from The Dubay Group presented the final plans to the board, explaining that they have outgrown the current location at 49 Range Road.
“We almost doubled the size of the space at our existing facility, and now we’re out of space,” Nickerson said. “It’s really that simple. We really want to have a permanent, first-class home in the center of the community.”
While the board did unanimously vote in favor of the plan, several members, including Matt Rounds said the building would be on the edge of a residential neighborhood and that it is near Windham Center School, which could cause issues with traffic in the area.
“Overall, I love the idea of having a restaurant,” Rounds said. “I love the idea of getting a medical facility in there. So that’s where I’m coming from.”
Another concern from residents that Rounds addressed was the design of the building. Because it is a transitional area, Rounds said people had wanted the building to have a more colonial aesthetic.
Nickerson said that the buildings were originally designed to look similar to other DMC properties, like the facility at 50 Michels Way in Londonderry, but said that was something they were willing to compromise on. — Katelyn Sahagian, Eagle Tribune
The inner courtyard at 75 Canal Street. (Photo by Jeffrey Hastings)
Ribbon is cut at 75 Canal St. featuring 250 apartments plus retail space
The ribbon was cut Nov. 6 at 75 Canal Street, a new “Class-A apartment community” by Jones Street, constructed in the heart of downtown Manchester, where a former brick industrial building and warehouse once stood.
The 250-unit complex features a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments as well as approximately 2,000 square feet of retail space along Canal Street, which sits just off Elm Street, across from the Market Basket and due east of the railroad tracks.
The project broke ground in November of 2022. Since then many construction spectators have stopped by to snap photos of the work in progress, as the development took shape.
The Wednesday ribbon-cutting was followed by tours of the interior and amenities of the place. Dignitaries in attendance included Mayor Jay Ruais, Greater Manchester Chamber CEO Heather McGrail, and the city’s Department of Economic Development staff Jodie Nazaka and Erik Lesniak, among others.
Apartments range in price from $1,820 for a studio to $3,479 for a three bed/2 bath apartment. — Carol Robidoux, Manchester Ink Link
