Manchester Infill & Small Developments

MonopolyBag said:
Brady Sullivan coming soon Apartments in Mill One. Your gonna have to move here FrankLlyodMike. Haha.

http://www.bradysullivan.com/apartments/lofts-mill-number-one/index.php
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I'm more of a rowhouse, or old house in a dense neighborhood kind of guy--I've been living without any outdoor space for too long now--but I can't say strongly enough how big of a deal I think these apartments are for downtown.

They're just about perfect, and totally unique downtown--big open loft spaces, higher-end apartments, and smack right between Elm St and the Millyard. The newer apartments--whether Wall St Tower or Residences at Manchester Place--offer something more modern, and the upgraded apartments above retail on Elm and side streets are more right above the action. The old rowhouses are great, too, and there are some other very nice mill-to-apartment conversions in other parts of the city, but the Tower Mill (which I think is a better name than Mill One, but I'm pretty unimpressed with Brady-Sullivan's naming schemes) brings loft-style, high-end apartments to the Millyard/Downtown for the first time, and I think will attract a different (and probably younger) group of people to live downtown.
 
Funny you mention Row houses and tight area to live in. My wife and I recently purchased a home in Manchester, close to downtown. The house is an 1893 "New Englander" and we love it. The New Englander term is really made-up and only used in NH, ME, and parts of Vermont and MA. This type of house is really an irregular sized cape and/or Colonial that was most commonly built between the Industerial Revolution and WWII. You can find them in urban areas and usually have a small yard, but inside the house the architecture can be really impressive.
We are in tight quarters in relationship to our neighbors, I must say the area is very quiet and pleasant. Most of our neighbors rent though, and although I've only met two, it seems to be a working class area.
I am in the north end, or what some might say is close to it. I have to say Manchester has really high property taxes, but the town has many services to cover.
 
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Well congrats on the new house.

I was walking all around Manch. today before heading over to Auburn for some mountain biking. I was trying to find the US Post Office, WOW. That is hard. It is located INSIDE the Hampshire Plaza. However, I have never been in there before, wow it is nice. I felt like I didn't belong, in my somewhat cruddy casual clothes. It is so nice in there, just no stores. And then I walked through Veterans Memorial Park with just a bunch of people smoking there that made me feel unsafe. Really is weird. Most of Manchester is trashy with its pockets of nice.
 
Seanflynn78 said:
Funny you mention Row houses and tight area to live in. My wife and I recently purchased a home in Manchester, close to downtown. The house is an 1893 "New Englander" and we love it. The New Englander term is really made-up and only used in NH, ME, and parts of Vermont and MA. This type of house is really an irregular sized cape and/or Colonial that was most commonly built between the Industerial Revolution and WWII. You can find them in urban areas and usually have a small yard, but inside the house the architecture can be really impressive.
We are in tight quarters in relationship to our neighbors, I must say the area is very quiet and pleasant. Most of our neighbors rent though, and although I've only met two, it seems to be a working class area.
I am in the north end, or what some might say is close to it. I have to say Manchester has really high property taxes, but the town has many services to cover.
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That sounds like just about the ideal neighborhood to me. My mother used to live--and I grew up in part--in a small 1920s-30s house on a narrow lot with a wide front porch, in the North End, just a block north of Webster St. It was great and I loved it--enough space in the backyard for a small garden and patio, seeing neighbors while eating dinner on the front porch, being able to walk or ride my bike to Bunny's, Farm & Flower Market, and Livingston and Stark parks.

But perhaps even more than that, I love the area just a few blocks south of Webster St--I feel like this was discussed on a thread (maybe this one) awhile back--where the houses are a bit older, simple Victorian "New Englanders" like the one you mention. (It's funny--I remember when my mom was looking at houses in the late 1990s, before we moved to the North End, and hearing that term; I've seldom heard it outside New Hampshire and Maine real estate jargon, but it's useful.) But I love that area and especially the collection of houses and apartments there (in my mind, possibly the best in the city). And I love the mix of apartments, houses, and occasional retail and public buildings.

