Search

DESMAN

4. Based on the preceding specifications, City staff will estimate the parking capacity within the
proposed program area.

5S. Based on the preceding specifications, City staff will prepare a drawing to scale defining
allowable parking areas and no parking areas across the proposed program area.

In a public meeting, City staff will present the results of their study to one or more representatives of
citizens petitioning for establishment of the program.

Quantification Testing

The Citizen’s Council will estimate the number of potential program participants within the proposed
program area through a second petition process which will ask each household supporting the
establishment of a parking permit zone to identify 1} the total number of vehicles in each household, 2}
the number of vehicles which can be parked on their property in legitimate off-street parking spaces,? and
3} the number of vehicles they propose to park on public streets overnight. The latter figure will be
considered an estimate of potential participation and wilt be submitted to the City in writing atong with
the supporting petition.

City staff will compare the estimate of potential participation to the calculated parking capacity within the
proposed permit zone and produce a ratio of requested permits to allowable capacity. If the ratio is less
than one (1) requested permit per available parking space, City staff will calculate the ratio of legitimate
parking spaces per total households’ within the program area. City staff will issue a technical
memorandum indicating the surplus in parking capacity for the program area relative to the estimate of
potential participation and establishing the maximum ratio of parking permits per household to the
nearest whole number, rounding down for any fraction less than .85°. This technical memorandum should
be issued back to the Citizen’s Council, who will be responsible for informing their constituents of the
findings. At the City’s discretion, the Board of Alderman may request a second petition be executed by
the Citizen’s Council confirming at least two-thirds majority still support the application in light of these
calculations.

If the ratio is more than one (1) requested permit per available parking space within the proposed program
area, City staff will calculate two ratios:

a. The ratio of the number of available parking spaces within the proposed program area to the
number of households expressing interest in acquiring a permit. This ratio should be rounded to
the nearest whole number, rounding downward for any ratio less than .85 spaces per household.

3 This first two figures will enable the City and Board of Alderman to quickly discern if the requested application is a convenience
or a necessity when evaluating the application.

“This ratio is critical because it establishes the maximum number of permits which can be purchased per household within a
program area should interest in participating in the program grow tn the future after the zone is formally established. As a general
rule, each single-family home should be considered one household, while multi-family residential buildings should be considered
one household per unit.

5 While parking capacity will be measured according to an assumed 20’ per length of contiguous, uninterrupted curb space, the
recommendation is to establish areas of allowable parking on city streets according to zones, rather than individual spaces. In
practice, DESMAN has found that motivated citizens may be able to park vehicles with greater efficiency in an undefined space
according to the vehicle’s dimensions, to a degree. Rounding up to the next whole number on fractions of .86 or higher when
calculating allowable permits per household recognizes and allows for this practice,

DESMA

This ratio will establish the maximum number of permits which can be issued per household in
the inauqural year of the program®.

b. The ratio of the number of available parking spaces within the proposed program area to the
number of total households within the proposed program area. This ratio should be rounded to
the nearest whole number, rounding downward for any ratio tess than .85 spaces per household.
This ratio will establish the absolute maximum number of permits per household which can be
issued in any year.

City staff will issue a technical memorandum documenting these calculations to the Citizen’s Council, who
will be responsible for informing their constituents of the findings. At the City’s discretion, the Board of
Alderman may request a second petition be executed by the Citizen’s Council confirming at least two-
thirds majority still support the application in light of these calculations.

Rate Setting for Parking Permits

Should the petitioning citizens still wish to proceed, City staff will prepare a technical report detailing their
findings, including the estimated capacity within the proposed program area, any other parking
regulations impacting on-street parking within the area currently in effect, the estimated demand for the
program, and calculated allocation of permits per household. In addition, City staff will prepare an
estimate of cost for marking allowable parking lanes’ within the proposed parking area, posting signs’ on
each block face indicating the establishment of a parking permit area and the hours of effect, and
administering the program as estimated by the City’s Parking Manager. This last cost item program
administration, may include:

* Costs associated in automating portions of the program where appropriate. As a best practice,

many municipalities automate certain tasks, such as preparing an application for a permit and
uploading qualifying documents. In some instances, this may require acquisition of software to
support this. Automating these processes allows the municipal staff to process, approve, or deny
applications as their work schedule allows, rather than requiring the staffing of a customer service
center during prescribed hours solely for these tasks. Communication between constituents and
municipal staff can be affected through email, which creates a record of communications between
parties, assuring for transparency.

e Costs associated with increasing staffing to handle the processing of applications and renewals.

