Why are Nashua officials opposed to charging fees for 2022 expanded outdoor dining that utilizes extra sidewalk and parking spaces?
The 3-year ordinance to drop the barriers again downtown was rushed to the board table in December 2021 for a quick vote. Thankfully, downtown business owners and the public came out in force with questions and objections during public comment. The ordinance, drafted by the Nashua legal office, was poorly written with outdated barrier placement drawings attached. That ordinance was tabled.
With a newly seated Board, a new ordinance was drafted and brought forward again (O-22-008) and is now ready to go to the Board of Alderman for a vote on April 12, 2022. The GIS Downtown map with barriers and businesses is attached.
City Leaders have been opposed to charging fees to businesses that take parking revenue from the City. It wasn’t even considered in the initial ill-conceived legislation. Some members of the public have asked for fees, but the ordinance before the BoA, once again, has no fees being charged for 2022. The costs outlined in the ordinance are as follows:
“The reduction in meter revenue is estimated to be from $30,000 and $45,000. The reduction in parking enforcement revenue is estimated to be from $5,000 to $8,000. Cost to move the barriers is estimated to be $60,000 a year. Painting cost is estimated to be $20,000.”
The New Performing Art Center was supposed to open in July, but this has been delayed until November – most likely next year. Is the City unwilling to charge because the PAC isn’t open?
In today’s Union Leader article on Manchester downtown barriers, “Restaurants would be charged $420 per parking space used for six month season”
Manchester’s Economic Development Director, Jodie Nazake, stated, “for the past two years, the city had embraced outdoor dining and offered restaurants the ability to expand their footprint beyond their dining rooms, giving them a revenue boost when they needed it most” and “In 2020 and 2021, the city offered expanded seating at no cost to businesses, but Nazake says with the emergency order lifted, inside dining at full capacity, and the City’s loss in parking revenue, there is no justification to continuing offering this service.”
Concord is charging $1000 per parking space and $3.50 for additional sidewalk space taken; Portsmouth is changing $1500 per parking space and $5.00 for additional sidewalk space taken. Keene is currently drafting a new ordinance, but they dropped under 10 barriers for the first two years of the pandemic. Very few businesses requested barriers, they simply added tables to the sidewalks. Nashua has dropped closer to 100 barriers downtown.
Why do Nashua leaders insist taxpayers continuously foot the costs for all downtown enhancements? What have taxpayers generously supported for downtown?
· A $15 million dollar Performing Art Center that will cost closer to $30 million dollars. The City turned the PAC operation over to an outside management company. Taxpayers will pay a yearly, increasing rental fee starting at $500,000. See enclosed lease, page 48. Does this make any sense?
· Additionally, taxpayers will be paying for the technical equipment for PAC at $165,000 – enclosed copy of lease.
· The City has set up Tax Incremental Finance (TIF) districts downtown so tax money raised from downtown businesses can only be spent downtown rather than through the general fund.
· In December 2021, the City bonded $25 million to develop a Riverwalk downtown destination – compliments of the taxpayers.
· The City is considering an Expendable Trust Fund to cover the costs of operating and maintaining 14 Court Street. This building has been a city cost center for the City for years.
Must Nashua be a city of free ride programs, particularly for-profit-based businesses? Write to your Alderman and copy the full Board (BOA@nashuanh.gov) and request the correspondence be placed in the Board packet. State your position on barrier costs and placement downtown. Your voice matters.