The only thing that area--like a lot of Manchester neighborhoods--lacks is a strong neighborhood center, with a local market, a couple restaurants and shops, maybe even a neighborhood bar or coffee shop. Maybe in time, Webster St will evolve into something like that. A few years ago, the City re-zoned it to be a neighborhood business district, so new development has to be built up to the road and doesn't require much (any?) parking, but it will take awhile for it to get there naturally. Still, one or two new, mixed-use developments would really change the feel.

It's easier for me to say as both a renter and not a Manchester resident, but I just wanted to point out that Manchester actually has a relatively low property tax rate compared to other towns in southern New Hampshire. I really think New Hampshire needs an income tax or something else to augment the local property tax, and help pay for things like education, public transit and so on.

Manchester's tax cap makes it difficult to raise taxes, and the recent teacher layoffs (in a city that already ranks 2nd lowest in per-student spending) indicate to me some structural funding problems in the city. It doesn't help that the current tax rate, arbitrarily frozen due to the tax cap, reflects higher home values before the most recent revaluation, meaning that the lower tax rate used to bring in more money.

I don't know enough about tax policy to say what the best local or state remedy is, but I do know that chronically under-funding education makes Manchester less attractive to parents and young people considering having children. A few years ago, a Manchester school board member resigned after moving to Bedford because of the better education she felt her children would get in the suburb. (For the record, I went to Bedford schools for elementary and middle school, and Manchester West for high school. I feel like I received a great education at both, but Manchester needs to do more to keep up with--let alone improve education in the city.) But whether it's better schools to attract and retain young families, better public transit to attract and retain young people, or better infrastructure to attract and retain businesses, it's clear that Manchester's current spending levels aren't going to cut it.

Anyway, congratulations on the new house. I really love that area, and it's always great to hear about people choosing to live in Manchester's historic, urban neighborhoods.
 
Thanks Frank....Yeah my wife who happens to be a teacher in another NH town was very reluctant to buy a home in Manchester. The reason was the quality of the public schools and the reputation Manchester has for being penny wise, but pound foolish when it comes to tax money. We both felt Bedford is a nice town, but a bit pretentious and property taxes that are much higher than Manchvegas and offer less services. I grew up in Connecticut, and some of the phoney blowhards in Bedford who think they are rich, should go drive around towns in CT like Avon, Greenwich, and Middlebury and they will know how the rich live.
We found a great deal in regards to the price of the home and that it heated via natural gas and two bathrooms. I know it will sell right away too given our neighborhood is one of the most sought after in the city.
Manchester has a long way to go, and I don't think NH will ever have an income tax. The reason is state legislature feels if there ever was an income tax that many residents would leave the state for other surrounding states which offer the same services and cost of living would be comparable to NH. NH is rather lucky that its location is close to Boston and Worcester which is where many southern NH residents commute for work. In similar urban areas such as Portland, ME or Burlington, VT don't have the luxury of being so close to larger metropolitan areas. Manchester also is nestled between Concord, NH and Nashua, NH which makes a great commuter city for those who choose to work in those NH Cities.
Off topic, but interesting about New Hampshire is how it breaks down politically...basically if you want to live in a "Liberal city" in New Hampshire, then Concord should be your first choice. I do realize that Manchester is very conservative when it comes to Education and spending money in general. Right now there is a ton of road construction in Manchvegas because of a federal grant, basically they received some Obama money for the roads and replacing sewer lines/underground utilities.
I rambled on which for a lack of a better phrase was a cluster of thoughts I just spewed. Great to be on a forum where you can be heard!
 
The economy hit every one in America hard. Everyone and everything. My business, me, my town, neighbors, neighboring towns.

I think Manchester was in a position where they had something going, good plans, but the economy stopped them.

Well, welcome to Archboston. I don't live in Manch, never have, but went to school there, and plan to locate my business there. And eventually move there if my business does well.

