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155 residents sign petition opposing prison
MANCHESTER — The Board of Mayor and Aldermen will soon take up a proposal to limit where prisons and half-way houses can be built after more than two dozen residents of Hackett Hill came to City Hall to oppose a proposed private prison in their neighborhood.
The zoning changes were suggested by the city not because of the prison plan, but in response to a New Hampshire Supreme Court ruling on the city's rejection of a proposed half-way house. It identified holes in Manchester's zoning on this issue and the Planning Department suggested naming an area where these buildings could go and setting up a vetting process for the planning board.
The proposed zoning would limit prisons and half-way houses to industrial zones. They could not be built near schools, churches, parks or places where children congregate, such as the YMCA. The aldermen voted to send the proposal to the Committee on Bills on Second Reading for review.
The discussion raised questions about the Hackett Hill prison proposal, now being pursued by Developer Richard Danais of Danais Realty Group. He is now in talks with Management and Training Corporation, a private prison management firm, about building a private prison on the 100-acre plot Danais purchased from the city last year. Nothing has been submitted to the state, said Danais.
Management and Training Corporation said part of its decision to submit a plan to the state is based on local reception to the idea. There were about 25 residents of the neighborhood at Tuesday's meeting in opposition to the project.
John Toole, who lives in the neighborhood, presented the aldermen with a petition opposing a prison. It bore the names of 155 residents.
“We object because a prison could expose us to public safety worries in the event of escapes, cause home buyers to reject our neighborhood or offer us less money, in the way they avoid neighborhoods near the airport or a dump, and because the prison might discourage people from using the Hackett Hill conservation area,” said Toole, speaking on behalf of the residents. “Siting a prison on Hackett Hill will discourage economic development long envisioned for this area that would yield more jobs, higher-paying ones and greater tax revenue — benefits for the whole community for generations to come.”
It has been estimated the prison could bring the city $2 million in annual tax revenue.
David Cornell, who also serves on the Board of Assessors, pointed to previous plans to build high-tech businesses in this area, he said.
“Eventually the economy will get better and we will have a nice, long-term financial engine for the city with that property,” Cornell said. “Now is not the time to abandon our vision for that property.”
Hackett Hill resident Ish Chitakunye told the aldermen he visited 10 other states before deciding to settle his family in Manchester because of the high quality of life.
“I don't understand why a prison can be built in an environment where there are so many people and so much traffic,” said Chitakunye. “Let's come up with other projects that make a lot of sense.”
The zoning changes were suggested by the city not because of the prison plan, but in response to a New Hampshire Supreme Court ruling on the city's rejection of a proposed half-way house. It identified holes in Manchester's zoning on this issue and the Planning Department suggested naming an area where these buildings could go and setting up a vetting process for the planning board.
The proposed zoning would limit prisons and half-way houses to industrial zones. They could not be built near schools, churches, parks or places where children congregate, such as the YMCA. The aldermen voted to send the proposal to the Committee on Bills on Second Reading for review.
The discussion raised questions about the Hackett Hill prison proposal, now being pursued by Developer Richard Danais of Danais Realty Group. He is now in talks with Management and Training Corporation, a private prison management firm, about building a private prison on the 100-acre plot Danais purchased from the city last year. Nothing has been submitted to the state, said Danais.
Management and Training Corporation said part of its decision to submit a plan to the state is based on local reception to the idea. There were about 25 residents of the neighborhood at Tuesday's meeting in opposition to the project.
John Toole, who lives in the neighborhood, presented the aldermen with a petition opposing a prison. It bore the names of 155 residents.
“We object because a prison could expose us to public safety worries in the event of escapes, cause home buyers to reject our neighborhood or offer us less money, in the way they avoid neighborhoods near the airport or a dump, and because the prison might discourage people from using the Hackett Hill conservation area,” said Toole, speaking on behalf of the residents. “Siting a prison on Hackett Hill will discourage economic development long envisioned for this area that would yield more jobs, higher-paying ones and greater tax revenue — benefits for the whole community for generations to come.”
It has been estimated the prison could bring the city $2 million in annual tax revenue.
David Cornell, who also serves on the Board of Assessors, pointed to previous plans to build high-tech businesses in this area, he said.
“Eventually the economy will get better and we will have a nice, long-term financial engine for the city with that property,” Cornell said. “Now is not the time to abandon our vision for that property.”
Hackett Hill resident Ish Chitakunye told the aldermen he visited 10 other states before deciding to settle his family in Manchester because of the high quality of life.
“I don't understand why a prison can be built in an environment where there are so many people and so much traffic,” said Chitakunye. “Let's come up with other projects that make a lot of sense.”