Haverhill Looks to Develop Forgotten End of Downtown

The Eagle Tribune recently reported that the Haverhill Mayor and city leaders are looking towards developing the Merrimack Street side of downtown Haverhill in 2012.  City officials are working to develop new rules that would make it faster and easier to develop in existing buildings on the Merrimack Street side of downtown.

The western end of the downtown on Washington Street has been one of Haverhill’s larger successes over the past five years, with several restaurants, shops and apartments sprouting up recently.  Now the city hopes to turn the same attention towards the somewhat forgotten end of the downtown as well as an area across the river in Bradford.

The city’s zoning task force is working on making it easier for developers to create mix-use projects with both office space and housing. Current rules allow such projects, but it is difficult and uncertain to obtain the permit required by the city council to move forward.

"The more developers know what they can do up front, the more likely they are to invest in Merrimack Street and the riverfront," said Mayor James Fiorentini. "We could allow mixed use as a matter of right."

Some changes the mayor is considering include easing parking regulations and allowing developers to build more housing on less land.

Read the entire Eagle Tribune article.