I think although Manchetser has potential and is moving in the right direction, it has a long way, and like you said, hopefully when the economy picks up. But I am thinking the economy in five years you will see change, 7 years it will be better, and then 10 years it will be back to something that is considered good but not yet great. Just my guess. Well good times in school, focus and learn well. School costs a lot of money these days, make it worth it. And hopefully you can come visit my store eventually in Manchester. It will be an aquarium store. I'll post some info once I am further on my way here on the boards.
 
OSUPhantom said:
Hey all,

I'm actually a Manchester, NH native (as is my father. Grew up his whole life in Rimmon Heights). I'm going to school at Ohio State University for Urban Planning and I was happy for find archboston and that they had a section on my hometown! Looks like Manchester is moving in the right direction and given development everywhere is really slow the pace isn't too bad. I would like to see more development in the Gaslight district though. Hopefully once the economy picks up again Manchester can start really prospering.
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Welcome, OSU! As another Manchester native currently living away (in the Boston area, myself) and interested in planning, architecture and development, I can tell you that there's a lot of good stuff archived in this thread. And a lot of good ideas from elsewhere on other threads on the site.

Hopefully, as the economy recovers we'll see more good news and development on here. As Monopoly said, though, things have kind of stalled in Manchester lately, and I think it needs stronger leadership advocating for smarter, more urban development. (Maybe you can help with that if you move back!) Some things are going well and even improving in the city--like the restaurant scene, more start-ups in the Millyard, and more people living downtown--but things have been pretty slow on the development and planning front. And what has come down the pike lately--like more Dunkin Donuts on prominent sites in and around downtown--hasn't been very encouraging. That's despite a very good master plan adopted a few years back.

Also, I run a website/blog, LivableMHT, dedicated to promoting and envisioning greater livability and stronger urban development patterns in Manchester. I'm always looking for guest contributors (and commenters on posts) to share their thoughts, ideas and any news.
 
The Union Leader today is reporting on some news regarding two historic structures in the city: the imposing Odd Fellows building (aka: Dearborn Hall) in the Hollow, and the underground restrooms (which look like subway entrances) in Veterans Park:

Refugee center

The aldermen voted Tuesday to approve spending $1.1 million in unused federal grant and bond money to complete the redevelopment of the Odd Fellows building on Lake Avenue.

The city intends to turn the building into a center for programs to assist refugees that live in the neighborhood.

Most of the funding comes from $1 million in bonds left over from the construction of the municipal complex, and the money would have to be returned to the federal government if not designated for use by March 2013.

Veterans Park restrooms

The aldermen weren’t ready to move forward with a plan to seek historic recognition for the restroom station at Veterans Park.

The Committee on Lands and Buildings had backed trying to get the complex placed on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places, which could make it eligible for federal funding to support its restoration as a visitors center.

The complex was built in 1911 as a “public convenience station” and features opulent underground bathrooms.

But several aldermen, along with the mayor, raised questions about additional costs that might be incurred to make the complex accessible to the disabled. They also raised questions about the ongoing maintenance of the complex, most of which is below-ground. The issue was tabled, and Parks and Recreation Director Peter Capano was directed to get answers to these and other questions.
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Transit updates

Finally, there will be a public transit option between Manchester and Portsmouth.

The Union Leader reported yesterday:

Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds will pay for the Flight Line contract.

The state Department of Transportation sought proposals for the service in 2010 and received approval for using the CMAQ money in February 2011.

Under the contract, Flight Line buses will stop at the Portsmouth Transportation Center, Epping Park and Ride lot, Manchester Boston Regional Airport and the downtown Manchester bus station on Canal Street.

The contract calls for at least 10 round-trips daily, but Flight Line President Jamie Dowd has said his company will offer 20 round-trips daily.