Even with the automation of certain processes, the addition time and effort required to manage
these programs can overwhelm an already smail and highly utilized staff. The addition of clerks,

5 In permit zones where potential demand for overnight parking exceeds capacity, but not all households in the zone wish to
acquire a permit, the Board of Alderman may require the Citizen’s Council to perform annual petitions to determine the number
of households wishing to participate in the program for the coming fiscal year. In these instances, the Citizen's Council will need
to submit completed petitions to Nashua Economic Development no later than sixty (60) days before the end of the current fiscal
year to allow the City to determine the appropriate number of permits per participating household which may be sold at the start
of the next fiscal year.

7 Where possible, DESMAN recommends marking out lanes of allowable parking area along each block face, rather than individual
Stalls. In practice, this allows permit holders to maximize available allowable curbside space according to the dimensions of their
vehicle, rather than the prescribed dimensions of the 85" percentile design vehicle. Of course, this can only be done if the area
is not already subject to stall markings to support metering or other programs, in which case the existing pavement markings
take precedent,

4 All signs and pavement markings must be compliant with MUCTD and/or local regulations.

DESMAN

as necessary, to support the program and assist with related tasks should be considered and
factored into any cost estimate.

e Costs associated with increasing staffing to handle expanded enforcement duties. Any change in
regulation will impact the effectiveness of existing enforcement personnel. Even though they may
be traversing the same physical distance prior to a change in policy, the change may result in
addition time and labor to inspect parked vehicles more closely in an area previously subject to
less regulation. This may mandate an increase in the number of enforcement personnel to assure
compliance with the new policies.

This wilt be added to application, which will then be presented to the Board of Alderman for consideration
and ratification. The cost to implement the program, divided by the number of program participants which
can be accommodated within the allowable capacity of the zone, will be the annual cost of each parking
permit. Revenues from permit sales will cover the cost of implementing the program in the first year of
establishment and subsidizing on-going maintenance of curbside spaces in the zone (i.e., roadway repairs
or improvements, snow removal, street sweeping, parking enforcement, etc.} thereafter.

Application for Recognition

To summarize, the final application te be submitted to the Board of Alderman for ratification and
implementation will inctude the following:

A narrative describing why those citizens are requesting establishment of the program.

A map showing the proposed boundaries of the program area.

The objectives of the program.

An inventory of the addresses of all homes, businesses, and institutions within the boundaries of

the proposed program area.

e. A petition indicating at least two-thirds (67%) of all constituents within the proposed program
area support the initiative.

f. An estimate of parking capacity within the proposed program area with a map indicating where
curbside parking is allowable given roadway dimensions and required setbacks as determined by
City staff.

g. Adescription of any existing parking policies in effect for on-street parking within the proposed
program zone.

h. The calculated number of permits for sale and permits per household for the program area, along

with any supporting documentation demonstrating public acceptance of these limits.

eno 7

i. Anestimate of costs to establish the program and pro-rated cost per permit.

j. Based on the preceding and estimates provided by the Parking Department to administer the
program, a recommend cost per permit.

Ratification and implementation

The Board of Alderman will review the application and include a public hearing on the matter as part of
their next available meeting agenda. Representatives of the constituents petitioning for the permit
program will be present to answer questions during this hearing, as will City staff who are reviewing the
application and calculated capacity and costs. The Board of Alderman will allow a reasonable period during
the hearing for public comment. If the application is complete and largely supported, the Board of
Alderman will ratify the application as presented by a simple majority vote.

DESVAN

Recourse for Denied Applications

If the application is incomplete or there is significant opposition from constituents living and/or doing
business within the program area, the Board of Alderman may, at its discretion request the petitioner to
revise the application and resubmit it for consideration. Revised applications may only be submitted once
and must be submitted within sixty (60) calendar days to be considered for ratification.

Alternately, the Board of Alderman may, at its discretion, deny the application if it is found grossly
incomplete and/or subject to opposition which, in the sole judgement of the Board of Alderman, exceeds
support within the community contained within the proposed program area. Votes to deny the application
will be carried by a simple majority. If the application is denied, citizens residing within the proposed
program area may not reapply for a period of not Jess than twenty-four (24) months from the date of the
denial.

