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Imagine EGE

Goal:

Employment
Diversity

Facilitate growth of a strong

and diverse business sector

to expand opportunities and
retain workers, and ensure a
range of jobs that aligns with
local talent and skills.

Action: Encourage growth
in emerging innovation
based economic sectors
centered around medical
devices, robotics,
biosciences, and similar
industry sectors

Action: Continue to
emphasize the role

of quality of place in
attracting the necessary
talent to make these
companies competitive
for workers

https://imagine.nashuanh.gov

Action: Encourage the
creation of new types

of work spaces such co-
working, incubators,
boutique consumer
product workshops,
community FabLabs and
other similar type spaces
in Downtown and other
mixed-use development
areas in the city to
support and promote
smaller businesses,
entrepreneurs, and
creative enterprises.

Action: Bolster tourism
through a comprehensive
approach incorporating
a more accessible

river and advancing
recommendations from
the 2017 Downtown
Riverfront Master Plan.

Improved pedestrian experiences
that link amenities, use of public
art to enhance aesthetics, and
curated uses and activities that
encourage vitality

Action: Use City policy
to promote businesses
that adopt sustainable
practices.

Goal:

Location and
Regional Position

Embrace Nashua’s competitive
advantage straddling the

state border between two
metropolitan regions, and

both draw on and contribute to
the employment and housing
markets in both of those
regions.

To better incentivize emerging Downtown Nashua
industries to locate offices in the
city, Nashua must put all pieces

in place necessary to attract
knowledge workers to seek out
Nashua versus other regional
hubs. While this goal does not
necessarily require actions
independent of other city goals, it
does underscore the importance
of transit oriented development,

a mix of work space types,
walkable places and amenities, the
commuter rail, and an increased
number of housing options at
different sizes and price points.

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Imagine ERITr

Goal:

Recreation and
Open Space

Expand and enhance
existing open spaces and
networks through flexible
community programming
and climate adaptation
planning. Balance protection
of Nashua’s environmental
assets with opportunities for
redevelopment.

Action: Establish public
realm guidelines for
street infrastructure,
wayfinding and signage,
landscaping and trees
that align with citywide
urban design strategies
recommended by the
Imagine Nashua Master
Plan

Action: Improve park
amenities and expand
ongoing park creation
and programming
opportunities

Recommendation 1

Clearly identify and communicate
open space opportunities in
conjunction with development
opportunities.

Recommendation 2

Educate developers on benefits of
public realm goals for successful
implementation of design
guidelines or goals.

Recommendation 3

Review the inventory of public
restrooms and recreational
opportunities throughout the
City and consider parks and open
spaces that would benefit from
new facilities or resources.

Recommendation 4

Design gathering spots for
residents and visitors to gather
with neighbors and connect with
new people.

https://imagine.nashuanh.gov

Action: Update the
city’s natural resources
inventory

Recommendation 1

Build on ongoing efforts to create
a natural resources inventory
and update inventory with park
improvements.

Recommendation 2

Identify high-value natural
resources areas, and incentivize
development that encourages
public access and use in these
zones.

Recommendation 3

Create digital platform for the
public to easily access the
inventory and create print options
for residents to review the
information.

Comprehensive Master Plan

Open Space and Environment

Goal: Action: Expand youth
programming at citywide

Outreach and park facilities

Education
Recommendation 1

Document and raise public
awareness of Nashua’s
conservation land, open space,
and recreational assets and
promote stewardship through
education and community
engagement opportunities.

Expand environmental
programming at parks to cultivate
respect and appreciation for open
space and stewardship at a young
age.

Recommendation 2

Action: Expand the parks
and recreation social Work with Grow Nashua, Gate

di d b City Community Gardens, and
media and web presence other gardening efforts to develop

a citywide urban gardening
program. Consider parks or
schoolyards to build gardens and
create educational programming

Create open space group on around gardens.
platforms such as facebook or

instagram where residents and
visitors can share events and park
meetups.

Recommendation 1

Recommendation 2

Develop a single repository for
information on the City website
that includes an interactive
web map of open space assets,
including both City-owned and
private properties.

Imagine EGE

Goal:
Riverfront Access

Advance goals outlined

in the Nashua Downtown
Riverfront Master Plan and
continue to leverage this vital
environmental, community
and economic asset through
the lenses of equity, resilience
and climate protection.

Action: Build on ongoing
efforts to improve access
and activate both sides of
the Nashua riverfront to
strengthen connections
to neighborhoods and the
downtown.

Recommendation 1

https://imagine.nashuanh.gov

Recommendation 2

Improve accessibility of the
riverfront for all users by
upgrading existing access points,
ensuring all access points are up
to ADA standards, and improving
signage.