The first bus will arrive at Manchester airport by 5 a.m. and the last bus leaving the airport will be at midnight.
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Twenty trips daily between downtown Manchester, the airport and Portsmouth is a big deal for public transit in New Hampshire.

So is the result of the recent election. Both Maggie Hassan, who will be the next governor, and her opponent Ovide Lamontagne supported commuter rail in the Merrimack Valley, but Lamontagne's support sounded flaky and not very strong. In addition to Hassan's victory, three Democrats replaced two Republicans (of Concord and Nashua) on the Executive Council who opposed the commuter rail project, as well as one (of Manchester) who supported it and is retiring. In addition to Republican Ray Burton, who also supported commuter rail, that should give commuter rail proponents a 4-1 advantage on the council. Democrats who have been more supportive of commuter rail also took back the House, while more moderate Republicans hold a narrow edge in the Senate. I hope the state can somehow take up the commuter rail study contract that the Executive Council foolishly rejected last winter. In any event, if New Hampshire can get another look from the federal government, the prospects for commuter rail (which has huge popular support) look good.
 
I have been waiting for this bus route. It should be good for UNH. I can only assume UNH Durham has buses run to Portsmouth. Also UNHM and UNH Durham are all that more connected.

St. Mary's is coming along. They plan to move in in June and it will be completely done Fall 2013. A lot of planning has gone into that. The building will be LEED certified (however from an environmental standpoint, that certification is kind of BS and insignificant, but better than nothing.)
 
MonopolyBag said:
I have been waiting for this bus route. It should be good for UNH. I can only assume UNH Durham has buses run to Portsmouth. Also UNHM and UNH Durham are all that more connected.

St. Mary's is coming along. They plan to move in in June and it will be completely done Fall 2013. A lot of planning has gone into that. The building will be LEED certified (however from an environmental standpoint, that certification is kind of BS and insignificant, but better than nothing.)
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I totally agree about LEED--it's really more of a marketing tool for "green products" rather than a measure of environmental sustainability. In any event, the St. Mary's building does look great so far, and really makes an impact at that intersection. I really hope it's not the last redevelopment in that area.

And the prospects for commuter rail are looking much better these days, I think. I'll be very excited if that takes off.
 
New Hampshire has grinded to a halt , probably to do with the politics of the state , not to fear Democrats have regained control of most of the state...so maybe that should change the development progress.
 
Portland ME is interesting. So much stuff going on even in a dead economy especially for such a small city.

Manch. Rivers Edge Phase II is moving forward. A pharmacy going up on Queen City Ave. next to Elliot. Some old gas station or car service place on South Willow is now becoming a bank I believe by the looks of it right where Queen City Ave meets S. Willow. The St. Mary's new main bank is moving forward and looking amazing. A bunch of buildings along Southern end of Elm are looking at being redeveloped / renovated. Nothing grand, but still stuff going on. So many proposals seen that look good, only a few moving forward.

If you want a dull city that has potential and not taking advantage, look at Salem where I live.
 
OSUPhantom said:
I'm a lifelong Republican but the NH GOP had to go. No creative solutions at all and just a total lack of leadership.
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I'm a Democrat, myself, but there are a number of Republicans in my family whom I think feel the same way. Until recently, Republicans in New Hampshire exemplified the sort of socially liberal, fiscally conservative (sometimes frankly penny-wise pound-foolish) pragmatism that now seems to belong solely to Democrats in the state.

I think New Hampshire will always be frugal (and socially liberal), but it needs to make investments, not only for the well-being and quality-of-life of residents, but in order to remain economically competitive. The vast majority of residents and businesses alike recognize this. The Republicans need to stop obstructing things like commuter rail, which the overwhelming majority of residents support and which is crucial to the competitiveness of the Merrimack Valley and Manchester Airport, and instead offer ideas for how to move the state forward, and make cities like Manchester more attractive. We can debate aspects of issues like commuter rail, the cost and funding structure, and so forth, but rather than that, the Republicans in 2011 turned down a federal grant to study (and determine the costs of) commuter rail while slashing higher education funding and lowering the cigarette tax.

