From:	Michael Behrendt
Sent:	Monday, February 08, 2016 1:30 PM
Subject:	Mill Plaza - email from K.Crowley

To the Planning Board,
Please see the email below from Karen Crowley.

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


From: Karen Crowley []  
Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2016 6:00 PM 
To: Michael Behrendt 
Subject: Mill Plaza

Dear Mr.Behrendt, 
 
I am a parent of four children who walk to school through the Mill Plaza.  We also 
use the path through to Chesley and up to Faculty Road frequently during school 
and summer times for getting to and from town and for walking our dog.  I have 
major concerns about the impact of the proposed changes to the 
plaza.  Whenever UNH is in session, we already see a huge increase in cigarette 
butts/packaging, alcohol containers, condoms etc along the pathway.  We’ve seen 
an increase in similar garbage in the plaza and the pathway up through the middle 
of the plaza next to where the old grange building was since the new housing has 
gone in there and along Main St.  We’ve also seen an increase in traffic and given 
the number of times my children have to cross Main and Madbury Rd and 
Woodman Ave on the way too and from school, this is a big concern. 
 
I see absolutely no benefit to the citizens of Durham to having the changes 
proposed and I’m very concerned about the down side of increased traffic, refuse, 
exposure to drinking and pot smoking, bad language, partying etc with having 
even more students living in the plaza area.  We have had such a large increase in 
student housing come into the town along our walking route already.  I see no 
benefit to me or my family of having more commercial property (given the glut of 
empty commercial properties already in town) but especially to having the 
increased housing, cars, traffic in the plaza.  It looks like the parking issues would 
become an issue too since much of the existing parking would be taken over by 
buildings and the new parking would likely be for residents of the new rentals 
there. 
 
I would love to see an update to the existing buildings and an expansion to the 
pedestrian-friendly spaces with a mind towards full-time residents and families in 
Durham NOT with the priority being student-type housing. 
 
I’m not sure how I would handle having my 12 year old daughter walk to and from 
school with the increased exposure to college-aged students and the type of 
behavior that entails.  Again, I don’t see the pro-side for residents, families and 
children of these proposed changes and I’m very worried about the psychological 
and physical safety of my children.   
 
Please consider the families of Durham when voting against these proposed 
changes. 
 
Respectfully, 
 
Karen Crowley 
48 Mill Pond Rd