APRIL 2019 Strafford Regional Planning Commission Newsletter

Garrison Hill Tower in Dover. ( Photo courtesy of Shayna Sylvia ) Happy April! It is almost time to put away those winter jackets and get out those sundresses, shorts, and sandals! After a harsh winter, I am sure I am not the only one who is looking forward to more of the warmer weather we saw this past weekend.    At SRPC staff have been finalizing the Barrington Natural Resources assessment, planning outreach strategies for the update to the Metropolitan Transportation plan, and strategizing for the upcoming traffic count season.   In this issue you will find information on the Strong Towns presentations in NH, planning events of interest, SRPC's latest blog, available grants, exploring connections between regional transit and economic development, public input opportunities, and community happenings.  Until Next Month,   Shayna Sylvia

IN THIS ISSUE Strong Towns Comes to New Hampshire Planning Events of Interest SRPC's Latest Blog Grant Corner Exploring Connections Between Transit and the Economy Public Input Opportunities Community Happenings STAFF SNAPSHOTS - MARCH Climate in the Classroom lesson administered by NH Seagrant, UNH Cooperative Extension, NHDES, and SRPC's Kyle Pimental on Mar. 20. ( SRPC Photo ) Kick-off meeting for the B2B CommuteSMART Seacoast challenge, which Shayna Sylvia attended on Mar. 26. ( SRPC Photo ) Presentation during the Public Health Advisory Council (PHAC) bi-annual networking event, which Nancy O'Connor attended on Feb. 29. (SRPC Photo)

Strong Towns comes to New Hampshire

Chuck Marohn, founder and president of Strong Towns, gives a presentation on "Breaking out of the Housing Trap" on Monday, Apr. 1, at the Rochester Performance and Arts Center . ( Photo courtesy of Jen Czysz)

On Monday, April 1 st , Senior Transportation Planner Colin Lentz and Executive Director Jen Czysz attended a presentation at the Rochester Performance and Arts Center by Chuck Marohn. Mr. Marohn is the president of Strong Towns – a non-profit that fosters innovative approaches to community planning and development. Mr. Marohn is touring New Hampshire and giving presentations in Rochester, Concord, Claremont, and Portsmouth. His presentation in Rochester focused on housing and he started out by noting he wasn’t there to provide specific solutions to individual challenges, instead he discussed several themes for increasing community resilience and vitality by improving housing availability and affordability. He encouraged community leaders to use outside-the-box thinking to “lower the bar of entry” for new homebuyers, and use an incremental approach to new development. Rather than suddenly converting land to a single large development such as a huge big-box commercial development, create a space for organic growth of small local businesses. He focused on creating a varied mix of housing types and land uses to create a complex community that is more resilient to surprise and shocks (such as an economic recession or a housing crash). Think of a row of crops that is uniform and designed for one purpose, vs. a forest which is an incredibly complex system. If there’s a drought, the crops will be much more vulnerable (without the farmer having to buy more water) than the forest which is more resilient because of all of its interrelated components. Colin Lentz and Stefanie Casella (Data Collection & Analysis Assistant) attended Chuck Marohn’s presentation in Portsmouth on April 3 rd , which reiterated many of the themes from Rochester but included additional focus on the relationship between community development and transportation. He again emphasized the need to adapt urban streets so they aren’t focused only on vehicles, and provide safer, separated routes for walking and biking. One of Mr. Marohn’s central recommendations for a community striving to respond to the needs of its residents was to avoid the stereotypical planning approach of developing a plan behind closed doors, then holding a public hearing to get feedback. He recommended an alternative four-step approach: 1) humbly observe what challenges everyday folks are facing; 2) identify the easiest, most cost-effective short-term change that can address one of those challenges; 3) go fix that thing, do it now; and 4) repeat the process. Strong Towns holds a contest for the “Strongest Town” which celebrates communities that adopt planning approaches championed by the non-profit. This year Portsmouth is in the semifinals! Cast your vote in the Strongest Town contest here (by April 8 th ).

