0n November 22nd, Matt Sullivan, the Planning Department Manager for the City of Nashua, addressed the Rotary Club of Nashua regarding the long term plan the City. Matt joined the city in October of 2020. He works with the City’s development team to guide and review land use development, redevelopment, and preservation projects with the City’s master plan. Matt is a Nashua native. He serves as the vice-president for the New Hampshire Planners Association, is a member of the State’s Community Development Finance Authority’s Advisory Committee, and has a passion for housing issues, having served on a variety of housing and economic development-focused non-profit boards in his career.
Focusing on a comprehensive long term plan the City has a variety of ways of reaching out to the community for feedback. Small and large public Zoom sessions, youth engagement, social media outreach, also some smaller in person events and one on ones. Matt works with a wide range of individuals and groups committed to building a sustainable future for Nashua.
Nashua’s top goals are
- Land Use Development-promote redevelopment that is mixed-use, multimodal, and sustainable in targeted areas with access to transit, infrastructure, and amenities.
- Housing-Create a greater mix of housing types that are accessible to Nashua residents at all life stages, household compositions, physical abilities, and socioeconomic levels as identified in the 2020 City Housing Study.
- Mobility and Transit-Ensure access to a range of transportation options that meet the current and future mobility needs of residents, workers, and visitors of all ages, incomes and abilities.
- Economic Development-Ensure Nashua workers have access to opportunities in the city and regionally through workforce training, career development, and quality education.
- Open Space and Natural Resources-Recognize parks and natural areas as vital elements of Nashua’s green network:
- Enhance access to and better connect Nashua’s existing open space network for citizens of all ages, abilities, and incomes.
- Arts and Culture-Celebrate and integrate the diversity of cultures, religions, languages within our communities and support this diversity in city policies and programs.
Imagine Nashua’s vision statement:
“Nashua is committed to being a welcoming, diverse, and forward-thinking city that offers a variety of economic, housing, educational, and recreational opportunities throughout a vibrant and resilient community that provides a high quality of life.”
Imagine Nashua’s yearlong goal of the master plan has been to develop a set of recommendations that can guide and shape development in Nashua for the next 20 years. Matt talked extensively about the housing crisis and 5000 units are proposed in Nashua over the next few years.
For a full comprehensive breakdown of Imagine Nashua’s master plan please go to https://imagine.nashuanh.gov you can also email Matt Sullivan at Sullivanm@nashuanh.gov