From: Susan Richman Sent: Friday, June 22, 2018 10:11 AM To: Karen Edwards; Todd Selig Subject: Letter for Planning Board members regarding Mill Plaza Dear Planning Board members, I am concerned that the latest Mill Plaza redevelopment plan fails to honor essential criteria established for plaza redevelopment by the 2008 Mill Plaza Study Committee. The April 2018 plan offers no "year-round community space--indoor and outdoor areas where people linger to meet..." The April 2018 plan is dominated by student housing, with room for little else. The 2008 criteria envisioned "a brookside park for walking, biking, and other activities" -- not included in the April 2018 plan. What the April 2018 plan does, disturbingly, offer is damage to a hillside with stormwater- absorbing properties -- critical at this time when Durham has experienced flooding requiring Federal assistance, and we expect future weather events that may be increasingly harmful. The centerpiece of the April 2018 plan seems to be provision for 300 student beds, at a time that other student housing in the area has vacancies, and with projections showing that UNH enrollments may decline as much as 29% in coming years. There remain concerns that the April 2018 plan will lack adequate access for emergency vehicles, snow removal, and routine truck deliveries. The central downtown arteries are already clogged many times of the day. Adding more traffic may bring more costly plans for remediation, more pollution from standing vehicles, and a disincentive for folks to visit existing downtown businesses (Hannaford included!) No doubt this plan benefits the owners of the Plaza. But the Plaza is located at the heart of the Town. It impinges on the health of the Town's wetlands, flood abatement, circulation of traffic, and community identity. What it offers is student housing that is redundant. Please continue your fine efforts to arrive at a plan that keeps at heart those criteria established by the Mill Plaza Study Committee's award-winning plan of 2008. Sincerely, Susan Richman 16 Cowell Drive, Durham, NH 603-868-2758