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The Livable Nashua Plan
The Livable Nashua Plan is the City’s roadmap to a livable, resilient, and sustainable future for everyone. To meet the long-term goals of the City’s Master Plan, Livable Nashua will define the short-term actions that the City will take to meet the challenges of climate change head-on and create a thriving community.
Focus Areas
What's in the Plan?
Ensuring a high quality of life for everyone in Nashua means creating accessible green spaces, reducing waste, expanding public transit options, and so much more.
Goals, strategies, and actions in the Livable Nashua Plan relate to five areas of everyday life:
- Clean Energy & Efficient Buildings
- Resilient & Healthy Community
- Smart Waste & Water Management
- Sustainable Transportation & Land Use
- Thriving Natural Resources
Track Our Progress
The table below outlines the actions we will take to create a more sustainable and resilient community.
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
EB 1.1.A | Pursue a variety of finance mechanisms to develop a “one-stop shop” model for whole-home retrofits for affordability, resilience, and health. | Medium | |
EB 1.1.B | Launch a residential and commercial energy coaching program. | Short | |
EB 1.1.C | Create incentives to encourage the development of renewable energy systems and high-performing buildings by updating the Land Use Code to permit density bonuses or similar incentives. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
EB 1.2.A | Develop a municipal facilities improvement roadmap that prioritizes electric, high-efficiency buildings. | Short | |
EB 1.2.B | Strengthen City procurement policies to require purchase of energy efficient appliances and technologies at time of replacement. | Short | |
EB 1.2.C | Designate Nashua’s existing Energy Fund as a resource for financing municipal decarbonization retrofits, supported by electric vehicle charging revenue, energy efficiency rebates, grants, etc. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
EB 2.1.A | Advocate to the State to improve the enabling statutes for local renewable energy development. | Short | |
EB 2.1.B | Prioritize solar installations and battery storage on City-owned parking lots and garages, particularly during renovations and reconstruction projects, where feasible. | Short | |
EB 2.1.C | Update Land Use Code to permit rooftop solar energy systems by-right in certain zoning districts and explore requirements for rooftop solar readiness as part of the site plan review process. | Short | |
EB 2.1.D | Increase the Community Power Program's reserve funds to invest in local renewable energy projects. | Medium | |
EB 2.1.E | Launch Nashua Solarize 2.0, a campaign to encourage community members to install solar, and a battery bulk-purchasing campaign to increase affordability of battery systems. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
EB 2.2.A | Install a series of microgrids at critical municipal facilities throughout the city. | Long | |
EB 2.2.B | Coordinate with utilities and peer cities to advocate for grid updates to support increased electrification. | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
RH 1.1.A | Host educational climate preparedness workshops and trainings for a variety of community members, including renters and business owners. | Short | |
RH 1.1.B | Create and promote a centralized multi-language online resource hub with resources on emergency preparedness, climate-ready homes, public health, etc. | Short | |
RH 1.1.C | Establish resilience hubs through the Greater Nashua VOAD to support residents and coordinate resource distribution and services before, during, or after natural hazard events. | Medium | |
RH 1.1.D | Partner with local and regional health facilities to create a process for collecting and analyzing all climate-related emergency data (illness/death from flooding, heat, poor air quality, etc.). | Short | |
RH 1.1.E | Launch a local air quality monitoring network to provide residents with local air quality information that supplements state-level data. | Short | |
RH 1.1.F | Conduct an outreach campaign targeting residents and businesses to improve understanding of flood risk, including flood insurance information, flood prevention measures, information for prospective buyers on flood risk, etc. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
RH 1.2.A | Leverage existing partnerships with local and regional institutions, nonprofits, and local businesses to formalize emergency communications processes and facilitate funding opportunities. | Medium | |
RH 1.2.B | Launch a "cool block" pilot program to install features such as white roofs, lighter pavement, and shade trees in neighborhoods and new developments across the city to reduce the urban heat island effect. | Medium | |
RH 1.2.C | Install back-up power (e.g., solar+storage, battery storage) at critical City-owned facilities and develop a generator asset management plan. | Long | |
RH 1.2.D | Develop a comprehensive Flood Mitigation Strategy that considers both current flood hazards and future flood risks. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
RH 2.1.A | Create and maintain an inventory of publicly owned land and assess its suitability for new affordable housing. | Medium | |
RH 2.1.B | Expand staff capacity to oversee the Housing Trust Fund and evaluate housing policy with a focus on long-term housing goals. | Short | |
RH 2.1.C | Conduct outreach to low-income residents to encourage them to participate in Nashua's Housing Improvement Program and receive funding for climate-ready home improvements, such as electrification, renewable energy, and energy and water efficiency upgrades. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
WW 1.1.A | Amend the City’s procurement policy to include centralized guidelines for purchasing reusable, recycled, and refurbished products and materials. | Short | |
WW 1.1.B | Implement a phased paper reduction program that encourages online or digital application processes and document storage where feasible. | Short | |
WW 1.1.C | Reduce the use and sale of single-use plastics and polystyrene in municipal facilities, schools, and stadiums, and offer alternatives, such as water bottle refilling stations and reusable products. | Medium | |
WW 1.1.D | Create and launch an educational campaign to educate City staff and stakeholders about new initiatives and policies that aim to reduce municipal waste. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
WW 1.2.A | Partner with local organizations to host repair and reuse workshops. | Medium | |
