Manchester Infill & Small Developments

Frank: The elderly living in Downtown IMO just like your thoughts, is great and they are isolated if on outskirts, unless they choose to be. I like the idea of replacing it with a more suitable living place DT.

Also, the trees, YES! I think that is why Franklin St. is so nice, the trees are larger and that is why i could see one of those parking lots becoming a park as there is some housing beyond those and a nice park with some large trees for cover and maybe a fountain would add a lot and provide a place for people to get out.

When I say parking garages, I do picture second and third floor parking. Just I was never sure if this was plausible. I was thinking a spiral ramp to get up with 1 and 2nd floor retail then offices or housing above it.
 
Does anyone know what the story is with the block of Lake Ave between Elm and Chestnut across from the Verizon? I know all the buildings--none of which were of any merit--east of Indian Head Sports have been torn down, and that whole block (facing Lake and Central between Elm and Chestnut) has been another priority development spot for the city. It seems like another spot that would be prime for mid- or high-rise development. The three-story building at 679 Elm (Collectors Heaven store) is the only one worth saving on the entire block in my mind.

The Civic Center Area & Gateway Corridor study from 2002 refers to it as Merrimack Common, which I believe is the original name of Veterans Park. The study's visuals and some of its proposed plans are a bit hokey, but the overall ideas are pretty strong. Assuming that whoever runs the Carpenter senior housing (Catholic Charities, I believe) doesn't want to give up that location, the Merrimack Common block seems like a prime location for a hotel, and as the study calls for, housing along Central Street facing Veterans Park. I could see either rowhouses or housing above retail here, but it seems like a good location for higher end housing downtown. Similar to how development along Franklin Street could tie into the Millyard, something here definitely has the potential to tap in to the Verizon, maybe get people heading toward the Gaslight, and connecting to the primarily low-income Kalivas/Union neighborhood behind the Verizon. I'm wondering if the demolition of that sad single-story building along Lake Ave opens up any sort of opportunity for development here.
 
You're right about those single-story buildings south of downtown. Just because Conway is a few blocks from either Elm or Valley, I doubt that it would be the most attractive site for a big development. That said, if facilities like Conway were located more on the outskirts of the city--or at least not in the midst of a neighborhood like that--maybe something like these new rowhouses just up the road on Silver Street could go in. Those rowhouses aren't my favorite sort of new housing development, especially putting garages on the front like that, but they're a lot better than suburban subdivisions and good ways to attract middle-class families to urban neighborhoods; if there were alleys with garages and porches facing the street and a bit more density, you'd have something much nicer and more like traditional neighborhoods. A site like Conway is certainly large enough that you could see adding a few small through-streets and see the neighborhood continuing through there.

That whole area of the city, where the Bakersville, Kalivas/Union, Hallsville and Somerville neighborhoods come together and roughly encompassing the land along and between Elm, Valley and the old railroad tracks/hiking trail could use some work, but generally has good bones. Just up Silver Street from Conway is a collection of beautiful, old mills that have been rehabbed into both affordable and market housing. I don't think most of the neighborhood in this area warrants or could support housing of that density, but building on the mix of single-family, duplexes and triple-deckers in the area would restore its historic density and walkability.

The City should make some street improvements and beautification efforts along Elm Street between Queen City and Granite/Lake, promote mixed-use development there and along Valley Street between Pine and the new municipal complex near Gill Stadium, and run frequent transit between Rivers Edge, Valley Street and downtown. It would be gradual, but those efforts could really help make transform this area from a weird mix of industrial left over from the rail line and residential to a denser version of the very nice mixed-use, mixed-income Somerville neighborhood east of this area.
 
So the buildings next to the Verizon are already knocked down? I hated that area and was only waiting to see it redeveloped.

I hate those row houses as well. I think many of even the three story flat roof buildings could be upgraded to really nice buildings and should be done. But this I think would be more the doing of a developer over the city.
 
Some of the buildings on that block have been knocked down--just the ones along Lake Ave east of Manhattan Lane (with the exception of the first building, Indian Head Athletics). Most of that whole block could go without many missing it, I think, but the buildings that have been demolished were probably the worst there. Hopefully even if nothing else is demolished in the short term, something much better will go in there.

Those rowhouses aren't great, but with porches instead of garages, I think it would be a start. And I agree, it's up to a developer down there, but the City needs to encourage the right kind of development and offer the sort of incentives (good infrastructure, etc) to make it attractive.
 
