Planning for Success
Leveraging Public Land
ASSOCIATES INC
Leverage Public Land for Housing Production
Issues /Opportunities Addressed: C)
Timeframe for Action: Short and Mid Term
Disposing of available City-owned properties to support housing production,
particularly mixed-income or affordable housing, can be an effective way of
partnering with developers to address housing needs. Land is a cost borne by the
development, but when publicly owned, could be offered at a steeply discounted
rate to improve the financial viability of a proposal that includes an affordable
housing component. Based on conversations with City staff, publicly owned
buildings and land have been offered to the development community in the past to
support the creation of affordable housing.
One challenge in Nashua today is the cost of construction (labor and materials)
and the achievable rents may be making it more challenging to get these projects
off the ground. The City should continue to explore all options such as deferring
tax payments if affordable housing is included, selling the land at a significant
discount, or providing a grant or no interest rate loan for a portion of the cost. The
City may also want to consider hosting a developer tour and/or a roundtable to
showcase available sites (public and private) that are available for development.
As part of the roundtable, a discussion could be facilitated to identify potential
barriers to completing a project on a site.
One short term step the City could take is to identify the most appropriate
department(s) to oversee disposition and charge its staff with creating a
disposition strategy. This should also include the establishment of criteria for
identifying potential sites for disposition and the criteria used to rank those sites
for supporting housing.
Nashua Housing Study - 61
Considerations for Potential Properties
Minimum Lot Size: Over 5,000 square feet, but preference for larger
sites that could accommodate multi-family units.
Use of Property: Ensure there are no other competing public uses for
the property, and no plans by other city or school district departments
for future use of the property. The use/housing type should be
compatible or not conflict with existing neighborhood character.
Zoning: Property should be in an existing residential or mixed-use
district or overlay district.
Infrastructure Capacity: Property should be served by existing water,
sewer, and transportation infrastructure. Capacity should be available
to serve the development.
Property Location: Ideally, the property is located near amenities
residents could take advantage of such as parks and open space,
schools, childcare facilities, and shops and grocery options.
Environmental Considerations: Property should not be located within
a floodplain, have significant wetland encumbrances, or environmental
remediation issues.