Planning Events of Interest

2019 Local Officials Workshop – Apr. 10 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) will host a series of free workshops for both seasoned and new municipal officials, as well as for employees of NHMA member municipalities. Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of NHMA's 2019 edition of the publication, Knowing the Territory.   Topics covered will include the Right-to-Know Law, ethics and conflicts, town governance, municipal roads, and more. Registration is required and attendees must be an appointed or elected official, or an employee of a New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA) member. The closest location for communities in the Strafford region is the April 10 th workshop that will be held at the Frisbie Memorial Conference Center in Rochester.   Lunch will be provided at each workshop. To view the complete list of workshops visit the NHMA website .  NH Planners Association Brown Bag Lunch - May 10 from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. The New Hampshire Planners Association (NHPA) would like to invite NHPA members, local and regional planners, and building officials to a brown bag lunch at the NH Local Government Center (25 Triangle Park Drive, Concord) for a panel discussion on municipal regulations on tiny houses. Panel members include: Benjamin Frost, Esq., AICP – Director, Legal and Public Affairs, NH Housing Finance Authority Steve Paquin – Vice President of the New Hampshire Building Officials Association Robert A. Tardif, P.E. – Administrator, Subsurface System Bureau More information will be posted to the NHPA website soon! NH Office of Strategic Initiatives Spring Conference – Jun. 1 from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Registration is now open for the NH Office of Strategic Initiatives 25th Annual Spring Planning and Zoning Conference on Jun. 1. The event will be held at the Grappone Conference Center from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Attendance is geared towards planning and zoning board members and is limited to 360 attendees. Sessions wills include planning board basics, introduction to local land use boards, introductions to regional planning commissions, the role of housing in your community, and many others. See the full agenda here .

SRPC's Latest Blog

Shayna Sylvia, communications and outreach planner, hiking Mt. Pierce. ( Photo courtesy of Shayna Sylvia)

SRPC's most recent blog is the second in a new series, "Getting to Know Team SRPC." Over the course of this blog series each SRPC staff member will be featured. The blogs will include insight into what each staffer does at SRPC, their favorite projects and some other fun facts about each employee. The second blog in the series features Shayna Sylvia, communications and outreach planner. Shayna began as a communications and marketing intern in 2012. Learn more by reading her blog feature, " Getting to Know Team SRPC: Shayna Sylvia ."

Grant Corner

New England Forests and Rivers Fund – Due Apr. 25 The New England Forests and Rivers Fund (NFWF) is now accepting proposals for projects that strengthen the health and species diversity of rivers, riverine systems, and public and private forestlands in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, as well as the Lake Champlain and Upper Hudson watersheds. Request of up to $200,000 may be requested. The grant does have a non-federal match requirement of 50%. More information about proposal requirements can be found on the NFWF website .  Plan NH Municipal Technical Assistance Grant - Due May 6   Plan NH has announced that the next round of applications for its Municipal Technical Assistance Grant (MTAG) Program are now available, with a due date of May 6.    The MTAG Program provides competitive funding to communities who wish to expand their housing options .  Grants range between $5,000 and $20,000 and can be used to hire a consultant to assist in identifying housing needs, review current zoning, and re-write or create new zoning relative to housing. A cash match of 25% is required, as is community participation in the program (assistance is given for that aspect).   Since 2016, twelve communities have participated in the program: Boscawen, Hinsdale, Franconia, Peterborough, Candia, Rochester, Dover, Farmington, Jackson, Exeter, Claremont and Hopkinton. Learn more about how these communities have implemented their funds online .   Please don't hesitate to reach out to SRPC regional economic development planner, James Burdin , for technical assistance related with your community's proposal.

Exploring Connections Between Regional Transit and Economic Development

Meeting of regional stakeholders from COAST and the tri-cities to discuss connections between local transit and economic development. ( SRPC Photo).

