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Nashua Downtown Master Plan

* serve an economic development
objective by providing a valuable
leisure activity for individuals and
families.

The idea of an extensive trail system is

already a part of the City's 1993 Trails

Plan, adopted as part of the City’s Mas-

ter Plan, as well as the region's long-

range plan. This Master Plan illustrates
how trail systems can be implemented by
private and public initiatives recom-
mended in this Plan.

A trail would line both sides of the
Nashua River in the Downtown, linking
together the new parks, as well as Mine
Falls Park . Multiple river crossings cre-
ate “loops” in the Downtown, connecting

many nodes and attractions along the

trail system. Short loops in the Down-
town are particularly important because
they make short excursions on foot, such
as a walk during a lunch hour, interesting
and enjoyable.

The riverfront park system proposed
in this Master Plan will be connected to
Mine Falls Park, thus connecting to the
City's predominately residential areas
west of the Interstate. This wider con-
nection will open up Downtown as a
destination for families and recreationists
who would not otherwise go Downtown
for anything other than an occasional
visit. These trail connections will help
expand the appeal of Downtown to all
residents of Nashua, not just those living

east of the Interstate.

UR EAN DESIGN assocrates Nashua Downtown Master Plan

ui Design Guidelines

Hollis Street

Kinsley Street

Lake Street

Salmon Brook

DESIGN GUIDELINES ARE NECESSARY to encourage new devel- 86
opment along Main Street South and to reinforce and support
the overall goals of this Master Plan. The design guidelines
that follow can be applied to new private development oppor-
tunities along Main Street South, between Hollis Street and
Salmon Brook Park. Within this area, however, the Master
Plan defines two very different areas of development:

1 A retail node between Otterson Street and Salmon Brook
Park, distinct from, yet complementary to, Main Street
North.

2 A mixed-use area between Hollis and Otterson Streets that
respects the architecture and urban design of the existing
historic mansions, apartment buildings and institutions.

As such, two sets of design guidelines are developed to address

desired development patterns for these areas.

Design guidelines present standards for new development.
They should be supported by the new zoning code to assure
development compatibilities, minimize design review friction,
insure investor confidence, and ultimately that new, urban
buildings will be appropriate to their context and contributory

to the overall health of Downtown Nashua.

DESIGN ASSOCIATES

Main Street between Hollis and
Otterson

Urban Design Intent

‘The urban design intent in this area is to
strengthen Downtown by creating a
transitional zone between the two retail
nodes along Main Street North and
South. This area should contain smaller
buildings with residential, institutional or
office uses. Retail development should be
discouraged. The form of the buildings
should relate to the existing residential
buildings; that is, they should be narrow
and deep buildings with small yards on
all sides.

Nashua Downtown Master Plan

Massing 87
(sop)

Buildings should be

domestic in form, two

stories and evenly

Spaced.

Siting

(second)

Buildings should be set
back approximately 15
Jeet, with one front
entry per building.

Easement

{third}

A rear easement is
required to coordinate
an efficient parking,
circulation and service

system.

Parking and
Pedestrian
Circulation

(bottom)

All parking should be in
the rear and on-street.
Pedestrian circulation A
walkway should connect
the sidewalk to the front

door.

DESIGN ASSOCIATES

Main Street between Otterson and

Salmon Brook

Urban Design Intent

‘The urban design intent in this area is to
concentrate Downtown’s retail growth
potential in a second retail node along
Main Street South by creating mixed-use
buildings with mandatory, traditional
retail storefronts on the round floor.
Broad sidewalks, street trees, on-street
parking, awnings, and active storefronts
will create a vibrant pedestrian-oriented

retail node.

Nashua Downtown Master Plan

Massing 88
(sop)

One to three story

buildings should be

simple, well-

proportioned masses

that front the street.

Siting

(second)

Buildings must be
located on the sidewalk,
with multiple entries to

multiple storefronts.

Easement

{third}

A front easement is
required to create a
broad sidewalk. The
rear easement is
required to provide
access to parking, service
and and a clear

circulation system.

Parking and
Pedestrian
ci

(bottom)

Each block should have
a mid-block pedestrian
connection. This path
can be either interior to
the building or an
exterior walkways to
access parking behind
the buildings.

UR EAN DESIGN assocrates Nashua Downtown Master Plan

Residential Design Guidelines Typical massing of 89

The Master Plan identifies several sites houses (top)
throughout Downtown for new housing.

