From:	Michael Behrendt
Sent:	Tuesday, February 09, 2016 2:42 PM
Subject:	Mill Plaza - email from J. Seaman

To the Planning Board,
Please see the email from Jayson Seaman, below.

Michael Behrendt
Durham Town Planner
Town of Durham
8 Newmarket Road
Durham, NH  03824
(603) 868-8064
www.ci.durham.nh.us


From:  [] On Behalf Of Jayson Seaman 
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2016 2:36 PM 
To: Michael Behrendt 
Cc: Erin Hardie Hale 
Subject: Mill road Plaza concerns

Hi Michael, I hope this email finds you well. I am writing, as I trust many others 
are, to express some concerns I have about the Mill Road Plaza redevelopment. 
In addition to a general frustration about the volume of student housing now in 
town, and relative lack of businesses which would serve year-round residents, I am 
particularly concerned that the town will miss yet another opportunity to create 
common gathering space in the downtown core. I look at Madbury Commons as a 
comparable development and there are two features of that design that best capture 
my point. The first is that the corridor is not pedestrian-only, and the second is that 
most of the first-floor retail space is occupied by entities that have very limited 
appeal to townspeople. Each time I pass by, I think "what a missed opportunity to 
create a vibrant pedestrian corridor with cafes, outside seating, micro-parks, and 
general gathering space." Instead it favors vehicular traffic and contains businesses 
that don't draw people in. I look at the proposed Mill Road Plaza design and I 
think, "here we go again." 
I do not have specific design changes in mind, but a major priority to any future 
development in the downtown core I believe should be to drastically increase the 
common space and make the town inviting to businesses that facilitate use of it. If 
development continues to favor vehicular traffic and parking, downtown Durham 
will continue to be a place people drive to, do only the limited business they need, 
and get out. I am concerned quality of life will continue to suffer, and the Mill 
Road Plaza is one of the few large parcels where this pattern can be changed. And 
we'll be living with this for a long time to come, so whatever gets established now 
will set the template for the future, for better or worse.
I know you have your hands full so thanks for taking the time to consider and 
represent my input.
Best-
Jayson 
-- 
With Regards, 
 
Jayson Seaman 
Durham, NH