Keene looks to spur housing ideas for Gilbo Avenue

If Plan N.H. approves a request, the community sessions could be held in the spring.

Keene is taking another step toward reshaping Gilbo Avenue, this time by seeking outside help to guide a public planning process focused on housing and mixed-use development.

Earlier this month, the city asked Plan N.H. to host two-day design sessions that would bring together residents, city officials and development professionals to sketch out possibilities for the corridor. The meetings would be part of Keene’s broader effort to better connect the area with downtown and turn it into a more active urban district.

The application described the site as an underused stretch of land that could be converted into a neighborhood with more housing options, stronger support for nearby businesses and better ties to the city center. On Tuesday, the city also sent letters of support from the City Council and Planning Board to the nonprofit.

If Plan N.H. approves the request, which Senior Planner Mari Brunner said could happen next month, the community sessions could be held in the spring.

The nonprofit organizes events known as design charrettes, in which a community works with planning experts to identify what it wants from a particular site. The process usually leads to ideas and recommendations for how an area could be redeveloped.

Keene sees the effort as one way to help address its housing shortage. A 2023 study found the city would need about 1,400 additional units by 2032 if population levels stay steady. Officials say Gilbo Avenue could help by making use of parcels that are currently underused and by adding more variety to the city’s housing stock.

The street is already zoned for redevelopment that could include homes, retail space, public gathering areas and other uses intended to breathe new life into the corridor. The city is not planning to build directly on the lots itself, Brunner said in an email, but it has been trying to encourage private development through incentive programs, faster permitting, grants and land code changes.

Brunner said a charrette could strengthen that work by showing support from the public and signaling to developers that the city is prepared to be a partner in future projects.

Plan N.H. charges about $6,500 for the program, though that fee can be waived for Housing Champion communities. Keene received that designation in 2024.

Gilbo Avenue has long been the subject of redevelopment ideas. Over the past several years, the city has explored a parking garage there, a local arts nonprofit has promoted the area as an arts corridor, and Keene State College architecture students have drawn housing concepts for the site. Aside from a solar pavilion planned for next year, however, little has moved forward.

Support for the latest idea has also come from resident Ken Kost, a planning board member who introduced the charrette concept to city officials. He has argued that the corridor is still unfinished and could benefit from mixed-use development with both market-rate and lower-cost housing. He also sees it as a way to bring in more residents, extend downtown and increase the tax base.