It's very encouraging to see responsible, pragmatic people back in power, including Gov.-elect Maggie Hassan, a strong Democratic majority in the House, and a much more moderate but slim Republican majority in the Senate. It's also very encouraging to see Hassan naming some very influential and well-qualified people to advisory boards on things like education, health care, transportation and so on. I'd love to see an advisory board dedicated to cities and urban areas in the state, but I look forward to hearing what these people have to share with the governor-elect and state.

MonopolyBag said:
Portland ME is interesting. So much stuff going on even in a dead economy especially for such a small city.

Manch. Rivers Edge Phase II is moving forward. A pharmacy going up on Queen City Ave. next to Elliot. Some old gas station or car service place on South Willow is now becoming a bank I believe by the looks of it right where Queen City Ave meets S. Willow. The St. Mary's new main bank is moving forward and looking amazing. A bunch of buildings along Southern end of Elm are looking at being redeveloped / renovated. Nothing grand, but still stuff going on. So many proposals seen that look good, only a few moving forward.

If you want a dull city that has potential and not taking advantage, look at Salem where I live.
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Portland definitely has more going on--it's a smaller city, but a much bigger tourist draw, and for a whole host of reasons it draws more young people and middle-class residents. Manchester and Portland will always be different cities, and Portland will probably always have some more exciting projects, but there are some promising smaller projects going on in Manchester. The St. Mary's Bank is especially exciting, as it will restore a sense of an urban street wall to the area, and could spur further redevelopment of the area.

The key thing in Manchester will be pushing for smarter planning and more urban-appropriate development in the city. I've said this so many times, but it bears repeating: Manchester needs to act like the city it is and stop allowing developers to build suburban-style projects in the city center. It needs to step up it's game--actively support commuter rail and better transit, bring its zoning in line with the 2009 Master Plan, work aggressively to attract urban retailers, residents and businesses, and so forth--if it's going to compete with places like Portland, not just for more interesting development projects, but for workers, residents, businesses, visitors and students.

A side note: Granite State Future is a three-year statewide planning study that just began, which will result in new regional master plans, including one for the greater Manchester area. It's just beginning, but worth checking out.
 
Just a political note: Ward 12 Alderman Patrick Arnold has announced his candidacy for mayor of Manchester in November's election.

Here's Arnold's announcement, as published in the Union Leader:

I'm running for mayor because I believe in the city of Manchester and our bright future. I believe our city has countless opportunities to attract innovative new businesses and create good jobs. I believe our schools have the potential to be the best in the state, and that our quality of life should attract people and businesses from all over the country. What we need are leaders at City Hall who are willing to put politics, personal agendas, and ego aside and make the best decisions for the people of Manchester.

Unfortunately, Mayor Ted Gatsas is allowing these opportunities to slip away. Growth and development have stagnated. Our schools rank near the bottom in the state. Our city’s young families are choosing to raise their children elsewhere. In spite of these realities, Mayor Gatsas continues to tell us that everything is just fine. He's wrong.

Furthermore, Mayor Gatsas has led our city into one financial boondoggle after another. That's why I'm running for mayor: to capitalize on the opportunities we have to improve our city while keeping property taxes low. We need a new type of leader, a new way of doing business, and a new vision for Manchester.
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I think Mayor Gatsas cares a great deal about the city, but I think he lacks the vision and priorities to guide it toward realizing its potential. I'm reserving judgement about the best candidate until I hear more about Arnold and anyone else who may enter the race, but Arnold's youth and commitment to improving the city are promising. Now, if Manchester had a mayor who advocated a strong vision for urban growth, rather than giving away city-owned land to suburban-style developments, and tried to compete for development with other cities rather than the city's own suburbs, I think Manchester could really take off.
 
OSUPhantom said:
Do you think Gatsas would run again? If not who do you think the GOP would put up.

