It is hard to believe that we have concluded our final session of the Leadership Greater Nashua Program. As I review my notes and reflect on our last day, the themes of collaboration, innovation, and resilience quickly come to my mind. Over the course of this past year, we have heard from numerous community leaders and local organizations that work together to honor our past while also looking ahead to the future needs of our state to ensure long term success and sustainability.
We started our morning at the Millyard Museum, where we had the pleasure to tour with Jeff Barraclough, Executive Director of the Manchester Historic Association. The museum is housed in the historic Manchester Millyard; with many displays and interactive exhibits you can easily immerse yourself in the history of the mills and feel the soul of the vibrant communities that once inhabited the area. While we were lucky enough to have a guided tour with Jeff, visitors to the museum can utilize an audio tour to enhance their visit!
The museum is set up to walk you through the history of Amoskeag Falls, with exhibits and artifacts that connect our history from the time of the Abenaki who first fished in the Amoskeag Falls, to the present-day use of the mills as Manchester is quickly becoming a global hotspot for regenerative technology and research. With the inception of Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in 1831, the “mile long Millyard” was created to harness the power of Amoskeag Falls. Quickly, Manchester shifted from sprawling farmlands into a bustling city and a success story of modern urban planning.
In the early 1900s, Amoskeag Manufacturing was Manchester’s largest employer, making textiles such as gingham and even denim that was used for the first pair of Levi’s jeans! Many families immigrated to the area from Canada and several European countries leading to the diverse cultures and ethnic neighborhoods we see today in the city. The major strike of 1922, The Great Depression and flood in the 1930s forced the company to file of bankruptcy in 1935.
Much like the innovative leaders in Nashua at the time, the leaders in the Manchester area came together and founded Amoskeag Industries with the intent to attract diversified industries to the Millyard. By 1938 there were 40 new industries operating within the Millyard and the city made national news with the filming of “March of Time”: a six-minute reenactment promoting the founding of Amoskeag Industries.
Throughout the years the mills supported many industries, producing items ranging from supplies for WW2, steam fire engines, Habitat Pea Soup, Pandora Sweaters and even bottled soda! Thanks to the foresight and fearlessness of the local citizens before us, the city of Manchester and the Millyard continue to thrive, innovate, and find new ways to utilize the space and bring growth to the Manchester areas.
To plan your visit to the museum visit: Millyard Museum | Manchester Historic Association
When we wrapped up in the Millyard, we took a trip downtown for a presentation on Zoning and the Housing Crisis in NH. Thank you to McLane Middleton Law Offices (and LGN alumni Gena Lavallee) for hosting this presentation and providing us a wonderful view of the city during our lunch break. Fun fact- City Hall Plaza, home to McLane Middleton’s Manchester office, is the tallest building in Manchester at 275 ft tall! Also- big thank you to The Bridge Café in Manchester for a very tasty lunch!
Presenters Nick Taylor (director, Housing Action NH) and Elissa Margolin (director, Initiative for Housing Policy & Practice, St Anslem College) provided us with in an in-depth look at the housing crisis in our state and how we can make an impact. Nick and Elissa dove into the details with an engaging discussion around the Zoning Atlas; which is an interactive database that can be used as a resource for understanding municipal zoning ordinances and can help to influence needed changes in legislation. The five statewide findings from the Zoning Atlas are as follows:
Finding #1: It is hard to find land to build small homes or starter homes in an economically viable way. Many communities prohibit single family homes on small lots.
Finding #2: There is less area zoned for small two-family homes.
Finding #3: Many communities in NH close to job markets require large lots for multifamily homes, which drives up costs.
Finding #4: NH law allows attached accessory dwelling units but the process for approval can be long and expensive which is a barrier to building ADUs. Parking regulations for ADUs also impacts the feasibility of building them in some communities.
Finding #5: NH law allows for manufactured homes, but currently they are only allowed on 10.2% of developed state land due to community restrictions.
Due to the current and forecasted future housing shortage, it is vital for NH residents to be involved in their local communities and advocate for needed legislative change! To continue to bring economic success and growth to our state, we must continue to be a desirable place to work AND live. By using the data in the Zoning Atlas and Housing Action NH’s Bill Tracker, we can work together to better understand the communities we live in, the policies that impact them and how we can make a difference. Like the leaders before us, now is the time for collaboration, innovation, and resiliency.
To learn more about the Zoning Atlas or upcoming bills being discussed at the State level, you can visit:
Written By:
Monique Lippert
Home Health & Hospice Care
After lunch we traveled from Manchester back to Nashua for some great panel discussions. First on the Impact of housing on our region followed by a second panel discussing the City’s perspective. Jay, Lydia, and Sarah shared some interesting information on the current happenings of the local real estate market, the economy, where NRPC stands with the planning and economic development in Nashua. There is an urgent need for housing but no solutions that are particularly fast. The second panel with Liz, Matt, Amber, and Jay was some great discussions on how the city of Nashua is balancing economic development with the preservation of the community and character that we love. Also some discussion on the new land use codes which are expected by the end of 2025 and how these changes will impact housing and zoning. One quote that resonated was ‘don’t change what makes Nashua itself, the special places need to stay.’
We wrapped up our afternoon and our last class by walking over to Liquid Therapy. We had panel discussion with some fabulous Nashua Entrepreneurs. Amber from Fortin Gage, Fouad from PRG Rugs, Christopher from Greater Nashua Technology Consulting and Cole from Coffee & Kindness / Lets go live.
Fascinating conversations about their own personal stories, their path, the trials and tribulations of being a business owner and where to even begin. For those of us that have never had our own business, it was great conversation and insights and a true testament to the fact that these are just normal people who took the risk and didn’t give up. This all topped off with some great appetizers followed by a birthday celebration of our fearless leader Alyssa.
Certainly, a fun way to end our journey as the leadership class of 2025 where in reality this is likely just the beginning of our journey with the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce. Total strangers pulled together from many different types of business, life roles and wrapped up this afternoon/year having made new friends and really gotten to know each other. Final push towards our legacy project this weekend.
Written By
Erika Duarte
St. Joseph Hospital