Action for Existing Parking Permit Areas

The current permit program for overnight parking in effect in Nashua will remain as it exists until such
time as 1) an application is approved which encompasses one or more streets and/or addresses named
under the current ordinance or 2) a maximum of thirty-six months from the date the Board of Alderman
votes to change or amend the current ordinances pertaining to permitted overnight park to accommodate
adoption of some or all of the recommendations included within this report.

Should an area currently covered under the existing regulations be absorbed into a newly ratified parking
permit zone, those streets and/or addresses will be stricken from the existing ordinance and incorporated
into the newly approved program. If an application should fail, the existing program will remain in effect.

After thirty-six months, any areas covered under the existing regulations as approved overnight parking
permit zones should be subject to amendment of the existing regulations which recognizes the following:

A. Core Rules as presented earlier in this report;

The Capacity Testing process as presented earlier in this report and the legal capacity of currently
established areas in the city under those standards;

C. The Quantification Testing? process as presented earlier in this report and the allowable number
of permits per household for currently established areas in the city under those standards;

B. The Rate Setting process as presented earlier in this report and the assessed cost per issued
permit for currently established areas in the city under those standards.

It should be noted that this process may reduce or eliminate some existing on-street parking areas where
overnight parking is currently allowed, may reduce the number of permits issued under existing
regulations, and will introduce a cost per permit to existing program participants. These impacts, while
inconvenient for the individuals who have enjoyed the existing program previously, will be necessary to

* The tasks normally managed by a Citizen’s Council will need to be conducted by Nashua Economic Development staff (i.e.,
determining the number of permits requested and/or households wishing to purchase a permit, informing existing program
participants of the allowable number of permits per household which may be issued for the coming fiscal year, communicating
cost per permit for the coming fiscal year, etc.)

DESI

maintain equity and fairness between newly created program areas established through the proposed
process and pre-existing areas established under current regulations.

Recertification

Every zone established under the proposed program will be subject to a recertification requirement every
five (5) years once established, which will require creation and/or resurrection of a Citizen’s Council to
conduct a petition affirming that at least two-thirds of every househald within the defined zone support
the continuation of the program. Citizen's living in zones which fail recertification may submit an
application to create a smaller or redefined program following the procedures described in this document.

Revocation

The Board of Alderman may, at their discretion, temporarily suspend ratification of an implemented
parking permit zone with at feast thirty (30) days prior notice to program participants to address
infrastructure issues or safety conditions.

The Board of Alderman may permanently revoke their ratification of an implemented parking permit zone
at any time when continued maintenance of the program demonstrates:

1) Aclear and present danger” to the citizens living within the zone, first responders travelling into
or through the zone, or City staff performing necessary work within the zone;

2) Roadway dimensions within the zone are modified in such a manner that the fegal parking
capacity within the zone fall below 80% of the initial calculated capacity;

3) Apetition™ indicating that 50% or more of the households within the zone have come to actively
oppose the program.

If the Board of Alderman vote to revoke their ratification, another program in the same zone may not be
applied for a period of three (3) calendar years from the date of revocation. However, citizens may
organize and file an application for a smaller zone or zone with revised boundaries following the
procedure described herein at any time following the revocation. Permit holders in a revoked zone may
have their fees refunded on a pro-rated basis for the balance of the remaining fiscal year.

$:\20-21100.00-3 nashua overnight parking study\deliverables\final report_15june2021.docx

™ A ‘clear and present danger’ may include a record of consistent violations of on-street parking regulations within the zone,
even if these violations represent just a breach of policy rather than a life-safety issue.

' A petition to revoke an established zone may not be submitted within the first twenty-four (24) months after the zone is
officially ratified.

Imagine

Comprehensive Master Plan
DRAFT, October 6th, 2021

:
Ln
BW lic fcpa es
Seer ta oy ec

Imagine {TEENA

https://imagine.nashuanh.gov

Letter From the Mayor

Dear Nashua Community,

I am excited to share with you
Imagine Nashua, the framework
for the future of our city. This plan
was shaped by you; those who live,
work, play and care about Nashua.
Whether your family has called
Nashua home for generations

or you have just started a new

life here; whether you’re a small
business owner or an employee

at one of the city’s thriving
companies; or whether you area
senior or a student, your voice is an
instrumental part of this plan.

