Transportation For America » Livability in small towns #4: Laconia, New Hampshire

Livability in small towns #4: Laconia, New Hampshire

August 31, 2010
By Sean Barry

This collection of 12 case studies helps put to rest the idea that livability is an exclusively “urban” idea. Small cities, towns and rural regions across the country are transforming themselves into more livable communities. While some of these communities face formidable threats – from job losses and shrinking populations to disappearing farmland and strained resources – their leaders have forged collaborations and created plans that are growing economies, benefiting people and protecting the land and lifestyles treasured by residents and non-residents alike.

Check back each day for a new post and read the full series of livability case studies as they’re posted. The intro can be found here.

Laconia, New Hampshire

“I think what the EPA process did is it really got the creative juices flowing. It gave the decision-makers and citizens the energy and the enthusiasm and the excitement to move forward with those ideas on their own.”

Shanna Saunders, Director, Planning and Zoning Town of Laconia

Laconia worked with the U.S. EPA on three neighborhood plans to enhance the safety and accessibility of their streets and add more vitality to the community.

Laconia, New Hampshire is a longtime tourist destination and hotspot for vacation homes and retirees. However, the absence of a longer-term plan was putting a strain on year-round residents and had the potential to leave core neighborhoods in the dust.

In 2006, Laconia officials applied to participate in the U.S. EPA’s Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program. The EPA assisted residents and staff in a visioning process that eventually resulted in a comprehensive Master Plan.

“I think what the EPA process did is it really got the creative juices flowing,” said Shanna Saunders, Director of Planning and Zoning for the City of Laconia. “It gave the decision- makers and citizens the energy and the enthusiasm and the excitement to move forward with those ideas on their own.”

The Master Plan, titled “Three Neighborhoods, One Vision,” was designed to maintain the city’s small-town character while encouraging investment in core neighborhoods. Three major neighborhoods – Downtown Laconia, Weirs Beach and Lakeport – emerged with concrete plans as a result of EPA assistance.

In the Weirs Beach area, for instance, EPA traffic engineers helped transform a congested area that was unsafe for both driving and walking. Now, bicyclists and pedestrians have easy access and driving is safer as well.

Although the economic downturn forced Laconia to delay some improvements to downtown, officials said EPA assistance has created a foundation for future action.

“A lot of the information once we do hire professionals could easily be handed over to be used for the design,” Saunders said.

Source: Environmental Protection Agency (pdf.) Saunders, Shanna. Telephone Interview. April 2, 2010.