A two day intensive planning charrette was held on April 12 and 13, 2024 with a focus on Sunapee Harbor. A charrette is a lively brainstorming session where a team of professionals come together with town officials, civic members and the public. Together, all participants help craft recommendations addressing possibilities for the future. This charrette builds on the initial workshop Plan NH completed in 2007. The recommendations from that exercise inspired in large part the preservation efforts for The Livery in Sunapee Harbor.
Thank you to all who attended the Sunapee Plan NH Charrette!
This presentation outlines their broad recommendations. A more detailed report will be submitted to the town in the next several months.
There will be several opportunities to comment on the attached as well as to participate in prioritization conversations.
Plan NH: Plan New Hampshire, The Foundation for Shaping the Built Environment (Plan NH) is a 501(c) 3 organization founded in 1989 when architects came together with an idea.
“This effort by Plan NH will allow the Town and the groups involved to collaborate on potential long range planning for the future of the Harbor and its surrounding environment. It will be a welcome aid to the Master Planning work that is underway.” Michael Marguise – Sunapee Town Planner
The scope of this effort will include planned landscaping of the original Riverwalk along the Sugar River which began in the early 1990’s, as well as pedestrian and vehicular traffic flows and approaches from Route 11 to the Harbor. It will also include a review of current structural configurations and explore future development.
The charrette is being funded by the Sunapee Heritage Alliance, the Town of Sunapee and the Sunapee Harbor Riverway Corp., while the Sunapee Historical Society, the Lake Sunapee Protective Association, and Project Sunapee, as well as other local organizations and businesses will assist with the planning and hosting.
What is a design charrette?
A Plan NH charrette brings together diverse professionals to brainstorm recommendations to address challenges a community faces. Over a two-day period, the team visits the “target area” (eg, downtown or significant neighborhood), talks with community leaders and members, and develops recommendations based on what they have seen and heard and also on their own professional knowledge of ideas and trends that could contribute to healthy and vibrant communities.
