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Laconia staff selects Resilience Planning to lead master plan update; kickoff set for Oct. 6
Summary
City planning staff told the City Council they selected Resilience Planning and Design to update Laconia’s 2018 master plan, with a public kickoff meeting scheduled for Oct. 6 and a seven‑member steering committee to guide the work.
Laconia planning staff told the City Council on Aug. 25 that the city has selected Resilience Planning and Design to write an updated master plan, replacing the document adopted in February 2018.
Planning staff said the update responds to growth and projects that have emerged since 2018 and will include new chapters on transportation, land use and other topics. A public kickoff meeting with the council and local land‑use boards is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Bayonet Mill.
The plan matters because it sets the city’s long‑range land‑use and transportation priorities and influences development regulations and capital planning. Planning staff said the 2018 plan “does not reflect the current challenges that are facing the city today,” and that the update will be used to align ordinances and infrastructure planning with anticipated growth.
Planning staff described the procurement process: an RFP issued July 1 drew eight submittals; proposals were scored by planning staff, the assistant planner and the economic developer, and references were checked (Hampton, Bar Harbor and Dover were among those contacted). The selected lead consultant, Resilience Planning and Design, will work with subcontractors RKG Associates on planning studies and Beta Group on traffic engineering.
Staff said they expect to provide the consultant with recent traffic data and to share a forthcoming traffic study so the transportation chapter reflects likely future conditions. The presentation also identified the former Laconia State School site as a major redevelopment parcel that will be a focal point of the update; staff said the plan will analyze how that site could affect Elm Street, North Main Street and Meredith Center.
Council members asked about scope and membership. Staff said the steering committee will include seven members and that the consultant team will return recommended performance‑zoning approaches for large redevelopment sites such as the state school property. Staff also offered to add to the consultant scope an assessment of impacts on municipal services — for example, school enrollments or public safety needs — if the council wants that analysis included.
City staff said they will post project updates, meeting schedules and data on a master plan website and on social media. The kickoff meeting is the next public milestone.
Ending: The plan update is intended to inform future zoning and capital decisions; the city will hold public workshops and publish materials online as the consultant begins work in October.
