Town of Hooksett 2020-2030 Master Plan Update TOWN OF HOOKSETT, NEW HAMPSHIRE 2020-2030 MASTER PLAN Community Development Department Town Offices 35 Main Street Hooksett, NH 03106 Phone: 603-268-0279 Fax: 603-485-4423 Staff: Nicholas Williams, Town Planner This document may be viewed on the Town of Hooksett Website at www.hooksett.org HOOKSETT PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS Dick Marshall – Chairman _______________________________________ Tom Walsh – Vice-Chairman _______________________________________ David Boutin – Member _______________________________________ Brett Scott – Member _______________________________________ Paul Scarpetti – Member _______________________________________ Matt Reed – Member _______________________________________ Chris Stelmach – Member _______________________________________ Rob Duhaime – Town Council Representative _______________________________________ MASTER PLAN UPDATE STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Dick Marshall Paul Scarpetti Desnise Grafton Matt Reed CONSULTANTS Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission Sylvia von Aulock Cameron Prolman Zachary Swick Madeline DiIonno Adam Hlasny Adoption Signatures Certification of Master Plan Adoption HOOKSETT PLANNING BOARD Hooksett, New Hampshire In accordance with New Hampshire RSA 674:4, Master Plan Adoption and Amendment, and New Hampshire RSA 675:6, Method Of Adoption, the Hooksett Planning Board, having held three (3) duly authorized public hearings on the 2020 Hooksett Master Plan on the following dates: ________, 2020; ______, 2020; and ______, 2020; the Board hereby certifies that the 2020 Hooksett Master Plan was duly adopted by a majority vote of the Board's members on _____________, 2020. _________________________________ ________________________________ Chair Vice-Chair Date of Signature by Planning Board Town Clerk Date Filed with Town Clerk Table of Contents 1. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Introduction and the History of Planning in Hooksett……………………………………………………………. The Value of Citizen Participation and Volunteer Groups……………………………………………………….. About the 2020 Update…………………………………………………………………………………………… 2020 Master Plan Update Process…….………………………………………………………………………… 2020 Master Plan Update Subareas……………………………………………………………………………….. Town of Hooksett Vision Statement………………………………………………………………………………. General Planning and Development Goals………………………………………………………………………… Housing Goals……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Economic Development Goals…………………………………………………………………………………….. Conservation and Cultural Resources Goals………………………………………………………………………. Transportation Goals………………………………………………………………………………………………. Community Facilities and Recreation Goals……………………………………………………………………… 2. DEMOGRAPHIC AND REGIONAL ANALYSIS………………………………………………. Hooksett’s Regional Setting………………………………………………………………………………………. Population Statistics and Projections……………………………………………………………………………. 3. HOUSING ANALYSIS……………………………………………………………………………… Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Types of Housing…………………………………………………………………………………………………... Residential Development Considerations………………………………………………………………………….. Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4. Existing Land Use……………………………………………………………………………………. General Overview………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Transportation Corridors…………………………………………………………………………………………… Existing Land Use and Current Zoning………………………………………………………………………….. Land Use Issues……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5. COMMUNITY FACILITIES, SERVICES, AND RECREATION……………………………… Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Local Government Facilities and Services………………………………………………………………………. Public Utilities…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Parks and Recreation Facilities…………………………………………………………………………………… Public School Facilities…………………………………………………………………………………………… 6. TRANSPORTATION ANALYSIS………………………………………………………………… Existing Transportation Systems…………………………………………………………………………………. Federal and State Roadway Classifications……………………………………………………………………… Functional Classifications………………………………………………………………………………………… Traffic Congestion Mitigation Focus Areas……………………………………………………………………… Alternative Modes of Transportation…………………………………………………………………………….. 7. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS…………………………………………………………………………. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………. National and Regional Market Conditions……………………………………………………………………….. Employment Sectors and Hooksett Businesses………………………………………………………………….. Economic Development Tools………………………………………………………………………………… 8. CONSERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES…………………………………………… Conservation Lands and Environmental Protections……………………………………………………………. Preserving the Historic Built Environment……………………………………………………………………… The Village………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9. FUTURE LAND USE PLAN SWOT Analysis. …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Future Land Use Plan…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10. PLAN OBJECTIVES AND IMPLEMENTATION MATRIX……………………………………. Public Policy and Administrative Action…………………………………………………………………………. Information and Education………………………………………………………………………………………… Zoning Tools………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Financial Strategy……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1. GOALS AND OJECTIVES 1.1 Introduction and the History of Planning in Hooksett In the mid-1960s, the Town of Hooksett participated in the development of the Metropolitan Manchester Planning Study. In the late 1960s, the Town prepared its own sewerage facilities study; the first Hooksett Comprehensive Plan1 was developed in 1971, prepared by Medcalf-Eddy, under the 701 HUD program. In 1989, the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission (SNHPC) wrote a new master plan for our community. These efforts have been complemented over the years by activities of the Hooksett Central and the Hooksett Village water precincts, by Manchester Water Works, by the Hooksett Sewer Commission, by the School Administrative Union (SAU) #15, and by SNHPC, the regional planning agency that serves Hooksett and twelve other communities in the area. The 1989 Master Plan was followed by a 2004 document, which has served as the Town’s Master Plan until the current initiative – the 2020 Hooksett Master Plan Update. 1.2 The Value of Citizen Participation and Volunteer Groups In May of 2000, the Town hired its first Town Planner. Among the high priorities that the Planning Board desired to accomplish was the updating of the then eleven-year-old master plan. The Board requested that the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cooperative Extension Service act as facilitator for a community meeting to begin encouraging citizen input to the updating process. UNH designed a two-day meeting that commenced on the first weekend in November 2001. The effort was called a “Community Profile” and approximately 150 people from the community attended the Friday evening and Saturday sessions. There was a report prepared describing the results of the Profile that is available in the Hooksett Community Development Department. Out of the Profile effort, a Master Plan Update Committee (MPUC) was established and a steering committee formed. This group organized a “kick-off” event at the Memorial School in May 2002, which approximately 50 people attended. From this gathering, groups of volunteer citizens came forward to take on the work of “visioning”. Initial research was done, facts and figures assembled, and a set of goals and objectives were developed—in short, the first draft of each master plan chapter was compiled and written by these volunteers. In the fall of 2002, the steering committee developed a working relationship with the School of Community Economic Development at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Several professors and graduate students assisted with the presentations during the five monthly public information forums during the first quarter of 2003 that were held at SNHU. The attendance at these Saturday forums ranged from 30 to 50 people. Although these meetings energized the citizens and provided 1 ample opportunities for citizen and business input to the master plan process, the Planning Board was disappointed in the level of public involvement. During 2003 and through the summer of that year, volunteers further refined the twelve chapters. By the fall of 2003, the Executive Summary was written and mailed to Hooksett citizens and the full text of the Plan was made available for review. An Informational Meeting was held on November 29, 2003, and a Public Hearing on December 4. After a 60-day comment period, the Board held a March 2004 workshop with the various chapter authors and staff. Changes were made to the text and maps. The Board proposed a second Public Hearing for June 2005. 1.3 About the 2020 Update Much has occurred since the 2004 Master Plan was originally adopted. The housing bubble and subsequent economic recession of 2008-2009 greatly impacted the development of housing and largely stifled commercial development within our community for several years. Other national, statewide, and regional factors have also had an impact. Shifting statewide trends in median age, housing affordability, and the potential I-93 North expansion project all affect the way Hooksett will develop in the future. Shifts away from brick and mortar commerce to e-commerce have reduced the financial viability of retail development, and the ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adapt to a world in which business is conducted virtually rather than face to face. These factors, among various others, necessitate a need to update the 2004 Master