Mayor James J. Fiorentini > Press Release

April 28, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

City Hosts Developers Conference with Congress for New Urbanism
Merrimack Street as Development Showcase

HAVERHILL- Mayor James J. Fiorentini announced that the City of Haverhill has joined with the New England Chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism in hosting a Developers Conference on Wednesday, April 29 at 10AM-2PM at the Pentucket Bank Community Room at 1 Merrimack Street in downtown Haverhill. This conference is being co-sponsored by the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission.

The conference will feature panelists from across New England and elsewhere to discuss new urbanist principles, with a targeted focus on Merrimack Street in Haverhill as a backdrop for post-urban renewal strategies. The panelists will explore new ideas for Merrimack Street, Stevens Street and other parts of the City that the Mayor is seeking to redevelop. There will be a walking tour associated with the event along with several design and lecture periods.

“I am excited to be partnering in this unique event with some of New England’s leading and most progressive planners and developers,” stated Mayor Fiorentini. “Starting with the old Woolworth Building and extending down Merrimack Street, there’s a great deal that can be imagined and envisioned to redevelop this area into something exciting and fresh, and that’s what the planners and developers intend to do, to practice their principles using Haverhill as the template.”

“I am hopeful that the New Urbanist vision will help develop a new Merrimack Street that has tremendous economic development potential, connecting people to the River and with walkable smart-growth features,” added the Mayor.

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) is the leading organization promoting walkable, neighborhood-based development as an alternative to sprawl. CNU members are the planners, developers, architects, engineers, public officials, investors, and community activists who create and influence our built environment, transforming growth patterns from the inside out. New urbanists are providing leadership in community building. New Urbanists do more than just talk about the problems of the built environment. Together, they are creating tools that make it easier to put New Urbanism into practice around the world.