The Highway Layout Commission, tasked by the state Executive Council and the governor to review a plan for a major traffic calming project in downtown Jaffrey, voted unanimously that the project was needed during a teleconference Thursday afternoon, taking it one step further in the approval process.
During a half-hour teleconference, the commission unanimously voted that the proposal was a “project of necessity.” While the project must go through final approval by the Executive Council, it’s another hurdle crossed for the road-calming measures, which have been in discussion for years.
The construction is meant to resolve traffic flow issues downtown. While several town entities have expressed support for the plan, including the Select Board, Office of Planning & Economic Development and Economic Development Council, it has been more controversial among the public and business owners on Main Street.
The project consists of constructing two new roundabouts. The first is located downtown, at the five-way intersection of Route 202, Main Street, Blake Street, Stratton Road and Route 124. A second, three-leg roundabout would be installed on River Street and Route 202.
The two new roundabouts would be connected by a new road built over the Contoocook River, allowing Route 202 traffic to bypass the downtown.
As part of the construction, the state would have to acquire the Lab ‘N Lager on Stratton Road, as well as a six-unit apartment building on River Street, as well as part of the property – though not the house – at 21 River Street.
JoAnne Carr, director of Planning and Economic Development for Jaffrey, said in an interview Friday, said the loss of the apartment building is a blow, as the entire region is clamoring for reasonably priced apartments. There are some developments currently in the works that could provide similarly priced housing in Jaffrey, Carr said, and she hoped the residents occupying those spaces would be able to stay in the area.
“Those aren’t the only apartments we’ve lost downtown, and it is an overall concern,” Carr said. “We have regionally a terrible problem with a lack of housing and particularly affordable housing, which I feel strongly we need to build more of. We’re trying to fill that gap, but it’s slow and it’s hard.”
Doni Ash, owner of the Lab ‘N Lager, said that even though the project hasn’t officially been approved, it’s already impacting his ability to hire new employees.
“I’m not very happy about it,” Ash said. “We didn’t plan on closing or selling the business. And it’s hard to run a restaurant when you have employees that don’t know if you’re going to be here in a few months or next year. I think it’s really unfair to me, to my employees, and to my customers.”
Ash said the state hasn’t begun any conversations with him yet about the eminent domain process or how much might be offered for the property and pub. Ash, who also owns a second Lab ‘N Lager location in Keene and the Shattuck Golf Club in Jaffrey, said he invested in the Jaffrey Lab ‘N Lager hoping to grow the location’s value over time, and use it as part of his retirement fund.
During the public hearing process for the project, residents voiced several concerns, including the impact to downtown businesses both during construction and after there was a route in place to bypass Main Street, the loss of property, and the loss of parking.
To accommodate the connecting road between the two roundabouts, the state would eliminate a state-owned 35-space parking lot on Blake Street. Though the lot would be replaced with a new lot, it would only have 15 spaces available.
Loretta Doughty, the Department of Transportation’s project administrator, said that while those parking spaces are being reduced, there are other areas that will add some parking spaces, including two new on-street parking spaces on Main Street, six on-street parking spaces on River Street, and additional on-street space on Blake Street.
Carr said the town is also working to increase parking at the community ball field, which is adjacent to Blake Street, to provide additional parking in the area.
Members of the commission expressed concern about the loss of parking spaces to access downtown. Commission member Sam Hackler said the Department of Transportation should take a close look at how to increase parking downtown, and consider diagonal parking instead of only parallel. Commissioner Andrew Card agreed.
Carr said the downtown once had diagonal parking, and it could be a good solution to put more parking spaces downtown, particularly if the roundabouts are able to serve their intended purpose of slowing downtown traffic.
Downtown merchants have expressed trepidation that the long construction period could drive away business, and the connecting road between the two halves of Route 202 could result in traffic being diverted away from downtown shops.
“People are going to avoid Jaffrey,” Ash said, of the construction period.
Carr said the state has consistently worked with the town to help plan marketing resources and economic development assistance both for the time of construction and afterward, and has worked with an advisory committee made up of local stakeholders to help define their concerns.
“Given their support and interest so far, I feel confident that will continue,” Carr said. “That’s not to say the concerns aren’t valid. It’s a significant change to the downtown, and there are temporary impacts to businesses, and permanent impacts, when it comes to the Lab. There are complications all around, and we have a lot of work to do, looking ahead and working with downtown businesses, and making sure some of our anchor businesses are doing well. But there are opportunities, too. We have vacant storefronts downtown, and we want to show that we’re an up and coming community and looking to the future.”
Pedestrian safety was another issue that was of concern to residents, as the roundabouts would have a continuous flow of traffic, particularly as the area is a thoroughfare for schoolchildren walking to and from Jaffrey Grade School and Conant High School/Jaffrey-Rindge Middle School. Doughty discussed to the possibility of additional pedestrian safety measures such as a rapid flashing beacon to alert cars when there is a pedestrian entering the sidewalk.
However, commissioners offered no strong objections to the project plan, nor asked for further changes, and voted unanimously that there was a need for the project.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.