Some further assistance to help the housing crunch will come with the Village Street Apartments by CATCH, expected to complete construction in the spring of 2022. This will be 42 one- to three-bedroom units in six buildings, each one- to two-stories high on 95-97 Village St. About 25% to 50% of the apartments will be available at market rate and the rest will be workforce rental housing, which is affordable to a family of three making 60% of their area’s median income.
Penacook Landing apartments
Phase 1 of the Penacook Landing project (34 units) at the former Tannery site is fully occupied. For Phase 2, the Caleb Group will be applying for tax credits this coming August that will allow them to construct 20 additional apartments. Construction would likely begin in spring/summer 2022 and take about a year to complete. There isn’t a current active waiting list for Phase 2, but the need remains great. A Caleb representative said that more than one person cried when they got approved for their apartment, or when they were handed the keys on move-in day. Many seniors have been desperately looking for a stable, safe, affordable housing option.
Fortunately, the Caleb Group has provided this for our community. They have an on-site property manager and maintenance staff, plus a service coordinator who works with and for residents to help them access resources in the community, navigate challenges and solve problems; as an example, assisting older residents with access to food and groceries during the pandemic. The residents of Penacook Landing range from older people who are no longer working, parents with children (three school age children currently live in Phase 1), and working adults. Residents include our neighbors who need an affordable place to live.
Proposed 3-way stop at Bog Road intersection
A topic was set for public hearing at the May 10 City Council meeting to convert the intersection of Bog Road, Carter Hill Road, Horse Hill Road, and River Road from a 2-way stop to a 4-way stop. Currently, there is no stop required at Bog Road and Horse Hill Road.
The proposal calls for placing a stop sign at Bog Road and at the end of the bridge on Horse Hill Road. City staff is recommending this change to improve safety for vehicles and pedestrians. However, the average number of vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles per hour approaching the intersection falls short of the minimum criteria to warrant a 4-way stop.
It would be very helpful to hear your opinions on this potential change. You can send your thoughts to cityclerk@concordnh.gov. More information is available in the report here.
Public hearing at March 8 City Council meeting regarding Supermarket at Whitney Rd.
At the March 8, 2021, City Council meeting the public can speak to five resolutions required for the building of the new Market Basket and other stores at Whitney Rd., along with a new roundabout at the intersection of Rt. 4 and Whitney Rd. Information about the meeting will be posted on the City’s Calendar web page. For those unable to attend, I encourage you to write in at cityclerk@concordnh.gov with your thoughts. If the resolutions are then approved by Council at their April 12, 2021, meeting we can expect the NH liquor store to open early 2022, Market Basket to open late 2022 or early 2023, and the roundabout likely to be completed by the end of this year.
As you know, Whitney Rd. feeds off Rt. 4, which is a State road. The State has a say as to how the road improvements can be made, improvements that are necessary before any new development on Whitney Rd can happen. The State has agreed on the roundabout design. However, the State does not view this project as a priority. Therefore, if the City wants to build the supermarket, we need to find a way to pay for the roundabout. We have two ways of doing that.
Money for the improvement can come from the City's General Fund. Using the General Fund would mean an increase in the municipal portion of the tax rate of about 1% or more per year, starting in fiscal year 2023. There is a lot of uncertainty associated with adding a mandatory increase onto the City's unknown financial obligations in future years.
The other way to finance the roundabout is what's being proposed to Council by City Staff, which is to expand the area of the current Penacook Village TIF District to include the portion of Whitney Rd. proposed for the supermarket, then pay for the roundabout by issuing Penacook TIF District bonds.
With this approach, in the short term, residents will not be hit with a tax increase. Penacook gets the supermarket and other stores it's wanted for so long. In the long-term, Penacook also gets tax rate benefits once debt service for the roundabout is paid off, or when growth of captured assessed value in the TIF begins to greatly exceed the TIF’s annual costs. When we get there, hopefully in 10 years or so, the City Council can incrementally release tax revenues. That's how the City's North End Opportunity Corridor TIF District has performed, where the City releases 66% of its captured property taxes annually to support the City’s General Fund and other taxing authorities. However, we don't want to release funds too early, otherwise the TIF District will fail financially.
Of note is that taxpayers will be benefiting immediately with an additional $1.1 million in assessed value from the Whitney Rd. property proposed for construction that is no longer in current use designation.
