tustetanated Nashua |
Learn More
Read about the Imagine
Nashua vision and core values
on page 28.
Learn about priority areas for
targeted redevelopment and
actions for improvement on
page 60.
At the core of Nashua are its people and this master plan aims to enrich
the quality of life for those who live, work, and visit the city through
thoughtful and strategic planning.
Many of the land use policies and
strategies outlined in this plan
will require zoning or regulatory
modifications. While, on its own,
this plan cannot enact these
changes, it does provide a
framework for what those changes
should be and the intent behind
them. Moreover, while this plan
does discuss a wide range of policy
and citywide objectives, at its core
this citywide plan is focused on
land use. Land use, via land use
regulation and a corresponding
zoning ordinance, is the primary
tool available to city planners to
achieve most of the goals set out
here. In that sense, the goals and
recommendations that are land-
use-focused can be seen as more
primary, with additional goals and
recommendations that fit into that
larger framework.
The Gate City
Nashua sits at a unique position,
geographically and economically
and it is not for no reason that
Nashua calls itself the “Gate City.”
While on the one hand, Nashua is
closely integrated into the New
Hampshire region and economy
and has strong ties to Manchester
to the north and other nearby
cities and towns, Nashua also
draws much of its employment
and commuting base from the
metropolitan Boston region to the
south. No mere sleeper commuter
suburb, Nashua also boasts a
robust economic base for its size,
and this combination of city unto
itself alongside a community
straddling the New Hampshire and
Massachusetts border is a quality
that Imagine Nashua’s planning
team expects must deeply inform
municipal policy going forward.
Balanced Approach
to Development
The future of growth and
redevelopment in the city
can be a contested topic for
residents, businesses, and other
stakeholders alike, but across
varying perspectives and opinions,
the Imagine Nashua planning
process provided a platform for
communities to come together
and form a shared understanding
of place, and a vision for future
policy objectives to effectively
advance equitable and sustainable
development in the city.
Imagine Nashua aims to take a
balanced approach to growth
and redevelopment, by directing
strategic land-use planning in
neighborhoods and districts
that will see the most positive
economic and community impact
while preserving those areas that
are already established or have
stable patterns of development.
The master plan takes a closer look
at eight priority redevelopment
areas identified by the City, and
provides near-term and long-term
actions for physical, economic,
