In the daunting and challenging economic times such as the one we are facing, the City of Nashua
is weathering the storm exceptionally well. There are a number of diverse industries that anchor
our community such as Defense, Information Technology, Medical and Software, all of which
have large scale businesses that call Nashua home.
Nashua has been immune to the trends seen nationally at least thus far. Some of our largest sectors
were called upon to operate in an effort to provide their services or products during the national
shutdown. The City continues to grow, reinvent and strengthen its economic health by being
responsive to the ever-changing market trends. Nashua remains an economic hub and jobs
generator for the region.
An example of the City’s strong employment base is demonstrated through BAE Systems, where
Nashua is home to its U.S. Headquarters and there are currently 4,000 jobs located within the city
and an additional 1000 new jobs projected over the next few years.
The City of Nashua is well-known as a hub for retail establishments — with the second largest
concentration of retail businesses in New England. Nashua is a regional center for healthcare and
educational services. These two sectors continue to see year over year growth. One can see why
Nashua is a vibrant community with jobs that span the strata from low to high wages making the
community very stable and diversified.
Nashua adopted its most recent Citywide Master Plan in 2021. We also have a current Downtown
Master Plan, East Hollis Street Master Plan, Economic Development Strategic Plan, a Riverfront
Master Plan, Housing Plan and a Consolidated Plan. These documents and other plans form the
basis for public and private development decisions, budgetary decisions, public policy and future
investment. As a community, we endeavor to plan strategically which has led to very sound
financial policies and a very important variable when a private sector company is making decisions
on where to invest.
The City is focusing on key priority development areas for new growth and remains steadfast in
redeveloping existing sites. The City is also undertaking ambitious revitalization strategies for
long-dormant sites near the center of Nashua and is continuously reinvesting in its infrastructure,
most recently with the opening of the Broad Street Parkway, which is stimulating redevelopment
of the Nashua Millyard and the Main Street Corridor in Nashua.
Housing is a critical component to having a well-rounded community, where residents can live
and work in close proximity to one another. A few years ago, the 109-unit apartments at Cotton
Mill were fully leased just 9 months after opening. Another mill conversion project, Loft 34,
brought 210 units on-line in 2019. We have also seen 120 units of new housing with the
continuation of the Clocktower mill conversion, adding to the 400 units of apartments already on-
line. On the eastern edge of the downtown, the East Hollis Street Gateway Project completed its
Phase | development of 156 units, which stabilized earlier this year and is on to Phase 2, which is
an additional 160 units. Across the street, the City of Nashua was awarded $3.6 million from the
state’s Department of Transportation to construct a major roadway infrastructure improvement,
which will enhance circulation and provide critical access to the Bridge Street site. These
development initiatives will reinvigorate downtown Nashua with people-intensive uses. Lastly,
