Town of Newmarket – Award Winner for 2009

As the electrical wires and the work signs recede, a new downtown Newmarket has emerged. After many, many years of planning, a vibrant commercial core and a truly ‘livable, walkable’ center has been created. What better way to honor this achievement than to create a timeline of the tremendous planning that made it happen.

The Town of Newmarket:  Journey Toward Downtown Revitalization

• 1978 “A New Life for Downtown” Brochure
  • Survey of downtown, parking, analysis of visual resources, history and recommendations
• 1983 Newmarket Community Development Corporation incorporated as private nonprofit.
• 1984 Essex Mills Appraisal
• 1989 Lamprey River Harbor Management Plan “develop a vision that is both politically and economically practical”
• 1993 Planning and Economic Development Study
  Includes details on municipal infrastructure constraints
• 1994 Essex Mills Study by JSA Inc. Architects
• 1994 Town Master Plan
• 1995 Remedial Action Plan for Essex Mill Site
  • Technical report on detection and remediation plan for onsite pollutants
• 1995 Newmarket Parking Study
  • Completed by UNH students and discussed survey, parking issues
• 1995 Tourism Study
  • Survey of residents and businesses with recommendations for development of tourism opportunities applicable to development of downtown area.
• 1996 Lamprey River Park and Riverwalk Project Report and Feasibility Study
  • Recommendations and concepts for riverwalk and mill redevelopment.
• 1996 Essex Mills Redevelopment Plan – RKG Associates
• 1997 Essex Mills Structural Review – JSN Associates
• 1997 Essex Mills sold to Newmarket Community Development Corporation
• 1998 Town residents approve Tax Increment Finance District for Downtown area
• 2000 Newmarket Tomorrow Report
  • Town Council appointed committee formulated a consensus based vision and recommendations for future development of downtown.
• 2001 Parking Study Update by Strafford Regional Planning Commission
  • Master Plan Update
• 2001 Main Street Reconstruction Project
  • Town Council contracted with Underwood Engineers to lead a thorough public input process guiding the creation of a specific plan that would meet the community goals identified in the Newmarket Tomorrow Report. Several concepts for the Downtown Redevelopment were created and evaluated by the public and businesses.
• 2001 Mill Reconstruction begins
  • Newmarket Community Development Corporation negotiates with Chinburg Builders for renovation of first mill buildings.
  • Riverwalk and Schanda Park constructed by Lamprey River near Town dock.
• 2005 Phase I Improvements on Route 108 south of downtown completed from railroad crossing to Bennett Way – lighting, curbing, sidewalks.
• 2006 Phase II Improvements on Route 108 from railroad crossing to Bay Road.
  • After extensive input at two public charettes and numerous Town Council meetings reviewing options, Council adopted the current revitalization plan for downtown.
  • The Main Street Reconstruction Project – Phase II included:
    • construction of sidewalks along the east side of Route 108 from the Community Church to the Lamprey River Bridge.
    • widening of the sidewalks on the west side of Route 108.
    • new crosswalks.
    • addition of ornamental lighting and landscaping.
    • reconstruction of approximately 3,000 linear feet of road including curbing.
    • undergrounding utilities.
    • new water and sewer main construction plus service connections.
    • new storm drains.

Next Steps:

• Rebuilding remaining Mill buildings
• Construction of parking structure on Main Street as part of Mill redevelopment
• Redevelopment of Town properties purchased in downtown area