Like many mill towns in the state, Newmarket’s industry and downtown grew around its riverfront. Situated at the head of the tide on the Lamprey River and steps from Main Street, the Downtown Riverfront is a bridge between the natural and the historic and contemporary built environment of Newmarket that continues to define the character of the community.

The importance of the Downtown Riverfront to the town warranted the addition of this new chapter of Newmarket’s Master Plan. The geographic scope of this chapter extends north to the NH Route 108 bridge over the Lamprey River and south to the water treatment plant parcels and east to include Heron Point Sanctuary (see map below). Key components of the riverfront that are explored in this chapter include Schanda Park, The Riverwalk, Heron Point, Leo Filion Park, and Town property to the south of the Upper Narrows, and the linkages to these locations.

The central amenity of the Downtown Riverfront is Schanda Park, a small, well-utilized destination for enjoying the river and wildlife, walking, enjoying a picnic, launching a kayak or motorized watercraft, or attending a concert or event. The community has envisioned redesigning this space to increase its accessibility, functionality, and resilience.

The Town aims to enhance the connectivity of the Downtown Riverfront through improvements at existing public lands, wayfinding, and identifying alternative ways to access destinations like Heron Point. One of the key challenges and opportunities in the Downtown Riverfront is navigating the patchwork of public and private property in this location in order to enable greater public access to the riverfront and water-based activities while respecting private property rights.  The Town plans to gather information on existing property agreements to best understand existing property divisions and work with private abutters to develop a mutually beneficial approach to connectivity of public areas.

To realize the vision for the Downtown Riverfront, the Town has identified several key recommendations, including:

• Celebrate the social, economic, and natural history of the Downtown Riverfront area through increased educational signage and art
• Establish a cohesive riverwalk
• Improve Moonlight Brook and Creighton Street Pump Station infrastructure
• Advance the conceptual plan for Schanda Park
• Develop a workplan for the implementation of Downtown Riverfront projects.

In 2024, the Town engaged Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC) and consulting firm EF | Design & Planning, LLC to create the Downtown Riverfront Chapter under the direction and guidance of the Newmarket Master Plan Committee, the Riverfront Advisory Committee, and Town staff. The Team captured input from the community on the current use and desired future use of the riverfront through a community-wide survey, a public forum, a Plan NH Design Charrette, and several stakeholder meetings. The input collected during these engagement efforts and through conversations with stakeholders directly informed the development of this chapter and its recommendations.

This chapter is a much more in-depth plan for the downtown riverfront. Please read the PDF version of the full chapter.