Consultant urges downtown-focused strategy, LDC and stronger PSU partnership

Neil Cannon, an economic development consultant, told the Plymouth Select Board that Plymouth’s best immediate economic opportunities lie in strengthening its downtown and formalizing local development capacity.

Cannon framed the downtown as the town’s main revenue engine and urged town leaders to favor projects there—sidewalks, sewer and water upgrades, river access and incentives for second-floor housing—because “300 feet of sewer line in the downtown is gonna serve more value than 300 feet in the outside of the downtown area,” he said. He added that river access and even modest amenities such as boat launches or green space can pull visitors into the village core.

The recommendation follows years of piecemeal projects and several stalled or frozen grants. Scott (Town Manager) told the board the town is still awaiting a $488,000 final payment and that an infrastructure grant of roughly $500,000 the town applied for has been frozen, constraining planned work on drainage, lighting and other improvements.

Why it matters: Cannon said concentrating limited public dollars downtown yields higher private returns and helps capture visitor spending—an important point in a community where Plymouth State University, seasonal tourism and regional retail drive local commerce. He recommended three specific approaches: 1) a local development corporation (LDC) to act as a champion and implementer; 2) clearer, actionable steps in the master plan and an implementation program tied to funding and zoning changes; and 3) a formal, negotiated set of contributions and duties with the university to leverage campus events and resources.

Key details and examples - Local development corporation: Cannon and board members described LDCs in nearby towns (Franklin Business and Industrial Development Corporation; Laconia Industrial Development Corporation; Littleton LIDC) as entities that can package financing and loans, offer low-interest lending, and present a single local interlocutor to prospective companies. Cannon said an LDC can “get 3% money” and otherwise assemble deals that the select board acting alone cannot. - Funding tools: Cannon recommended exploring federal and state tax-credit programs for downtown housing such as federal historic tax credits and Newmarket-type credits, noting that those tools supply developer equity and have helped housing conversions in Franklin and other towns. - Parking and municipal land use: Board members flagged parking constraints in the village as a major limit to downtown expansion. Cannon suggested the town consider hidden or peripheral parking and noted the highway garage site (leased from Plymouth Village Water & Sewer) as a potential redevelopment opportunity—though multiple speakers emphasized that moving existing public operations requires negotiation and has complications. - Tenney Mountain and peripheral growth: Cannon urged treating Tenney Mountain development as a satellite or separate district in planning—useful for new retail, lodging and service businesses—while still pursuing pedestrian and connector improvements that link those areas to downtown.

Discussion highlights - Housing and second-floor occupancy. Cannon cited examples where converting upper floors and mills to housing brought hundreds of residents downtown and supported restaurants and retail. Board members said Plymouth’s housing efforts (including a prior Housing Opportunity Program and a second-phase downtown master plan) are underway but need coordination. - University partnership. Cannon stressed the university’s outsized role in local demand—hotels, events and visitor spending—and encouraged a formal set of expectations and shared projects (for example, joint grant applications and use of university faculty for applied economic-development work). Scott and other board members said Plymouth will host university leaders on April 28 to begin a more detailed conversation. - Implementation and governance. Cannon urged the town to convert “pretty pictures” in the master plan into an action program that assigns tasks, timelines and funding, and to resurrect or create an active economic-development body rather than rely solely on volunteers or ad hoc committees.

What’s next Select Board members agreed to arrange follow-up talks with Grafton County regional development partners and to invite the county and university representatives to future meetings. Planning staff (Joseph Perez, town planner) and the board will fold Cannon’s suggestions into ongoing downtown master planning and the town’s capital improvement program.

Ending Board members said the April 28 meeting with the university will be an important next step; they also signaled interest in exploring an LDC, parking strategies and grant packaging to move projects from concept to construction.