UREAN
Parking Strategy
Upon completion of the
proposed garages, the
Downtown core will be
well served with
parking, as denoted by
five minute walking
radii. (left)
A well-defined parking
lot in the beart of
Lowell, Massachusetts
illustrates that small,
surface parking areas
can be tucked in and
around buildings and
landscaped creating a
pleasant street wall.
(right)
DESIGN ASSOCIATES
behind buildings, are more effective and
efficient than fewer larger lots, but the
location and availability may be difficult
to discern for visitors.
On-street parking should be intro-
duced wherever possible. If peak hour
traffic flow is an issue, parking can be
prohibited during rush hours. Cars
parked on the street provide convenient
short-term parking as well as acting as a
traffic calming barrier between cars and
pedestrians.
No new parking garages are immediately
needed. There is adequate parking to
serve today’s inventory of occupied com-
mercial/office/retail space as well as to
absorb the current vacancies (approxi-
Nashua Downtown Master Plan
mately 200,000 sq..ft. of
commercial/office/retail space). How-
ever, implementation of the Master Plan
will further intensify downtown uses and
necessitate the conversion of some sur-
face lots to structured lots. The Master
Plan proposes five potential sites for
parking garages. These new parking
garages, combined with the three exist-
ing garages will adequately serve down-
town upon build-out. The proposed
locations will correspond with places
where there is a current parking deficit,
or where new development will generate
future parking demand. With two
garages currently located on the west side
of Main Street, priority should be given
to a new structure on the east side of
Main Street. Any new parking facility
should be matched with a private sector
initiative. Parking should be shared to
balance the daytime and evening uses.
Spring Street Institutional Spine
The Master Plan proposes Spring Street
as an institutional spine. Currently sev-
eral public buildings are located along
Spring Street. However, they are not
connected to each other or related to
Main Street or the neighborhoods.