WW 1.2.B | Partner with local organizations to launch a campaign to reduce food waste. | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
WW 2.1.A | Update Land Use Code to require new developments to provide space and infrastructure for recycling. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
WW 3.1.A | When updating City facilities, retrofit existing municipal facilities and adopt standards for water-efficient appliances and faucets for all municipal buildings and schools. | Short | |
WW 3.1.B | Track water consumption at the municipal building level and share data publicly to educate staff and encourage conservation. | Medium | |
WW 3.1.C | Create standards for maintaining municipal landscaping that reduce outdoor water use through installing rain barrels, drip irrigation, native and drought-tolerant plantings, etc. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
WW 3.2.A | Continue to identify areas within the City’s combined sewer overflow (CSO) system where separation can be achieved, particularly in those areas where overflows occur. | Long | |
WW 3.2.B | Create and disseminate outreach materials to educate community members about Nashua’s CSO system and how to minimize fats, oils, and grease (FOG) in sewer lines. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
TL 1.1.A | Create and formalize a municipal Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Purchasing Policy that considers operational requirements of vehicles and availability of suitable models at time of replacement. | Long | |
TL 1.1.B | Incorporate electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure into capital projects and significant maintenance work at municipal parking facilities. | Short | |
TL 1.1.C | Study and assess the feasibility of electrifying the City's school bus, transit, and other heavy-duty vehicles. | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
TL 1.2.A | Update Land Use Code to require new developments of a scale to be EV-ready. | Short | |
TL 1.2.B | Host workshops and events to educate the community about EVs and connect them with resources. | Short | |
TL 1.2.C | Continue to work with local- and state-level officials to encourage EV adoption and remove barriers to ownership. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
TL 2.1.A | Create and launch a City-wide marketing campaign to promote transit services and encourage ridership, particularly around City Hall, along major transportation corridors, and downtown. | Medium | |
TL 2.1.B | Update Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Overlay District to set a minimum density standard. | Short | |
TL 2.1.C | Expand e-scooter program to include bikeshare options to encourage active modes of transportation. | Short | |
TL 2.1.D | Adopt a Complete Streets Policy and Guidance for how it can be implemented across the City. | Short | |
TL 2.1.E | Research and consider the adoption of a city-wide mode-shift goal. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
NR 1.1.A | Using Nashua's Natural Resources Inventory, identify parcels of land with high natural resource, flood storage, or recreational value and pursue funding to acquire and preserve them as open space. | Medium | |
NR 1.1.B | Seek out public-private partnerships to fund the installation of permanent conservation protections for priority source waters and surrounding areas. | Long | |
NR 1.1.C | Identify a sustainable funding stream for the City's Conservation Commission and explore adopting an Open Space Impact Fee to support future enhancements. | Long | |
NR 1.1.D | Review and update the Conservation Subdivision Ordinance as part of the City's update to the Land Use Code. | Short |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
NR 2.1.A | Work through the Parks and Recreation Department to develop a comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan that identifies the community's recreational needs, long-term maintenance requirements of parkland and amenities, and funding opportunities. | Medium | |
NR 2.1.B | Provide recreational opportunities for residents of all ages and abilities through investing in universal design retrofits to playgrounds and upgrading appropriate trails for ADA accessibility. | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
NR 3.1.A | Inventory and evaluate existing municipal green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and incorporate additional best management practices (BMPs) into future capital projects and significant maintenance work on City properties. | Long | |
NR 3.1.B | Regularly audit and update stormwater management regulations based on state and federal best practices. | Medium | |
NR 3.1.C | Conduct outreach to owners of private stormwater systems annually and develop a GIS-based system for tracking compliance with ongoing maintenance and operations requirements. | Medium | |
NR 3.1.D | Create and administer an incentive program and Best Management Practices (BMP) Guide for residential property owners to encourage the use of green infrastructure throughout the city. | Medium |
| Action | Description | Timeline | Status |
NR 3.2.A | Launch education campaign to promote sustainable landscaping practices, proper tree maintenance, invasive species identification and management, and the protection of wetland buffers among residents, businesses, and municipal staff. | Short | |
NR 3.2.B | Conduct a street tree inventory and management plan that prioritizes enhancing tree canopy in the Main Street Corridor and neighborhoods with high heat vulnerability. | Medium |
Creating the Plan
Engaging Staff and the Community
Livable Nashua is a joint effort across City departments, stakeholder organizations, and residents. Involving City staff and the broader community was crucial to developing the Livable Nashua Plan to understand and incorporate their diverse priorities, concerns, and ideas for how the City can lead on climate action.
Did You Know?
The Livable Nashua Plan has been recognized for its innovative approach to sustainability and resilience planning. The Argonne National Laboratory, a leading science and engineering research center, has highlighted the plan as a case study on its Resilience Resource Gateway. This platform serves as a valuable resource for communities seeking to build resilience and better adapt to climate change. The Livable Nashua Plan, which focuses on municipal policies and procedures to create a more sustainable local government, while examining how these policies impact the community, has garnered national attention for its approach to addressing environmental and social challenges.