Seek out funding to extend the
pathway on the north side of the
Nashua River to Mine Falls Park
in conjunction with the extension
of Franklin Street to join the
Veterans Memorial Parkway.

Action: Enhanced access
to the Merrimack River.

Recommendation 1

Expand the Heritage Rail Trail
along the Merrimack River from
the Massachusetts border to
Franconia Notch.

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Appendix

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Past and Current Planning Studies
Plan Contributors
Image Credits

Glossary

Comprehensive Master Plan

183

Imagine WEened https://imagine.nashuanh.gov

DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN

Envisioned opportunities for
redevelopment in Nashua’s
downtown area, connecting
complementary Downtown
businesses and destinations.
The initiatives consisted of:
Riverfront West, Riverfront East,
Railroad Square, Main Street
North and Main Street South. To
Support these initiatives, it
recommended frameworks
including: enhancing pedestrian
experience, supporting bikeways
and trails, incrementally
converting one-way streets to
two-way to better accommodate
multimodality, among others.

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
| | |

NASHUA MASTER PLAN EAST HOLLIS ST AREA PLAN NASHUA TREE STREETS
NEIGHBORHOODS
Previous City Mater Plan which The Area plan addressed
outlined several goals and multiple goals and policies The study analyzed physical
objectives cutting across nine outlined in the 2000 Nashua attributes and deficiencies of
main plan elements: Master Plan, including the need the neighborhood such as traffic
Conservation and Preservation, for a district plan for the area circulation, open space and land
Construction Materials, itself. The East Hollis street area use. That analysis is shaped
Community Facilities Element, has long been considered a around what makes a great
Utilities and Public Services, significant east-west arterial and neighborhood as defined by J.
Economic Development, regional gateway into Nashua, Jacobs: mixed use, mobility,
Industrial, Transportation, and sitting at the confluence of unique character, social
Housing and Land Use. the Nashua and Merrimack community and safety. The
rivers, also Serves as an analysis showed that general
important open space resource. physical characteristics of the
The 2004 area plan was neighborhood are sound,
composed in three parts: Vision however, other qualities of the
for Today, Streetscape and Open neighborhood, particularly social
Space Standards, and Visions for community and safety, need
Tomorrow. significant assistance.

184

NASHUA HAZARD
MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE

The Nashua Hazard Mitigation
Plan Update 2019 was part of
the Resilient Nashua Initiative
led by the Nashua Office of
Emergency Management. This
document is submitted to and
approved by FEMAasa
condition to qualify for both pre
and post disaster grants to
address all types of hazards
faced by the community.

I
Ve!

2012 2014

2016

ARTS AND ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY IN THE
NASHUA REGION

Conducted by the Americans for
the Arts, with assistance from
the Nashua Arts Commission ,

this report utilizes localized
research focused on arts
organizations and event-related
spending to evaluate the
economic impact of the
nonprofit arts and culture
industry in the Nashua Region.
The study notes that between
2018-2019, the nonprofit arts
and culture industry in Nashua
generated $11.3 million in total
economic activity.

2018

Comprehensive Master Plan

NASHUA HOUSING STUDY

Studied the state of the local
and regional housing market,
identified key housing issues
and challenges, and provided
implementation strategies. It
outlined five key considerations
including: planning for how and
where housing growth should
take place in the city, addressing
issues of affordability and
displacement of low income
households, employing
strategies to improve the quality
of the housing stock in the
Downtown area, and capitalizing
on strategic partnerships with
housing resources.

ras

NASHUA DOWNTOWN
RIVERFRONT MASTER PLAN

Framework for improving the
downtown riverfront area to
enhance quality of life, and
maximize economic and
environmental value of the area.
The scope of the plan included a
1.8 mile section of the Nashua
River. Through a robust public
outreach process, the Riverfront
goals and recommendations
involve improving connectivity,
encouraging environmental
stewardship, enhancing access
to the river and green spaces,
promoting flood resiliency, and
capturing value created by new
developments.

¢,

RESILIENT NASHUA
INITIATIVE

The community of Nashua
engaged with nationally
recognized experts on climate
change to explore specific
challenges that the city will face
and possible solutions. The
process has been documented
in the Resilience Dialogues
Nashua Synthesis Report.

NASHUA ARTS AND
CULTURE PLAN

C10

NASHUA BICYCLE AND
PEDESTRIAN PROJECT

This project aims to promote
opportunities for safe and
efficient non-motorized travel
around the city of Nashua. The
project outlines key issues and
Opportunities surrounding
bicycle and pedestrian
amenities in the city, and
through data analysis, public
feedback, and City input,
provides recommendations for
addressing these under broad
categories: major bike-ped
infrastructure, intersection
safety improvements, resolving
network gaps, wayfinding, and
overall neighborhood solutions.

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