Forum Yields Big Possible Solution for Downtown Woes

Engineers estimate 1,200 parking spaces could be added to the downtown Hampton area without constructing a multimillion-dollar parking garage, and local officials say the concept was the idea that most tantalized attendees at a special forum over the weekend regarding the future of the area.

State Rep. Tracy Emerick, R-Hampton, said the biggest takeaway from Saturday's charrette was this parking plan, which centers around connecting and expanding underutilized parking lots between Winnacunnet Road and High Street, particularly on the west side of Lafayette Road (Route 1).

Mark Olsen, chosen as the new Hampton Planning Board chairman following the March 12 elections, said "all of the buzz words" Saturday centered around "connectivity" between buildings in the difficult-to-walk downtown area, and Olsen said adding new buildings along shared parking lots could dramatically increase an "overall sense of downtown."

"They really explored whether there is an opportunity behind those buildings, and it kind of looked like there was," said Olsen. "Downtown is small and hostile. There’s nothing enjoyable about walking up and down Route 1, so how do we connect things back to [make it better]? There are a lot of people living in some dense buildings that could really start to gain from all of this, not that we can’t all gain something."

Emerick said the concept could be "easily" expanded north and south of downtown, particularly on the north end near Ron Jillian's.

Among the other suggestions discussed during Saturday's charrette included ideas for more green space in downtown, as well as a strong focus on turning the abandoned railway — located west of Route 1 — into a pedestrian-focused greenway, said Olsen.

One idea that's been thrown around frequently is the idea of making downtown into a one-way loop by turning the existing two-way Route 1 into two lanes of one-way traffic and converting the nearby abandoned railway into two lanes of one-way traffic going in the opposite direction.

Olsen said that idea was strongly opposed, though, during Saturday's daylong forum, as he and others feel that it "might leave what were already derelict storefronts even worse off" because much more focus would likely be paid to construction on the "new" part of downtown.

"You should focus on it as a micro and macro level," said Olsen. "If you focus on the things you already have and improve those, I think it would be a natural occurrence to have that other side develop. I don't think it's a good idea. I think we should deal with the mess we have and let that happen more naturally instead of forcing that [new downtown format]. We have an underutilized downtown, so why would we create more underutilization?"

The only way for any significant progress and change to be made is for residents, officials and developers to "stay grounded," said Olsen. Olsen said it's possible because it "sure seemed like people were agreeing there is a need" for improvements and were agreeing Saturday on the main ways to accomplish those improvements, starting with "grassroots efforts" to spark changes that will heavily depend on whether the "stakeholders, property owners and town continue the dialogue."

"I think it's really incumbent on us as a municipality... that we need to be willing to accept that we need to incentivize things and say, 'This is what we want, and this is what we’re very willing to do,'" said Olsen, stating that he feels improvements have already been made to shed the town's sometimes caustic approach to new buildings and change. "It'll be very dependent on the town to say we’re going to help this thing move forward, instead of being one of the biggest deterrents.

"Maybe we could just usher [developers] in in a more welcome way and get someone in here and do something and do something right."