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By Jonathan Phelps

New Hampshire Union Leader

Following neighborhood pushback, the organizers behind a proposed nonprofit community center on the West Side of Manchester are vowing to work closely with neighbors as part of the ongoing planning.

The group says it has sought feedback since planning started in November.

A neighborhood meeting last week drew residents worried about lack of notice and who were generally opposed to developing land near the Gossler Park Elementary School and Parkside Middle School.

The $17 million center is expected to be between 30,000 and 40,000 square feet.

“It has always been our intention to work closely with the local community and address any issues, now and in the future. We appreciate the honest candor area residents have expressed publicly and we are committed to working through all the feedback we have received,” a statement from the group reads.

The Board of Mayor and Alderman will consider selling 4.15 acres eyed for the project for $600,000 on Tuesday night. The request by the Mark Stebbins Community Center, a nonprofit, is only seeking permission to purchase the land from the city, according to a statement from the group.

“If that happens, we will have multiple avenues for public and neighborhood input as we move forward with the planning,” the statement reads. “This will include holding workshops for programming, building and site design; creating a design review committee with representatives from the neighborhood, city, and those receiving services.”

The public will also have a chance to weigh in at zoning and planning board meetings.

About 100 people attended the July 11 meeting at Parkside Middle School. Although several said they supported the project, the majority of those living near the planned location of the building voiced opposition, including pointing out that traffic already backs up in the neighborhood because of the schools.

Jill Thompson said the group hasn’t “been neighborly with us” during its planning.

The group has held three public meetings, placed flyers at more than a dozen local businesses and sent a survey in April in 10 languages. Advertisements looking for input on the project have been placed in local media outlets.

“We feel strongly that the community center can only function with the support and input from West Side residents,” the group wrote.

The center would be named after the late Mark Stebbins, CEO of the state’s largest architectural construction firm, who died in June 2021 at 67.

The Boys & Girls Club and Amoskeag Health are slated to be the primary users.

Stebbins was chairman and CEO of PROCON, a Hooksett design-build firm. He also owned XSS Hotels, Stebbins Commercial Properties, Monarch Communities and Coolcore.

For more information visit markstebbinscommunitycenter. org.

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