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in

early 2020, we considered whether we

should pause the master planning process.
Through thoughtful discussion we realized

the opportunity to speak with and hear from
our community while we were in the midst of
a long-term crisis, to help us emerge stronger
than ever, was an important place to begin,
even if we had to reinvent how we would reach
all of you.

During the nine months since this process
began, our Master Plan Steering Committee
members, the Community Development and
Planning Staff and team from Utile have been
involved in an extensive engagement process
including more than a dozen official public
meetings and over forty focus group meetings
where your vision for Nashua was heard. Over
538 incredible ideas were shared through an
interactive project website, which had 1490
unique visits from those wanting to learn about
Imagine Nashua and provide feedback.

This plan reflects what we heard from you

as a community on what we are doing well,
what we can improve and where we want to
be: enhancing quality of life with affordable
housing; rethinking our transportation
corridors to be places of shared use; enjoying
a vibrant economy from arts to high-tech
supported by an excellent school system;
embracing a culture that welcomes and

empowers all Nashuans; maintaining the
balance of access to and protection for our
natural resources; and continuing to have fiscal
strength and responsibility. The goals and
recommendations of this plan detail how we
will get to where we want to be.

Thank you to the thousands of community
members who participated in the master
planning process and helped to inform this
plan. I want to especially express my gratitude
to the twenty-two community members who
served on our Master Plan Steering Committee.
You provided thoughtful and essential
guidance to City staff and our consulting team
throughout this unique and intense process.
Our work has just begun, this framework is

the essential jumping off point to reimagine
our land use code and citywide policies, to
ensure that the future Nashua envisioned here
can come to fruition over the years ahead.
Together, we can make this vision for Nashua
the reality for our future generations.

Sincerely,

J Duce

Mayor Jim Donchess

Comprehensive Master Plan

Imagine TEEINEL

Acknowledgements

Imagine Nashua Master Plan
Prepared for the City of Nashua by Utile

Brought to you under the leadership of Mayor Jim Donchess

Imagine Nashua reflects significant work and dedication from
a wide range of individuals and groups committed to building
a sustainable future for Nashua. Thank you to all the City staff
members, organizations, and community contributors who
participated throughout the planning process.

Planning Department, City of Nashua

Sarah Marchant, Director of Community Development
Matthew Sullivan, Planning Department Manager
Julie Chizmas, Transportation/Long-Range Planner

TK =T=Y a UTM OLA T=)

Mayor James Donchess, Mayor

Cheryl Lindner, Chief of Staff

Scott LeClair, Planning Board Chair

Adam Varley, Planning Board Vice-Chair

David Tencza, Chair of PEDC

Raymond Guarino, Nashua School Board Member
Heather Raymond, Back-up for School Board Member
Wendy Hunt, Nashua COCA President

Paul Shea, GAD Executive Director

Dan O’ Donnell, Back-up for GAD (Board President)
John Jurczyk, President of St. Joseph Hospital
Scott Cote, Designee from SYN

Bob James, Designee NH Realtor

Raymond Brousseau, BAE Representative

Amber Morgan, Chair of Masterplan Committee
Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett, Ward 1 Resident

Marjorie Bollinger Hogan, Ward 2 Resident

Gene Porter, Ward 3 Resident

Heidi MacDonald, Ward 4 Resident

Gloria McCarthy, Ward 5 Resident

Peter Schaefer, Ward 7 Resident

Mary Ann Melissa Golva, Ward 8 Resident
Homa Jaferey, Ward 9 Resident

Consultant Team

Utile: Tim Love, Will Cohen, Taskina Tareen, Elizabeth van der Els,
Andrea Baena

Ninigret Partners: Kevin Hively

Brown Richardson + Rowe: Dave Andrews, Althea Northcross
Horsley Witten Group: Jon Ford, Ellie Baker

Toole Design Group: Karen Fitzgerald, Jake Berman

Many thanks to all Nashua residents, workers, business owners,
and other stakeholders who helped make this plan a success!
Your insightful comments and suggestions on how to make
Nashua a more welcoming, diverse, and forward-thinking city are
incorporated in the final plan actions and recommendations.

For a complete list of staff and community contributors to the
Imagine Nashua Process, please see pages 186.

Cover Image: Seth J Dewey Photography
Cover image depicts the “Nashua River Light Parade” organized by
Nashua Area Kayak Exploration Destinations (N.A.K.E.D.) Group.

Comprehensive Master Plan