The connection between transit and economic development has long been a core topic at Strafford Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) committee meetings, addressed in Strafford Economic Development District (EDD) plans, and talked about in general with many planning processes taking place at Strafford Regional Planning Commission. In a recent effort to refocus this conversation, key stakeholders have been meeting to discuss transit service that links the cities of Dover, Rochester, and Somersworth. This conversation has brought SRPC, COAST, and city economic development departments, chambers of commerce, and main street organizations to the table. While this group is still in the very early stages of conceptualizing what can be done to support transit service among the three downtowns, those involved bring important ideas and have offered different strategies to support the effort. Suggestions have included advocating for greater support for public transit at the local and state level, modification and expansion of local service, and offering communications services to share information about the work being done. COAST has offered critical insight into their operations, resources, and limitation, and their process for reassessing their routes as part of their Comprehensive Operations Assessment (COA) planning processes that is currently ongoing.  COAST going through their COA process is beneficial to the group in that the process will allow our regional transit provider to better understand regional transit needs and align their services with those needs. This aligns with the group’s interest in exploring linkages between economic development and transit routes. This also matches well with COAST's interest in piloting outcomes of their COA process and updating current services. To learn more about this initiative contact James Burdin , regional economic development planner at 603-994-3500.

Public Input Opportunities

New Hampshire Route 108 Complete Street Project Listening Session - Click to enlarge. ( Photo Courtesy of NHDOT)   NH Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan and NHDOT logos (Photo Courtesy of NHDOT)

NH Route 108 Complete Streets Project Listening Session - May 2, 7-9 p.m. at Somersworth High School The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) invites the public to attend a Listening Session for the proposed improvements to a 5-mile section of NH Route 108 in Dover, Somersworth, and Rochester. This Listening Session is being held to seek community input on the corridor and desired changes that would follow the principles for a Complete Street. A Complete Street balances the needs of motorized, non-motorized, and transit users.   A short presentation will be conducted at 7:00 pm followed by open discussion of ideas and dialogue between the public and the NHDOT project team. Learn more on the project website .

NH Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Interactive Map In the spring of 2019, the general public will be invited to a series of community meetings throughout the state in order to review the New Hampshire Pedestrian and Bicycle plan. In the meantime the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has created an interactive map where the public can pinpoint current walk and bike routes, identify needed improvements or projects they would like to see, or note locations around the state you’d like the project team to review. The comments and suggestions placed on this map will help the project team identify and prioritize improvements to the walking and bicycling networks in New Hampshire. Learn more on the NH Ped and Bike Plan website .

Community Happenings

Seacoast Home & Garden Show Saturday, Apr. 6 & 7 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Whittemore Center 128 Main Street, Durham Townsquare Media and New England Expos host the 25th Annual Seacoast Home & Garden Show on Saturday, Apr. 6, and Sunday, Apr. 7, at the Whittemore Center Arena. The show features: Over 200 Exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services for your home! Annual TASTE Meet the Chefs Cooking Series- your opportunity to meet some of Seacoast's most talented chefs and taste their creations! Garden Marketplace- spring will just about be here! This is your opportunity to shop for supplies for your garden! Artisan Marketplace- shop for unique handmade crafts, gifts and specialty food products. Seminars Series- your opportunity to learn about a variety of popular home improvement & gardening topics. Learn more, and view ticket prices online.

Spring Celebration Fair & Egg Hunt   Saturday, Apr. 13 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. New Durham Elementary School 7 Old Bay Rd, New Durham New Durham recreation will host its spring celebration fair and egg hunt on Saturday, Apr. 13. This event will include a vendor & craft fair, kids’ BINGO, an egg hunt and a craft table. The event is free. To view a list of vendors, or for more information visit the New Durham Recreation website .

NH's Ultimate Food Truck and Specialty Food Festival Saturday, Apr. 27 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Dover Ice Arena 110 Portland Ave, Dover Join 14 Food Trucks and over 60 specialty food vendors for an amazing spring day of FOOD! There will also be live music, games, and prizes. This event is sponsored by The Bay WBYY-FM and WTSN 98.1FM radio stations. Learn more on the Facebook event page .

Strafford Regional Planning Commission  150 Wakefield Street, Suite 12 Rochester, NH 03867 www.strafford.org *All icons are courtesy of flaticon.com

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