The widening of Interstate 93 from Salem to Manchester has been accompanied by a spate of investment and development along the length of the corridor, furthering the economic and social integration of southeastern New Hampshire with northeastern Massachusetts.
Two major mixed-use developments bracket the corridor — Tuscan Village in Salem to the south and Woodmont Commons in Londonderry to the north.
Adjacent to Exit 1 of I-93, Tuscan Village is expected to provide nearly 3 million square feet of commercial and residential space on the 170 acres where thoroughbreds once ran at the Rockingham Park race track. The project will add 700,000 square feet of retail space to the sector, representing nearly a third of local employment — a reflection of the town’s advantage as the first stop across a border marked by the absence of a sales tax. And Mass General Brigham, formerly Partners HealthCare, has invested $400 million in a 122,500-square-foot outpatient facility at Tuscan Village.
At the same time, Walmart is expanding its superstore to 220,000 square feet — 40,000 square feet shy of the massive chain’s largest store — and last year Cinemark opened the town’s first movie theater in 17 years at the Mall at Rockingham Park.
In 2001, Salem’s master plan noted that “even after reconstruction, I-93 and the other major routes that converge (I-495, NH 28, NH 38/97 and NH 111) in and near Salem will continue to generate traffic volumes and congestion that push local roads to their capacity.”
When the plan was updated in 2016, a year after work on the highway through the town was completed, the Rockingham Planning Commission found the widening of I-93 has done little to reduce congestion.”
In Londonderry, Woodmont Commons straddles I-93. To the west, work has begun to develop an “urban village” on 400 acres bordering the highway over the next 20 years. The future of another 200 acres to the east is “something of an unknown,” said attorney Ari Pollack, who has shepherded the project through the planning and permitting process.
He explained that access to the property from I-93 hinges on construction of Exit 4A and a mile-long connector road. Mean while, a number of options, including warehouse, manufacturing and office space as well as residential development, are being considered.
Woodmont Commons is a mix of residential and commercial properties, including apartments, condominiums, townhouses and single-family homes, along with retail, hotel and office space. Pollack described it as “a live, work, play” community projected to be completed over 20 years.
As the widening project drew to a close, officials in towns along the corridor fielded inquiries from developers.
“We’ve had lots of interest for both commercial and residential development and a lot for mixed-use projects,” said Beverly Donovan, Derry’s economic development director. She added that the town has invested in infrastructure and adjusted its zoning to create development opportunities.
In Windham, Rex Norman, community development director, said despite interest from developers, the town lacked the resources for significant residential projects and the infrastructure — especially water and sewer — for commercial and industrial projects. Moreover, when surveyed, residents assigned high priority to preserving open space, protecting water quality and low priority to both residential and commercial growth while citing traffic volume as a major problem.
Some 90% of the freight, by tonnage and value, passing in, out and through New Hampshire is carried by truck, much of it on I-93, which has recently become a magnet for warehouses and distribution centers.
Last year, The Kane Company of Portsmouth purchased the Manchester Logistics Center, 725,000 square feet of warehouse space on 38 acres at the Manchester Airport. “We like the airport’s position within five miles of I-93, I-293, Route 3 and Route 101,” said Michael Kane, adding that the building is “right on the runway.”
Luke Pickett, vice president of finance for Kane, referred to the “Amazonization of America,” which has put a premium on justin-time inventory and delivery, and in turn increased demand for well-positioned warehousing and distribution centers.
In January, two developers announced plans for warehousing and distribution centers in Hooksett. Granite Woods LLC abandoned plans for a mixed-use development that would have included a hotel, restaurant, winery and entertainment venue on 60 acres off Hackett Hill Road, south of the Hooksett Toll Plaza. Instead, it now plans to build two buildings — one 500,000 square feet and another 150,000 square feet — as a distribution center to be known as Granite Woods Commerce Park.
At the same time, Silver City NH LLC paid $7.2 million for 54 acres on Hackett Hill Road, where it seeks to build a 594,000-square-foot distribution center alongside a 104,000-square-foot warehouse or industrial building.
William Thibeault, manager of Silver City, told the Union Leader his company recently purchased a shopping mall in Taunton, Mass., which it intends to replace with a distribution canter. “That is really the future of these big industrial or commercial sites,” he said.
Yet another proposed distribution center is off of Route 3 in Hudson, at the site of the former Green Meadow Golf Club.
The Hudson Logistics Center, intended to serve as a fulfillment center for Amazon, would easily be the largest. Hillwood Investment Properties seeks to construct three buildings — two of 1 million square feet apiece and another of 522,000 square feet — on the 374 acres once home to the Green Meadow Golf Club. Altogether, they would have 363 loading docks and parking for 842 tractor trailers.
Remarking on development along the corridor, Bill Norton of Manchester-based real estate firm Norton Asset Management noted that manufacturing was the missing piece. “We haven’t seen that yet,” he said, “but we’re going to.”
