Things are really starting to take shape in the downtown. As I take my evening walk around the downtown, I have noticed some additional activity in the downtown area. First, I see more and more people walking the downtown area and going into the stores more than I have seen in a long time! This is a good thing!
I noticed that Sabatinos is now open and in fact the last two evenings it has been "packed". with patrons and the owners did a great job on the decor. What a difference a good looking store can make.
Speaking of nice looking new stores in the downtown-Bachmans Florist as well as done a great job in their new location ( across from Jake D's). This really goes a long way in making the downtown appealing! The Met has been saved and will be a destination spot for many in the downtown. I congratulate them for doing a great job in raising the needed money to keep the museum alive and well.
On a not so good note, we lost the Fire Hall Pub recently and the restaurant is up for sale. I'm hoping it won't be long before a new business comes along and makes a go of it.
The next big improvements will be the Rte 102 & Crystal/Birch intersection being upgraded in the summer of '08. Look for some big improvements for not only traffic patterns but the look and feel of the intersection.
Please support our local merchants and if you have not been to the downtown in a while- get out of your car and walk the downtown- You will see these improvements and you will have an opportunity to make the downtown a thriving and exciting place to be as well as seeing more businesses wanting to do business here. Thank you for your support Derry!
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So anyone know why the Firehall is out of business? It was our favorite downtown restaurant with good food and reasonable prices.
Peter,
Not 100% sure why it closed. But it was rough going as far as the abutter issues. I hope someone can come in and do something ( resteraunt) nice.
they food and service was lousy. that could have been a contributing factor. the bar upstairs was cool. something like that in this area would be nice.
Downtown Parking Improvement
I would like to see the Town of Derry acquire the land from the East Broadway/Crystal Ave intersection down to the building occupied by Mary Ann’s Restaurant. The properties the town should acquire are 41, 43, and 49 East Broadway (Parcel #’s 30161, 30162, and 30163).
Who: the Town of Derry
What: Acquisition of property in the downtown
Where: 41, 41, and 49 East Broadway
When: in conjunction with the State of New Hampshire’s reconstruction of the East Broadway/Crystal Avenue/Birch Street intersection
Why: to improve parking availability and the overall appearance of the downtown. These properties should be turned into a municipal parking lot. The current buildings are not visually appealing and are in disrepair. Some of these building are condemned on the upper floors and they are an eye soar to the community. The acquisition will increase parking availability and therefore will increase the amount of travel to our downtown businesses. These properties combined consist of just over a quarter acre of land.
There are many people, including myself, that would love nothing more than to drive down Broadway and shop or eat at some of the fine places Derry has to offer. However, trying to find a parking spot is awful; never mind one that my vehicle can easily fit into when parallel parked. Everyone knows the downtown is plagued by this problem, but nothing is done. Just the other day I tried to go to Backmann’s Flower shop but was unable to find a spot. My parents wanted to go to Sabatino’s restaurant for dinner this past weekend. But because they could not find an available parking spot within close proximity (due to a handicap) they opted to go to a restaurant in Londonderry. These are just two recent examples. I know we have all had similar experiences, if not every time we visit the downtown.
How: the Town should offer to buy these from the current owners or the Town should take these properties by eminent domain
This is just one thought on a way to improve a never ending problem in Derry. The total value of the above mentioned parcels is only about $813,000(source: Derry WebGIS).I don’t know how this translates to taxes the Town collects, but it can’t be much. By adding a municipal lot it may even increase the values of the other parcels in the downtown. I’m not positive, but the State may already be taking the building occupied by Derry Express as part of the reconstruction. I’d be willing to bet they will not use the entire parcel to align the intersection, which will leave room for parking spots.
Please leave me some feedback with your thoughts on this.
D3,
I believe a downtown study is in the works! We need to do something about parking. I can tell you though that we do have plenty of parking, just not in front of each establishment. The properties you mention are in need of upgrading and i doubt will be turned into parking ( too valuable ). If and when the downtown has enough successful businesses- maybe they can all chip in and pay for a small bus-like (or trolley) like vehicle to pick up people at parking locations and bring them to downtown establishments. Just an idea
I think the parcels he speaks of are in need of BIG improvement, but are too close to the intersection and too much of a high profile spot for parking.
Yes we also need parking, but I've never seen parking right in the center of a town.
I think we might be losing all of the on street parking at that intersection by the time the state is done... fewer spots in Derry
i can't believe that the people of derry are that lazy. you don't know need front row parking. i did not grow up in this town but where i did grown up you parked where you could if you wanted to eat someplace whether it was right in front if you were lucky or maybe a block away. the problem here is that this town has no loyalty. there is nothing that brings people to downtown maybe a place like Sabatinos will do that.
get rid of the people who loiter aroung and maybe people would walk around and enjoy the town more
We need to get out police department to enforce loitering laws and site those individuals who are habitual offenders.
Councilors: please see that this is taken care of.
BC, i think poll questions that ask whether a loitering ordinance downtown would be supported by the community and whether loitering has given people pause when considering shopping downtown, would be very revealing.
anon 9:08,
That will be the next one! Thanks for sharing.
It is so nice to see the improvements in Downtown Derry. We can't wait to try Sabatino's. What is up with the "Broadway Pets" (I think that's what it says)?? Why is that sign still there? Can't we get that down..it looks so disgusting.
I hope more businesses come in and help improve our downtown. Congrats to Anthony's Cucina, Sabatino's, Bachman's, Firefly..all adding to a stylish looking downtown!!!
The comments posted about the Firehall were dead on. Part of the issue is that they really didn't settle on the business model. If you went to the Martini Bar upstairs, drinks weere priced differntly one night vs. another. Nothing was consistenty. Too bad too. I was hoping they wouild survive and fix their issue.
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