The area of concern to the Rosegate neighbors is in light orange just to the right of the blue area. (Photo by Andrew Sylvia)
Wednesday, July 17, marked another meeting in a series of meetings across the city seeking community input on the proposed new zoning ordinance, this time coming to the southernmost part of the city.
Just under 100 people crammed into Jewett Street Elementary School for the meeting, focusing on how the proposed changes in the ordinance would impact Ward 8, the portion of the city near the Mall of New Hampshire and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.
According to Manchester Planning and Community Development Director Jeff Belanger, most of the ward would stay the same under the proposed changes as they exist now.
Along with other parts of the city, the area between South Willow Street and South Jewett Street would see a minor change in minimum lot density requirements, allowing the construction of more single-family homes and potential “missing-middle” buildings such as duplexes.
Again, Belanger noted that numerous variances had been granted to homes in this area with lot density comparable to what is being proposed in the new ordinance, allowing future developers to construct homes in the area similar to what is there already without having to wait a month for the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s approval.
The primary change in Ward 9 according to Belanger would come around the area of Corning Road, Lucas Road and South Mammoth Road, with the creation of a new R-M (Residential-Multifamily) district, a 20-acre undeveloped area that would allow a mix of apartment complexes, townhouses and single-family homes. This change came in part thanks to new municipal sewer connections to the area, allowing greater building density.
This proposal drew concern from residents on Country Walk Drive and Rosegate Farm Drive, a pair of streets off Corning Road. A group of these residents brought a petition with over 70 signatures requesting that the R-M modification not be included in the finalized proposal for the new zoning ordinance later this year.
Cindy McMillen was one of those residents at the meeting, fearing that townhouses and apartment complexes near their neighborhood would disturb the natural habitat of nearby wildlife as well as the bucolic character of their neighborhood. McMillen and other neighbors felt that it would be more appropriate to focus on redeveloping underutilized areas elsewhere in the city than allowing something other than single-family homes in this undeveloped area.
“Our area has nothing that multi-family residents would see as ideal, there are very few amenities that can be reached without a car and very little walkability,” she said. “We are concerned for the safety of our children in our neighborhood and the safety of nearby wildlife as well.”
Although the new version of the zoning ordinance is not expected to be finalized by the end of the year and may potentially have the R-M district near Corning Road removed in future drafts, developers could seek relief from the current zoning ordinance immediately to make their case for developing the property, something that would be reviewed by either the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment or both depending on the proposal.
Planning Board Chair Bryce Kaw-uh was in attendance and was unable to comment on the concerns of the residents in that neighborhood given the possibility that he may be asked to adjudicate upon a proposal in that area. Regarding the meeting itself however, Kaw-uh was pleased that so many people attended the meeting to share their views. He also appreciated the effort put into the new zoning ordinances by city staff.
“I think the proposed draft really keeps true to the spirit of the master plan,” said Kaw-uh. “I think it’s important for us to make sure that we enable more housing development in Manchester because we are in a severe housing shortage. I’m glad that the proposed zoning ordinance has a lot of mixed-use areas to allow people to build the missing middle housing our city needs.”
With three community meetings complete, here is an update on priorities from meeting participants overall from all three meetings. A recap of the Ward 10 meeting can be found here, a recap of the Ward 12 meeting can be found here.
Housing – 71
Architectural Quality/Neighborhood Character- 66
Walkability- 63
Streamlining Permitting- 41
Allowing Neighborhood Business in More Places- 30
Traffic- 14
Parking- 12
More multi-family homes- 7
Jobs and Housing on Hackett Hill- 3
Less Density/Reduce Crime- 3
Traffic Noise- 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
Infrastructure investment- 2
Climate Change- 1
Public Transportation- 1
Enforce speeding laws- 1
Residents who were unable to attend this or other meetings can participate in an online survey or learn more about the ordinance at manchesternh.gov/landusecode.
Remaining meetings:
July 27 10am — Ward 11, Gossler Park Elementary
July 31 6pm — Ward 1, Webster Elementary
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 that can’t make the designated time for their ward are welcome to attend other meetings.
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