The Ridge Phase 2 concerns include Route 11 traffic, lack of green space

A conceptual rendering of some of the Phase 2 construction that is proposed at The Ridge (Images provided by Waterstone)

ROCHESTER - While many Rochester residents are excited about the prospects of new entertainment options at The Ridge's mixed-used development, concerns about Route 11 traffic dominated a public hearing that followed a presentation by Waterstone during a planning board meeting on Monday.
Josh Levy, co-founder and principal at Waterstone, said they are in serious talks with three movie theater chains and fully expects that they will reach a deal with one of them.
"We are getting close," Levy said. "It's the number one business requested for Phase 2."

Conceptual rendering of part of proposed Phase 2

A engineer working for Waterstone said that they have given a full traffic analysis to the city, that has been passed on to DOT, and they expect additional widening of Route 11 along with multiple turning lanes situated throughout the area will help to mitigate congestion.
Still concerns were raised by several Rochester residents who said it can be a nightmare for someone to turn toward Rochester from places like the Granite Steak House or Rochester Motorsports. Others noted that on a Friday afternoon traffic is backed up onto the Spaulding Turnpike at the Route 11 exit heading north.
Levy said the 216 housing unite would comprise mostly studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and that in similar housing projects he's seen developed locally, there have been just 3-7 children in those projects.

First developed area at right is Market Basket location in Phase 1

"There's been a concern that housing like this would be a drain on school resources, but we just haven't seen that," he said. "When we've done these types of projects, we've expected they would all be millennials, but it's been everything from a couple with no children, to two income families to empty nesters looking to downsize."
Another concerns was the lack of green space in Phase II, which showed just one large area in front of the L-shaped entertainment building, which might also include a bowling alley and vintage arcade. Levy also said they are in negotiations with a national fitness center and that a craft beer establishment is also "coming soon."
A third concern raised by multiple planning board members and the public was that the architectural nuance of the many of the buildings in Phase II speak "nothing of Rochester" and its rich history.
Levy noted that this was just a preliminary conceptual rendering of what Phase 2 would look like and that Waterstone is happy to go back and see what fixes can be addressed with regard to traffic, green space and the architecture that is presented.
Rochester Mayor Paul Callaghan said on Tuesday during a City Council meeting that the traffic concerns will be taken care of by 2025 when Phase II is expected to be up and running. The work modernizing Route 11 will be done using a Rochester-State of New Hampshire partnership with the state covering 80 percent of the cost.
Levy said Waterstone is very excited about doing something with Phase II "that we can all be proud of."
He also said he envisioned more green space behind Phase I, with recreational trails and maybe a zipline, and trails that would cross to the north side of Route 11 that would connect to the Riverwalk downtown.
He also noted that The Ridge including Walmart is outperforming the Crossings in Newington and that The Ridge including Walmart racked up five million visits in 2022.
"We're outperforming The Crossings and that used to be the benchmark," he said. "We're among the top three in New Hampshire."