CITIZENS' PETITION WARRANT ARTICLE INFORMATION

As the NCDC attempted in early 2008 to shepherd a prospective development proposal for the Main Street Mills through the variance process before the Newmarket Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), it became clear that the current Zoning Ordinance does not support likely development scenarios for the Mills. After this variance application failed, the NCDC decided that a Warrant Article, put before the Town's voters, could compel changes being made to the Zoning Ordinance. Toward that end, a petition drive was launched to request that such a Warrant Article appear on the Town Warrant with voting to take place on May 13, 2008.

The original petitioned Warrant Article language was modified for clarity at the April 8, 2008 deliberative session and now, known as Warrant Article #9, reads as follows:

"Shall the Town request the Town Council and Planning Board to move
 forward with due dispatch to revise the Town of Newmarket Zoning
Ordinance for the M-1 District to allow residential use by right and to
support the redevelopment of the Mill district with a mix of residential
and commercial uses."

The NCDC fully supports this Warrant Article language and looks forward to providing the Town Council and Planning Board any reasonable input that will help them craft appropriate ordinance language.

We encourage voters in the Town of Newmarket to support Warrant Article #9.

Some additional background information regarding Mills redevelopment history appears below.

CALL TO ACTION

Please vote on May 13, in support of Warrant Article #9.

BACKGROUND

• The Town and its citizens have spent the last eight years preparing themselves for the Main Street Mills redevelopment.

• The NCDC has spent the last 10 years seeking appropriate developers for the Mills.

• The NCDC’s latest effort has taken over two years and $100,000 (of NCDC’s funds) to complete—always with an eye on the public interest.

• Market realities dictate that regardless of who develops the Mills, the result will include dense residential with some commercial & retail occupancies, with parking across Route 108 at the lots previously acquired by NCDC and the Town for that purpose.

• The predominant concerns of the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) in their recent denial of the NCDC’s Area Variance denial were with traffic and pedestrian safety.

• The challenges of traffic and pedestrian safety have been acknowledged throughout the NCDC’s process and would be addressed comprehensively at the Planning Board level.

• The NCDC had a developer, now withdrawn, willing to invest over $20 Million into redeveloping the Mills.

• This development could have delivered over $300,000 annually in property tax revenue to the Town.

• Bryant Rock, a success based on the NCDC’s previous efforts, should be considered Phase I of the Mills redevelopment. The community expects and encourages redevelopment of the Main Street Mills, Phase II of the ongoing Mills redevelopment.

MAIN STREET MILLS PUBLIC INTEREST HISTORY

2000–2007 – NCDC facilitated multiple public input sessions to ascertain the community’s desired Mills redevelopment outcomes;

2000 – Town voted in the Downtown TIF district (with multimillion $ bond authorization) to improve downtown infrastructure and acquire properties that would encourage redevelopment;

2004 – Town acquired Spring Street lot (w/TIF funds) for the purpose of providing parking to support Mills redevelopment;

2006 – Town improved Spring Street lot (w/TIF funds) to accommodate parking for the Mills redevelopment;

Dec 2006 – Planning Board issued a Resolution to look favorably upon and support a mixed use project, involving housing, proposed by the NCDC;

Jan 2007 – public input incorporated into the NCDC’s 3rd and latest outreach to prospective developers (RFP);

Feb 2007 – Town Council signed an Agreement to serve as guarantor for the NCDC in the Purchase & Sale of the Eagles building, which would foster Mills redevelopment;

Oct 2007 - Town Council signed a Letter of Agreement with the NCDC to authorize a land lease on the Town-owned Spring & Elm Street lots, which would provide required parking spaces for the Mills redevelopment of the Mills.