The folks behind Concord’s zoning overhaul have been busy.
The Austin, Texas-based firm, Code Studio, is working with the city to design a more user-friendly, character-based zoning system to help make the city more vibrant and pedestrian friendly.
Since starting its work in February, Code Studio has assessed the city’s current system and taken a dive into the character of its more populated areas, releasing an analysis and strategy report last month.
Some recommendations have already emerged, including getting rid of excessive legalese and making the city’s code easier to understand.
Another goal is to adjust the zoning to bring some of the smaller lots in the downtown and other populated areas back into conformance. More than half of the lots in the city’s most densely populated areas that Code Studio looked at are too small for their zone’s required size.
The Monitor got that number by taking the number of lots in those surveyed districts – 4,963 – and averaging out the number that were found to be nonconforming.
That can cause some headaches for your average homeowner, said city planner Heather Shank. Every zoning district has specific frontage, lot size and setback requirements – if the plot of land you own doesn’t fit those dimensions, you’ll find yourself going to the city’s zoning board for variance anytime you want to build a deck or a shed, things that are usually allowed by right.
“We knew there was some nonconformity, but we didn’t realize how high it was for so many districts, especially around the downtown,” she said on Friday. “…Having to get a variance for people to move forward with their projects can be a disincentive.”
Nonconformity isn’t just about variances; Shank noted the character of a community – what Code Studio is trying to get its hands around in Concord – isn’t just governed by municipal standards. It’s the feel of a place; a neighborhood with spaced out, single-story buildings, for example, has a very different vibe than shutters and pitched roofs.
Zoning is supposed to protect that, Shank said. “It’s supposed to create certainty,” she said, “so that people know what their neighborhood is supposed to look like.”
Not to mention nonconformity can breed confusion – if your neighbor has a deck and an appropriately-sized lot, you might be confused when you try to get a building permit, only to find you need a variance, too.
Ideally, bringing those districts into better alignment with the city’s existing codes will solve that problem. The developer’s analysis suggests a straight-forward shortcut: create new standards for certain districts with smaller square footage, setback and frontage requirements that would bring those rouge lots into compliance.
These are, of course, just recommendations, and Code Studio has a ways to go before we see a comprehensive product. Shank said a draft product is expected in the spring.
The work is just beginning, however. The City Council appropriated $200,000 for the two-year project, and Phase II will look at areas of the city that really don’t have a clear vision, like the Opportunity Corridors (think Storrs Street and Stickney Avenue, for example) or the Gateway Performance District (think the Interstate 93 Exit 17 region).
The city is hoping those regions will be shaped with the help of the community, so stay tuned for public input meetings in the future.
School board elections
All three of the school district’s at-large seats will be up for grabs this November.
Competitors for those spots include Jennifer Patterson, Maureen Redmond-Scura, Danielle Smith, Nathan Fennessy and Barbara Higgins. Nancy Kane is the sole candidate running for Patterson’s former District B (Ward 5-7) after Patterson moved out of the district late this summer.
Current president Clint Cogswell is running unopposed for the treasurer position, as is Roger Phillips f or clerk.
Looking to get a sense of wher e candidates stand on the issues? The Monitor will be holding a candidates forum on Thursday, November 1 at Concord High School.
Making Matters NH has also been busy behind the scenes.
The effort behind bringing a maker space, or a community incubator where entrepreneurs can hone their crafts, has formed a central New Hampshire chapter of 1 Million Cups, a nationwide network of groups meeting to encourage entrepreneurship and business development. They plan to meeting monthly on the first Wednesday from 8 to 9 a.m.; their first meeting is November 7 at NHTI’s Grappone Hall.
The group is also planning another public meeting for October 23 at 6 p.m. at New England College’s Main Street location.
The School Street parking garage’s new north stair tower will be open today, as will the east ern driveway.
Replacing the elevator is expected to begin this week, meaning the elevator will be out of service until early January, according to the city manager’s newsletter. Additional parking will be created on the ground floor of the garage.
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)