Also I was in my planning studio class and I decided to write down a platform if I ever ran for mayor of my homecity. I'll have to send it to you sometime and see what you think.
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I think Gatsas will probably run for a third term, but I'm not positive. He won pretty handily the last time around, I believe he has a lot of money to run, and he's obviously got the name recognition. I do, however, think things have changed a bit since the last election. The biggest change is the state of the schools, and I think Gatsas is getting a lot more flak about the schools than he did in the 2011 race. A lot of the issue with the schools has to do with state funding, which the mayor has fought, but it also has to do with a tax cap, which the mayor has supported and refused to override. I wrote on LivableMHT in July 2011 about all the reasons why I oppose the concept of a tax cap. Obviously, the school situation isn't entirely his fault, but I'd say his handling of it will be more of an issue if he decides to run for a third term.

I'm not sure who the GOP will put up if he decides not to run. City elections are officially nonpartisan, but it's safe to bet that the city GOP will line up behind a candidate if Gatsas doesn't run. Except for Bob Baines' time as mayor from 2000-2005, Republicans have held the mayor's office since 1990, despite Democratic super-majorities on the Board of Alderman for most of that time.

If Gatsas decides not to run, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ward 10 Alderman Phil Greazzo run. He's one of only two GOP alderman, a former GOP state representative, and he unsuccessfully ran for State Senate last year against long-time Senator Lou D'Allesandro. I don't often agree with Phil Greazzo on issues, and I think his attempt to unseat fellow Manchester state Rep. Mike Brunelle in 2011 was blatantly political, but he seems to be very involved in the West Side and could be well-positioned for a run for mayor. I don't know enough about his positions on issues facing the city, such as education funding, commuter rail, and land use to say whether I think he'd be a better advocate for the city and promote a stronger urban vision than Gatsas has. He did initially oppose the proposed liquor store at Granite Landing, which would have been a huge waste of a prominent piece of land, but I think that had less to do with supporting urban development patterns than thinking that his constituents opposed the idea.

The only other Republican who comes to mind is Joseph Kelly Levasseur, the bombastic alderman-at-large, who was perennial loser in city elections until 2011. I have to admit that I've been impressed by some of Alderman Levasseur's positions relating to the city, and his willingness to take on the mayor, a member of his own party, as well as fellow aldermen on issues that concern him. But he's known for nasty rhetoric, vitriolic attacks and recently maligned the police department, so I'd say he's shaky when it comes to reelection to the BOA, let alone becoming mayor.

It's early yet, and the election will be a lot different depending on whether Gatsas runs for a third term. I've said before that I think Gatsas is a fine public servant who cares a great deal about Manchester, but he wholly lacks the vision to make the city a strong urban alternative to other cities in the area. He's too open to suburban-style development and doesn't seem to be doing anything to make the city more attractive to young people and families. Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau is a great example of a Republican who is pushing to make her city a stronger, more dynamic urban place. Even as a Democrat, I'd be very happy with a Republican mayor along the lines of her.

So while I don't know a ton about Alderman Arnold, it's promising to see someone under 30 making a strong run for mayor, and I wouldn't be surprised to see other young people like Alderman Garth Corriveau consider a run as well. Other than that, I'm not sure who will throw their names in, but the idea of a young mayor with a strong urban vision for the future of the city is very exciting.

I'd love to hear your ideas for a platform.
 
Commuter rail is back on track in the Merrimack Valley. The Executive Council voted yesterday to move forward with the study of the Capitol Corridor commuter rail project, which will help determine startup and operating costs, as well as the economic benefits of commuter rail.

And on Tuesday February 12, Intown Manchester is hosting the Downtown Next Step Summit to help envision the future of downtown and craft a guiding vision for the city. The Summit is open to the public--I'll be there, and anyone else who is interested in helping to shape the future of downtown and can get the day off should also attend.
 
Man! I got work, I wouldn't mind going, but this snow has pushed tomorrows work to Tuesday. Hm...
 
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