Here are a few news notes related to development in Manchester that I've found recently:

From MEDO (Manchester Economic Development Office)'s newsletter (emphasis mine):
Brownfields Grant Funds Now Available

Manchester was recently awarded a $400,000 Brownsfield Assessment grant by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). TRC, an environmental and engineering consultant firm with an office in Manchester on North Commercial, was selected by the Brownfields Selection Committee to perform the site assessment work. TRC will be working with the Manchester-based architectural firm Lavallee-Brensinger.

The grant provides the City with the ability to cover the costs of environmental assessments ? including Phase One and Two site assessments, testing and lab analyses, and the development of remediation and reuse plans for qualifying privately and publically owned brownfields sites. Target areas include south Elm Street, the Gaslight and Warehouse Districts and the Granite Street area on the West Side, however properties located anywhere within the City can qualify. The grant will help to overcome environmental challenges to redevelopment of certain sites and provide a leveraging tool and incentive to attract developers and investors. MEDO has been working with the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission who received two prior grants under the same program, to assist in the assessment of four sites in the City including the former Raphael Club site at Second & Granite Street.
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From the Union Leader:
John Clayton's In the City: It's a banner year for young artist

I know we're just 10 days into 2011 -- and yes, I still insist on saying two-thousand-eleven as opposed to twenty-eleven -- but it's already shaping up to be a banner year for Ryan Haywood.

That's because the 24-year-old artist has been chosen to provide the illustrations for the newest wave of decorative banners that bring so much charm and color to downtown Manchester and the Millyard.

The banner program is produced by Intown Manchester and sponsored by local businesses -- so says Samantha DiPrima, Intown Manchester's director of marketing and public relations -- "with the goal of adding vibrancy and a continual themed look to downtown streetscapes."

And if you're looking for "vibrancy" in Downtown Manchester, there's no better place to begin than the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

"Partnering with the Institute is something we have wanted to do for some time," said Samantha, who gives me the hairy eyeball when I don't call her Sam. "The Institute has a significant presence and is a major contributor to our downtown community, and we knew that tapping into their immense talent pool to create designs for the banner program would no doubt result in our best program yet."

Enter Jim Burke, the Central High School and Syracuse University alumnus -- and nationally renowned illustrator -- who has returned to his hometown to become chairman of the NHIA's illustration department.

He put the banner challenge before his students. "It was a great real-world learning experience," Jim said. And it was Ryan Haywood whose early submissions headed right to the forefront.

That's why I was hanging out at Ryan's combination studio and apartment on Blodget Street last week.

"There was a $1,000 prize," he smiled, "but the exposure that comes with winning the project means so much more than the money, and it is a huge project. In the end, we'll have six different designs, three for the larger banners on Elm Street and Commercial Street and three for the smaller ones on Hanover Street."

Right now, those design images reside on Ryan's iPad, but they began as free-hand sketches that turned into paintings.
His painting medium of choice is "gouache" -- pronounced Go-AAASH -- which is a heavier version of watercolors, and rather than canvas, Ryan paints on paper. He then scans the painted images onto his iPad, where he has enormous opportunities to tweak his work.

"But the computer is really just another tool in my work box," he said. "Lynn Pauley was one of my first illustration instructors at NHIA, and she always encouraged us to embrace what she called 'the struggle of the hand.' It wasn't about a making perfect rendering of what you were seeing. She stressed the fact that the mistakes are what can make a piece special."

And Ryan is a great illustration of the special relationship being forged between the NHIA and the Queen City.

"I think the banner program is terrific from the point of view of a coalition with Intown Manchester and indirectly, with the city itself," said NHIA president Roger Williams. "My belief is that this might be the first of many opportunities for us to be of service to the city."

Meanwhile, Intown Manchester is reaching out to local businesses to sponsor the banners that will carry Ryan's illustrations. If you'd like to get on board, you can e-mail Sam at sdeprima [at] intownmanchester [dot] com

John Clayton is the author of several books on Manchester and New Hampshire, including his newest title, "Remembering Manchester." His e-mail is jclayton@unionleader.com.
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Haywood's work can be viewed here--I think it looks pretty good compared to previous banners and represents a good partnership with NHIA.

From GoodGoodManchester:

Food co-op informational meeting
By Will Stewart

A feasibility study commissioned by the Manchester Food Co-op Board of Directors shows that there is sufficient sales potential to support a 10,000 square foot co-op food store in the Queen City.

This and other key feasibility study findings will be discussed at a Manchester Food Co-op informational meeting to be held at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 11, in Room 106 of the Academic Center at Southern New Hampshire University, 2500 N. River Road.

