Lyme Road Village Center Study

Hanover's 2003 Master Plan calls for the establishment of two Village Centers for mixed commercial and residential uses at high residential densities in order to promote housing diversity and affordability and facilitate increased use of non-automobile commuting. Village Centers are envisioned to be the locations which would accommodate much of the town's new population growth in the future. Because of their densities, a variety of housing sizes, types, and prices would be feasible. Village Centers should be internally integrated and coherent, each with its own distinctive sense of place, while they should also relate to and respect the natural and community assets and the character of developed areas and neighborhoods existing within their surroundings.

Village Centers should be organized around a common, which would act as a focal point and visual and functional anchor for the Village Center. In order to strengthen its attributes as a focal point and anchor, the Common should be ringed by landmark buildings, of distinctive and inclusive design, containing as possible neighborhood commercial uses supportive to the residents of the Village Center, institutions, and public buildings, as well as public transit shelters and other amenities.

Each Village Center should also contain significant open space and provide usable connections into the town-wide trail and open space system. Regulations setting forth parameters for approvals of construction projects in Village Centers should contain strong provisions and criteria for design quality and appropriateness to the natural and built environment, and for controlling noise and light impacts.

One of these Village Centers would be known as Centerra North and would be located just east of Route 120 adjacent to Lebanon's Centerra Park. Planning work has not yet begun that would implement this concept.

The other Village Center is called "Dresden Village" in the Master Plan, and is located along Lyme Road (Route 10) between Reservoir Road and Kendal. Because of the decision to locate the new Richmond Middle School in that area and in recognition of considerable interest by some landowners for new residential and commercial development and redevelopment, the Planning Board decided to focus on this village center. Beginning with a series of public meetings held by the Planning Board in early 2003, a task force was formed by residential neighbors and representatives of businesses and institutions in that area, which the task force renamed "Lyme Road Village Center."

Based on over a year of intensive study and discussion the task force recommended streetscape improvements, which are now being constructed between the two roundabouts, and a comprehensive rezoning, which was adopted by Town Meeting in 2006 and which is described in their final report.

Read the full text of the study (PDF).