* Note that the residential projects cited here actually were preceeded by some preliminary proposals for the business-industrial park to the south of the TNC Preserve. However, the park proposal was rejected at a public hearing held by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in November, 2000 and for the most part lay dormant as the residential projects described here proceeded at full speed.
A multistoried, eight building "luxury" apartment complex, situated on 67 acres of land which was previously almost entirely forested, was the first phase in a massive 130+ acre residential development project located on Hackett Hill. In the second phase of the project, the developer plans to deforest land surrounding the apartment complex in order to build 112 "upscale" single family homes. In both cases, the lots which have been/may be sold to the developer were originally owned by Manchester's two hospitals.
The creation of a "second city" in Manchester's northwest corner is causing massive deforestation and may threaten The Nature Conservancy's adjacent ecological preserve. It will definitely impact Manchester's schools, and contribute to nightmarish traffic. Clearly, the public can blame greed, a lack of concern for the environment, and poor city planning for such a dismal future.
This topic gives the chronology of the development team's efforts to obtain the "go ahead" for their projects from Manchester's Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Manchester Planning Board - an endeavor which began in May, 2002 and continued throughout the late spring, summer and fall of 2002. Final approval for the Phase II housing project was granted (after a number of procedural irregularities which ignored the public and favored the developer) on October 24, 2002.
A. APPROVED AND PARTIALLY COMPLETED
To the north and northwest of the Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve, extensive residential over-development by the Waterford Development Corporation has already occurred, and the loss of additional open space is slated to occur - all with the sanction of the City. The hydrology of this region may be affected by long-term, extensive blasting; there may be drainage of harmful materials into the protected swampland; animal corridors are being destroyed; and several invasive plant species have appeared. (Note: a panoramic image may slightly increase download time.)
B. WATERFORD OVERDEVELOPMENT CONTINUES
a. AN ADDITIONAL 600 UNIT DEVELOPMENT IS PROPOSED BY WATERFORD
In early 2005, the Waterford Development Corporation revealed preliminary plans for an additional extensive development project on Hackett Hill. This plan called for 600 units (largely condos) to be constructed on the only remaining large greenspace in northwest Manchester.
Late in 2005, Waterford produced a plan that cut back on its 600 unit development. The plan was presented at a December 15, 2005 Public Meeting of the Manchester Planning Board and was strongly criticized by members of the public, including a Sierra Club representative. In addition, the Planning Board, the Southern NH Planning Commission, The Nature Conservancy and an official from the town of Hooksett expressed concerns about the project. The hearing for the application was left open and will be taken up again at a Planning Board public hearing on January 12, 2006. (A conceptual plan and an aerial view show details of the proposed building complex and its proximity to TNC's Preserve.)
On January 12, 2006, the Manchester Planning Board heard a second presentation from the Waterford Corporation development"team." Subsequently there was a dialogue between members of the Board and the presentors, primarily about traffic concerns, the possibility of the development encouraging invasive plant species, details of a water tower that will be part of the project, and the location of the lot with respect to adjacent properties in Hooksett and Goffstown. The project was again criticized by a representative of the Sierra Club, especially with respect to traffic increases, the destruction of a wildlife corridor, blasting operations that are planned, and the previously-expressed concerns of The Nature Conservancy.
Final consideration of the Waterford project was given at a business meeting of the Manchester Planning Board. Considerable attention was paid to traffic increases that the development would cause, as well as possible effects on the schools. The Planning Board received a letter from the Manchester Conservation Commission stating that the development was ill-advised since the land "was important to the long-term health and integrity of the Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve." This warning was ignored and the Planning Department proceeded to approve the development.
The NH Wetlands Bureau reviewed Waterford's wetlands application and in an April 21, 2006 letter to the applicant. It was noted that considerable additional information was needed to clarify and complete the review, and if the information was not forthcoming the application would be denied. However, subsequently the application was approved and land-clearing for the project began in the early summer of 2006. The deforestation and extensive blasting have destroyed forever a valuable "land corridor" for animals between undeveloped land in Hooksett and the TNC Nature Preserve.
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