The feasibility study, conducted by G2G Research Group, found that based on the population size, demographic composition, and competitive environment of the Manchester market area, combined with the experiences of other natural food co-ops in similar market situations, that the city is well-positioned to support a thriving food cooperative. The study also identified three potential sites for the proposed co-op food store which were subsequently evaluated as part of the market study.

The January 11 meeting is open to all area residents who want to shop at a food co-op in Manchester. In addition to discussing the highlights of the aforementioned feasibility study, the meeting will also give the public the chance to meet the co-op?s board of directors, hear and discuss next steps, and learn how they can join the effort to create the city?s first co-operative food market.

To learn more, contact Veronica Kamerman at manchesterfoodcoop (at) gmail (dot) com.
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More information can be found at the Co-op's website. A downtown, community-owned grocery store will be a lot nicer than the Market Basket, whatever its merits are, and should make downtown and the surrounding a neighborhoods a much more attractive place to live.
 
You beat me to it--I was just about to post those links! That was actually me who wrote that; I'm glad you liked it. I hope that by being on that website, the idea of at least a better transit system will be seen by a wider group of people in Manchester. It may not be a streetcar system, but the MTA drastically needs improvement and expansion. I know others have said the same thing and written about it elsewhere, so I'm hoping that a website that focuses on community needs and goings-on more broadly will be a good place for people to start talking about it.

I'd recommend if you have thoughts or comments about it, make a comment on the post on GoodGoodManchester, where it may be seen be a wider variety of Mancunians. That website seems like the best thing yet for bringing the Manchester community together and building up the type of support needed for all sorts of projects related to development and in general.

For those who haven't seen it, here's an image of the hypothetical streetcar map I drew up (similar to the Google Map version of posted here over the summer):

Manchester_Streetcar_Map_2010.jpg


Please check out the posts, originally linked to by Monopoly above, and comment if you like:
Part One: Public transit: the key to Manchester?s future, and Part Two: A Manchester streetcar system
 
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Already posted on there.

This concept should be submitted to city as a gateway to getting them thinking more about this. You should do that. You have some really good points.
 
Great site. Never been there before. Any news on the Market Basket on Elm St? I thought construction was supposed to start already.
 
Well, last I saw it has not started. But I am not surprised, the one in Salem NH has just finished. Opened last Wednesday (yes on the snow storm) and I assume they will now start the other one in Manchester soon now that the Salem one is done.

The one in Salem is not only huge and offers more variety from each brand, but also has sushi bar, bakery, small restaurant and a few other cool little places. Very nicely done. And along with that the entire building facade has been updated.
 
Any news form across from the Verizon center where the buildings were torn down?
 
Oh, and FrankLoyd, have you thought about actually submitting the concept of the street rail to the Manchester Economic Development offices. You points, hypothetical concept, and research (although minimal) still presents some very strong reasons and benefits to having it or at least looking into the idea. It is people like you who get things rolling.
 
Answering my own question again. but next to the sports shop across lake ave from verizon center where the building have been knocked down, only saying this from observation, but currently it is lake ave. public parking, just a paved parking lot. Hopefully it will not stay this way, but this is only wishful thinking. Again like discussed previously, parking garage with shops incorporated into it along the street would be ideal for a place like this.
 
I think that parking lot will be temporary--it looks like it was done pretty rudimentarily, and the site is simply too prominent and valuable for someone to use it for parking for occasion events at the Verizon. My guess is that something happened with the buildings on the site (or they simply realized they weren't worth saving or fixing up at all), and tore them down to temporarily use as parking until the development scene picks up a little. That's all a guess, but it seems to make sense.

Thanks for the kind words about the streetcar idea. So far, I've just posted it on a few Facebook pages (MTA and MEDO). As an outsider, I do feel more apprehensive about promoting than I would if I still lived in the city. Still, I think it's a good idea to maybe contact the MTA, MEDO, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and SNHPC, among others possibly. I'm not sure what I would say to them--in a way it would be better if there was a broader citizens group or MTA riders group or something to support it (or just the discussion really) and then send it to those other groups. Maybe that's what the Chamber is for though--and they seem pretty supportive of various transit and infrastructure projects as investments in the local economy. Anyway, like I said it's just one idea and obviously would need much more research, planning, community input, etc to ever become a reality, but I think just getting the one idea out there is a good way to get others discussing better transit and its impact on development and planning. Maybe I'll think of a good way to send it to those groups--thanks for the idea.
 
So who runs good good site? Do you? Or you only posted that on there?

