Harrison Thorp 6:54 a.m.
Thursday, August 25, 2022 6:54 am

The yellow portion with red lines denotes the area proposed for zoning change to downtown commercial (City graphic)

ROCHESTER - A wide swath of downtown acreage that stretches along the banks of the Cocheco River from north of Chestnut Street to the corner of Portland and Charles streets will likely soon be part of the downtown commercial zoning, paving the way for additional mixed use development similar to the Scenic Salinger project on the other side of the river.
Rochester's planning board voted unanimously on Monday to send the change of zoning request to the City Council for scheduling of a public hearing and vote as early as next month.
The east to west expansion is widest in the area of the former St. Elizabeth Seton School and the Wyandotte Falls complex adjacent to Congress Street.
The city's economic development director said the change from R2 to DC (downtown commercial) would allow for additional development in the city's more-dense urban center similar to other projects on North and South Main and Hanson Street.
Scala said the proximity to the Cocheco River and basin will likely attract developers. He said he looked ahead to the possibility of taking out some of the dams and allowing for unobstructed kayaking and canoeing through that portion of the downtown.
"It's a unique area that we haven't fully utilized yet and I would like to somehow make it (Cocheco River) navigable (for kayaks)," Scala added. "I'd love to have the Riverwalk extend down there."