The Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen are set to meet on Tuesday, July 6. Before their full board meeting, they will be holding several committee hearings. Here are some of the expected highlights.
Definition of “family”
The Committee on Bills on Second Reading will hear a proposal to modify the definition of “family” within the city’s zoning ordinance.
This change has been proposed primarily due to operators of congregate housing facilities seeking to classify its residents as “families” since dwellings for family use are required to have two parking spaces for an entire home while congregate housing facilities are required to have one parking space per bedroom.
The modification removes and clarifies the current definition of a family for zoning purposes, with roomers, boarders and other “transient guests” not considered to be part of a family under the ordinance.
Bonding a new fire station on Calef Road
The Committee on Community Improvement will discuss a $5 million bond to replace Fire Station #9 on Calef Road.
According to Manchester Department of Public Works Facilities Division Chief Josh Gagne, the 59-year-old building has outlived its useful life.
Funding would be used for demolition of the current station and design, site development and construction of a new station.
Bird scooters
Bird Bikeshare is seeking to bring 50 electric scooters to the city, available for rent from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The scooters would be regulated under the same traffic rules as bicycles. Multiple city departments have been in negotiations with Bird Scooters since January to finalize their terms of operation within the city. Another company called Zagster sought to bring electric scooters into the city in 2020, but went out of business due to the pandemic.
The Committee on Public Safety will take up the matter, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig has asked that the matter be finalized by the full Board of Mayor and Aldermen on July 6 due to what she says is the time sensitive nature of the negotiations.
Bird launched a similar program in Nashua in May.
