NASHUA, NH – Code Week wrapped up Friday with the last event held at the Make-IT Labs facility on Crown Street. The closing ceremony and Code Party was the last of six public events held to engage Nashua residents about proposed and pending changes to the zoning codes.
Sam Durfee, the City Planning Manager, said he was pleased with the overall success of the week-long program. In particular with the number of residents who attended and the level of dialogue.
“We are really happy about the number of residents that engaged with us this week,” Durfee said. The goal of Code Week was to inform and engage and he noted that the quality of conversations and the exchanges at events went far in achieving those goals.
Vanessa Farr, the Director of Planning for Principle Group, the consulting firm hired by the city to assist in engaging the community to weigh in on zoning code revisions also gave the week a positive review.
“This process is about code creation and Code Week was set up to invite people to come in to help write the code that will guide the future of investment in the city,” said Farr. Standing among the crowd gathered at the closing event she felt the city and her team succeeded in connecting with and informing residents.
At the Make It Lab event Russel Preston, director of Principal Group, addressed the crowd providing an overview of the reCode process and the progress made toward a new code. He said “we were going through the various iterations around different zoning districts, different building types, and how to start to lay out an overall code that addresses a lot of policies your city is adopting”
Imagining code that serves the city 50 years in the future, connects the community to the space they live in, and guides investment is a complex project. Anticipating changes like rail or other future transportation modes, keeping quality of life a priority, and enhancing Nashua’s existing features are all factors under consideration.
Code Week is just one step in the process. The proposed draft code will be reviewed and stress-tested with mock developments, the next steps in this project.
DAN SPLAINE – Photographer/Contributor
Nashua native Dan Splaine is a commercial photographer who creates images for businesses. A strong belief in the value of local independent journalism, his Nashua roots, and his extensive background in photojournalism make contributing to the NASHUA INK LINK a natural choice.
After working in dozens of countries and throughout the US on assignments Dan will happily go local and turn his lens to capture lives and living in the Gate City. You can see his work and learn about his photography services and workshops by going to his website.