These sites fall into two categories: (1) Detait of
tail of entrance

extensions and insertions into old neigh-
(second)

borhoods and (2) former commercial or
industrial sites.

The architectural character of new Perspective of Bronstien
housing should be based upon traditional Homes (bottom)
patterns found throughout and proven
successful in Downtown Nashua. Adher-
ence to guidelines is more critical on sites
adjacent to or within existing neighbor-
hoods.

Essential characteristics of housing
adjacent to or within existing neighbor-
hoods:

* simple, straightforward volumes with

gabled or hipped roofs

* windows and doors with wide but

vertical proportions

* simplified details and trim

* orderly, but not necessarily symmet-
rical relationships between windows,
doors, and overall building mass

* buildings setback approximately 20

feet from the sidewalk, consistent

with surrounding houses, providing a

shallow yard zone.

UR EAN DESIGN assocrates Nashua Downtown Master Plan

1v Implementation

The Master Plan will be implemented over ten years. Upon
completion, approximately 500 new residential units, and
500,000 square feet of new square feet of commercial space
will be added to Downtown Nashua. In addition, with con-
struction of a new Performing Arts Center, The Center for
Nashua Heritage and Future Technology, riverfront parks, and
trail connections, the downtown will be strengthened as the
region's center for cultural and entertainment, and recreational
networks.

Completion of this Master Plan will create two legacies.
The first will be a revitalized downtown with a diversified
economy that benefits all residents of Nashua. Downtown
Nashua will become the soul of the region, and a critical com-
ponent to the region's superior quality of life.

Second and equally important will be the legacy of part-
nerships and civic cooperation that are critical to realize the
visions of this Master Plan. The Master Plan should not be
thought of as a way to spend scarce public dollars - rather it
should be thought of as a way to form partnerships, raise capi-
tal, and leverage resources.

The ideas set forth in this plan come from the vested inter-
ests of the City’s diverse body of residents and investors. They
rely on a coordinated, cooperative and active public sector
working in tandem with an entrepreneurial private sector. The
results of this private-public partnership will benefit current

and future generations of Nashuans.

go

UR EAN DESIGN assocrates Nashua Downtown Master Plan

Phasing of Priority Projects

The priority projects within the first

phase of implementation will include

* Main Street South (Design and
Engineering)

* Bronstein Homes (Design and Hope
VI Application)

* Broad Street Parkway (Design and
Engineering)

+ One Way Street Conversion Study

+ Center for Nashua Heritage and
Future Technology (fundraising)

The priority projects within the second

phase of implementation (years 3-6) will

include:

* Main Street South (begin construc-
tion)

* Broad Street Parkway (begin con-
struction)

* Bronstein Homes (begin construc-
tion)

* Riverfront Parks (design and engi-
neering)

* Performing Arts Center (feasibility
study)

+ Center for Nashua Heritage and
Future Technology (design)

The priority projects within the final

phase of the implementation will

include:

* Riverfront Parks and related develop-
ment projects (construction)

+ Center for Nashua Heritage and
Future Technology

(construction)

* Performing Arts Center

(construction)

Phasing Diagram
Design, Engineering,
Feasibility and
Fundraising for
primary projects
described in the Master
Plan are shown in blue
Primary construction
projects are shown in
red; Phase One : (years
1-3) (tp)

Phase Tuo: (years 3-6}
(middle)

Phase Three: (years 7-
10} (bottom)

gi

UR EAN DESIGN assocrates Nashua Downtown Master Plan

Bronstein Homes

(top)
Oumership

(bottom)
Tlustrative Plan

Acquisition and Strategy most cases much of the required property 92
Many of the Master Plan initiatives, par- is either owned by a single private entity

ticularilly those listed in the previous sec- or by a public body.

tion as priority projects will be relatively

simple to implement because of the lack

of complicated property acquisition. In

Private Ownership
Public Ownership

Institutional Ownership

UR EAN DESIGN assocrates Nashua Downtown Master Plan

Riverfront West
Park

(top)
Ownership

(bottom)
Tlustrative Plan

Private Ownership
Public Ownership
Institutional Ownership

93

UR EAN DESIGN assocrates Nashua Downtown Master Plan

Riverfront East L cL 7 ay
Park and Sa =

ae

Performing Arts
Center

ftep}

Oumership

(bottom)
Tlustrative Plan

O O Private Ownership
Public Ownership
Oo Institutional Ownership