You say you do not know what to say and also you wish more people where to back you up. This site here as well the good good site has responses, and those are some people to back you up. Simple thing to say is that you see this as a possibility and wanted to through the idea / concept out there. You never know if they ever even considered it until you give them the idea. (When i say them I mean people who have power in the city)

Send links, emails, and post on sites like you did already. If you feel really ambitious you can get involved in organizations and stuff.
 
According to the About section on the GoodGood website, it's run by "Kathleen Schmidt and Will Stewart, two transplanted Mancunians who love Manchester and see its potential." Will Stewart is the same guy behind Fortress Manchester, another nice site, but a more traditional blog. I had made a comment about transit and planning on a post on Fortress Manchester, and Will Stewart got in touch with me about it. My post on GoodGood was just as a guest, but I think the website has the real potential to gather a lot of the people in and around the city interesting in getting involved in civic betterment, who could then spin off with their own interests and advocacy groups. It seems like there are plenty of people in Manchester interested in various advocacy, whether its neighborhood revitalization, downtown development, better transit, the food co-op, and so on. In addition to informing people of different cultural events and so forth, I think GoodGood's real strength might be as a place where all these people with different ideas can meet and work more as a group.

I was actually contacted last week by Adam McCune, who writes a weekly column in the Manchester section of the Union Leader. He was already considering writing a column about public transit in the city and had seen the piece on GoodGood. I'm not sure of the exact content of his column, but he agreed that the exact plan or idea is less important than beginning a discussion about how transit can be improved, what people want in transit, and how it impacts life and development in the city. It should be in tomorrow's edition; unfortunately, the column is not available online and I believe is only carried in the Greater Manchester edition. I believe Adam McCune will post the column on his website Friday, and I'll post it here then. No matter what it says, the UL will obviously reach a wider audience, and hopefully that will spur an even greater conversation.

I think I'll wait until after it's out, but maybe I'll contact SNHPC and some others with the idea. I'd love to lead the effort or form a citizen advocacy group for better transit and development/planning in the city, but as an outsider I really don't feel that I'm in a position to do so. Perhaps after getting in touch with some officials, I can contact some of the people who have commented and who live in the city, and see if there's any interest in forming such a group.
 
Mike, I think your ideas as regards planning in a city like Manchester are spot on. Instead of merely starting discussion on this stuff, though, I think an effort should be made (by you or someone else) to actually get some of these ideas in the works moving toward completion. The ideas themselves need not be discussed, in my opinion, because they are in a sense time honored principles of urbanism. Far too often ideas are "discussed" and go nowhere (especially in planning). I think, given the experience of cities around the country, including the one you now live in (Boston, correct me if I am wrong), it is safe to say that the ideas on public transportation you are suggesting are well supported. Lets move on this stuff. How is city government tied in with planning in Manch? There is a mayor, but is he or she "strong?" Maybe some of these ideas should be presented directly to the mayor. I'd hate to see a place like Manchester waste time discussing things that have already proven successful elsewhere. Portland does a lot of that. Reinventing the wheel.
 
Few things: How you both state discussing details is less important than actually the big picture and doing it. I agree with this. However I think a lot of organizations and government like to see how it would work before moving forward with dumping money into it. But I do agree that there is much much talk and planning of details and not action.

Second, if cities like this are brought up to date with IMO modern transportation and a bit more effort is put into the communities, hopefully the nation will follow after. I think as a whole, the US is slow to get things done, partly due to its laws and regulations (not saying those are a bad thing)

But that is good if it will get in the union leader, and I understand that you do not live in Manchester any longer and this makes you feel a bit weird if you were to present this, but many city officials do not live in that city, and I am on here talking about Manchester also not living in Manchester. Yeah Manchester is fine, but I find discussion about development and moving forward interesting. I read the abundance of Portland posts all the time, however I post little just not knowing squat about Portland.

I think you have something going with what you have drew up in your mind and it must be shared. And again, it is tough to actually see something like this going through, but I think that is often due to the lack of involvement. Just imagine if our transit was where it should be. I think FrankLoydMike posted before here, you could ride a train up to Concord, then go down to Boston, all while living in Manchester. Traveling to Canada would also be possible.

I was reading a post of a conceptual high speed train in the Northeast megalopolis done by Amtrak, however this is now not online any more, they said it could take 40 years to build. Buy then High speed trains will be old... But a few hours trip to DC from Boston, and even then hop on a train to Boston from Concord NH. And I think having larger commuter trains are not practical without strong regional transit like the one you proposed. Having both ultimately negates thew need for cars.

Even if you worked the planned (if it will ever be built we will see) commuter rail station into your concept of city transportation.

Well good luck and keep us posted.
 
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