For those of you who would like to read more details, there is a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a Development Agreement with Interchange Development. Key within this item is Matt Walsh's Feb. 3, 2021, report, which explains the entire project in depth, but you will also find information about the development itself, including plan documents. Next is a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to accept a corporate guaranty from Demoulas Super Markets for construction of the new supermarket at Whitney Rd. We then have a Resolution adopting an amended and restated Development Program and Finance Plan for the Penacook Village Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District, which calls for enlarging the district to include the Whitney Rd area. The Resolution appropriating the sum of $4,780,000 for the Hoit Road / Whitney Road Intersection Improvement project is for funds for the roundabout that are proposed to be raised primarily through issuance of Penacook Village TIF District supported bonds and notes. Finally, there is the Resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into a Maintenance Agreement with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation concerning the infrastructure improvements.
Merrimack Valley School District tax rate decrease
The Merrimack Valley School District tax rate decreased from $19.64 in 2019 to $16.39 in 2020. It appears there are a few reasons for this, including an approximate $188,000 decrease in their valuation apportionment, an $867,000 increase in adequacy grants received, and a $38 million increase in assessed values within the Concord MVSD area. The assessment increase was fueled primarily by the increased value of residential property as well as a strong market for apartments.
Major site plan approval of plans for new Market Basket
On tap for the Concord Planning Board this Wednesday, December 16th at 7:00 pm is major site plan approval of plans for your new Market Basket and other shops on Whitney Road off exit 17. Here is the Zoom meeting link if you want to attend: https://zoom.us/j/754076629.
Information on the plans is available here. Additional information can be found on the Exit 17 Supermarket Facebook page. Public comment will be accepted during this meeting. You can also email your comments to City Planner Heather Shank at HShank@concordnh.gov. Sending in your thoughts is encouraged.
If plans are approved at the meeting, we can expect the Market Basket, attached retail store, and NH Liquor & Wine Outlet to be on track for construction to start in April 2021 with the Liquor Store complete by the end of 2021 and the Market Basket building opening in mid-2022. The tenants for Phase 2 are not yet secured but will include a 7,000-square-foot urgent-care facility along with other retail, financial, and restaurant uses.
Unitil proposes pole and line replacement
The Planning Board on December 16th (https://zoom.us/j/754076629) will be discussing requests by Unitil for two Conditional Use Permits to allow disturbances of wetland and Shoreland Protection District buffers to allow Unitil to replace utility poles and wires within the utility right of way between MacCoy Street and Village Street Approximately 1.2 miles of poles and wires are proposed to be replaced. If this item is approved work is tentatively scheduled to commence in March 2021 and last about 12 to 16 weeks. This project is being undertaken to maintain uninterrupted service and to plan for increased demand. More information is available here.
Happy 100th Birthday Rolfe Park!
Abial W. Rolfe donated the land for what is now Rolfe Park to the City of Concord in 1920, in memory of the family's early settlers. Truly a remarkable gift to our community.
"Welcome to Penacook" video
The Association for Community Media - Northeast handed out their awards on December 2, and the City and ConcordTV received a bronze medal in the Municipal/Government programming category for the “Welcome to Penacook” video.
Congratulations to the City and ConcordTV!
15th Annual Tree Lighting
The PVA decided to not hold an in-person event this year, due to safety concerns about the COVID pandemic. We held a limited gathering, as a special tribute to event founder Liz Blanchard, who passed away earlier this year, and it was recorded by ConcordTV.
We hope to see you all live and in person for next year's event! Until then, Happy Holidays from the PVA and stay safe.
PVA Virtual Annual Meeting
The Penacook Village Association is holding its annual meeting on Tuesday, November 9, at 6:30 pm. This year, we're opening up the meeting for anyone who is interested. Even if you are not a member, you are invited to join in and listen to our Village news.
Voting for officers is only available to PVA members, but everyone is welcome to participate in all other business of the meeting.
We'll be starting at 6:30 sharp, so please log into the Zoom meeting a few minutes early. Here are the details for the Zoom meeting.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84006455991?pwd=NERSU0Z5Z2lTSGxtRnhnMXBMYXZsZz09
Meeting ID: 840 0645 5991
Passcode: 140795
One tap mobile:
+13017158592,,84006455991#,,,,,,0#,,140795# US (Germantown)
+13126266799,,84006455991#,,,,,,0#,,140795# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location:
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
Face Mask Ordinance for Concord
The Concord City Council passed a face covering ordinance during a special public hearing on Monday, August 31. The ordinance is effective immediately, and will remain in effect through January 2, 2021, unless otherwise repealed or extended.
