Boscawen is looking to expand — and the town wants input.
The Boscawen Visioning Survey asks property owners to share what kinds of development they would like to see in town. Responses from the survey will be used to update the town’s master plan.
Lorrie Carey, the longest-serving member of the Boscawen Select Board, said residents take pride in the Merrimack River, Walker Pond, vast open spaces and local agriculture, which is proudly touted on its welcome sign. While they want to keep the character of the town intact, residents also understand the need for growth and improvement, Carey said.
“We are growing, and that’s the reality of the state as a whole … we are in a period of growth and [want] to be supportive of our community and the vision they have of themselves,” she said.
Housing has been a top priority for the town, which has seen a spike in population growth since the census in 2020, according to World Population Review. Early last year, Boscawen was among 18 communities identified as a development-friendly municipality by Housing Champions.
At town meeting in 2025, voters approved to designate Commercial Street as a tax increment financing, or TIF, district that allows new tax revenue to be reinvested into a specific area for infrastructure upgrades. TIF districts ideally attract new businesses that would broaden the tax base.
“I think we’re very mindful of both the older folks in the community as well as the young people in the community,” Carey said. “We want to keep our kids here in Boscawen, but we’ve got to have housing for them.”
The town’s survey asks respondents what their vision is for development on Commercial Street, King Street and North Main Street; the kinds of housing besides single-family; traffic and safety improvements; and the types of businesses offered.
Carey said she anticipates the survey to be open for the foreseeable future, with ramped-up efforts to get responses taking place in the fall.
There’s already lots of change on the horizon: ground will break at the Boscawen Town Park at the end of August to expand accessible parking and build a pavilion. The clean-up of abandoned mill buildings near Commercial Street is coming to an end in the fall, and the Hannah Duston Memorial Site is actively being revitalized to include interpretive signs.
“It’s really exciting to see community come together to do something positive,” Carey said. “We’re really looking at what we can do to be a better community to better support our existing residents to make this a nice place to live and work and raise a family.”
The survey is open for property owners to fill out online. Paper copies are also available in the municipal building, the library and the planning and community development office.
