WINDHAM - A sluggish national economy hasn't derailed Windham's economic development.

The town was ranked 23rd out of the top 50 centers of commerce in a May 2012 report published by the New Hampshire Employment Security Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau.

The results are fueled by a more forward-looking view by town officials, said Bob Young, chairman of the Windham Economic Development Committee.
“In the last few years there's been a positive effort to improve the economy in Windham,” Young said.

The Board of Selectmen made a choice to shift the focus of the Community Development Department to include economic development three and a half years ago when Community Development Director Laura Scott came on board, Scott said. The department had been primarily concerned with planning, zoning, and enforcement.

In 2010 the board established the WEDC as a town committee to provide advice on economic development matters. It had been a subcommittee of the Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce. The committee, made up of community members and business owners, presents strategies and goals, reviews zoning proposals, and conducts marketing outreach and education.

“Our intent is to make sure we communicate to all the stakeholders in town about economic development and take input about what the community wants in town,” Young said.

The WEDC took a survey at the end of 2010 to determine what direction residents wanted to take. Overall, participants preferred development in the southern end of Route 128, followed by the northern section of Route 128, and finally at the Route 93/111 intersection. Professional and medical businesses were the top preferences for development.

The targeted area is becoming more active as the I-93 widening draws to a close. Growth should continue as Exit 3 nears completion and the DOT releases parcels and uses land that was taken at the start of the project, Young said.

Survey results were also presented to town boards involved with planning and zoning.

“We've been very successful getting the message out about the data we collected,” Young said.

Beverly Donovan, a commercial real estate adviser and member of the WEDC, said having data about what the town wants and needs is huge help in conversing with potential developers and identifying supporting businesses.

“It makes my job so much easier to have that information,” Donovan said.

Donovan lists the new high school as one of the catalysts that sparked new interest in Windham.

People spending time in town while attending sporting events and tournaments are seeing what Windham has to offer, Donovan said.

“There are opportunities here that are very exciting to a lot of people,” Donovan said.

More and more businesses are showing an interest in coming to Windham, Scott said. Potential projects include smaller storefronts and expansions, the proposed Nault's Windham Motorcycles showroom expansion and Common Man Village proposals.

New businesses create a demand for supporting businesses such as restaurants, Scott said.

“It's a synergy, all working together,” Scott said. “It's wonderful to see that happen.”

Windham has long held a reputation as a bedroom community, and convincing business leaders to take a second look at the town is a challenging part of Scott's job.

“It's letting people know we are here, we're different, and we want businesses to come,” Scott said. “We welcome them.”

People can get frustrated with community development efforts because they look for immediate results instead of viewing it as a long-term investment. The process often involves investment, regulatory, and state issues that can take years, Scott said.

Community input is important to ensure that existing regulations still meet the evolving needs of residents, Scott said. The town recently formed a Village Center District Subcommittee to help create zoning recommendations for future development of the Village Center District.