Concord City Council Meeting on Face Coverings, August 31, 2020
The Concord City Council will meet on August 31 to discuss a proposed ordinance on face masks. The council will be hosting the meeting on Zoom at 7 p.m. on Monday, August 31. The meeting can be accessed at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83175728546. If you prefer to use a phone line instead, call (929) 205-6099 or (877) 853-5257 (landline) and use webinar ID# 831 7572 8546.
Voter Registration & Absentee Balloting
On July 26, Gov. Sununu signed House Bill 1266, which our Legislature passed based on recommendations made by the Secretary of State’s Select Committee on 2020 Emergency Election Support considering the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill temporarily allows absentee balloting by voters concerned about exposure to COVID-19. The bill also will allow town officials to begin processing ballots several days before the election, though they could not view or tally the votes until Election Day.
Concord’s City Clerk’s Office has already been receiving and mailing out absentee ballots for the September 8 primary election and is expected to mail out ballots for the November 3 general election 30 to 45 days before the election.
If you are a registered voter or will register to vote at least 10 days in advance of an election, you may request and obtain an absentee ballot from the City Clerk. You can also download the application form and get more information about absentee balloting here.
If you have not yet registered to vote, you can register with the City Clerk’s Office. Check out more information about registering to vote.
Finally, completed absentee ballots can be returned by mail, or you can bring them to the City Clerk’s Office. All you need is your ballot and ID. You can also drop off ballots for family members; you just need to sign a form the City Clerk’s Office will provide you.
The State of New Hampshire has also set up a website where you can check the status of your absentee ballots.
Former RIVCO site lease
More details to come, but it looks like Concord’s Company C home furnishings store will be leasing space at the former RIVCO site on Merrimack St. starting this month for warehouse and office space. You may be aware that their showroom moved recently to Storrs St., but this may be temporary depending on proposed redevelopment of that location. We're certainly looking forward to more activity at the site, with continued cleanup and repairs.
The PVA Remembers Liz Blanchard
We are saddened to hear of the passing of PVA supporter and our friend, Elizabeth Blanchard. Liz attended many PVA meetings and working sessions throughout the years and was a strong voice for our community as City Councilor. Of course, we can't think of Liz without remembering the many years of partnership with her on the event she started: the Annual Tree Lighting, held each December. This year will mark the 15th anniversary, and we are working on plans to safely carry on despite the pandemic emergency. More details to follow. We also still have our Penacook Branch of the City Library thanks to her leadership efforts.
Thank you for everything Liz. We'll miss you.
Hearing for mask ordinance in Concord, N.H.
The City Council has set a special meeting to discuss a mask ordinance for Concord, with public hearing, on August 31st. Details to follow as soon as they become available; you can send your opinions and thoughts to the City Clerk’s Office at cityclerk@concordnh.gov.
Riverside Park volunteer cleanup
Connor Baldwin and his crew of volunteers braved the very hot weather and managed to make great progress at the Riverside Park volunteer cleanup this week. If you get a chance, stop by to see the walkway cleared and ready for some gravel stone and a generally cleaner and more visible park area.
Donations are being accepted through the Penacook Village Association or at contactus@penacook.org. Another date for the next round of work will be set for sometime within the month.
Whitney Road off Exit 17 development news
On Wednesday, August 19, at 7:00 pm, the Concord Planning Board will host a preliminary “Design Review” of plans for the new Market Basket and other shops on Whitney Rd. off exit 17. To attend, please follow the Zoom meeting link.
Public comments will be accepted, and the project details will be presented. You can find more information here. You can also send your comments to City Planner Heather Shank at HShank@concordnh.gov.
Absentee Ballot Voting
Residents who want to vote in New Hampshire for the 2020 election who are concerned about participating in-person due to COVID-19 may register to vote and vote by absentee ballot. You can find more information on the State of New Hampshire’s website, or please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (603) 225-8500 or by email at cityclerk@concordnh.gov.
Demand for absentee ballots is expected to be great; to help our City Clerk’s Office, please plan on applying sooner than later, and remember to send in your ballot early, as well, to ensure timely delivery of ballots by the U.S. Postal Service.