Who fills the potholes on Railroad Square Road? According to the final report from this spring's Plan New Hampshire design charrette, nobody is quite sure. The community leaders who spoke with the design team described "confusion over whose responsibility it is to maintain the roads," and said private property owners have been doing much of the paving, drainage and pothole work themselves.
The report's boardwalk, roundabout and parking deck all depend on that question being answered. Plan NH released the final report on September 25, 2026. The town's first official follow-up has been small: the Planning Board encouraged members to review the report, and a town committee talked about low-cost fixes. The report is built that way on purpose, and here's why.
The strip between Main Street and the Pemi
The Town of Plymouth's Railroad Square project page defines the study area as the land between Main Street and the Pemi, running north to the Rotary Amphitheater and south to the Skate Park. On their walking tour, the design team noted:
- The Plymouth Regional Senior Center
- The Rotary Amphitheater at Riverside Park, with the public cartop and carry-in boat launch beside it
- An informal outdoor art installation area
- The Plymouth Skate + Bike Park, along with sanctioned "free walls" for graffiti art
- A large retention pond at the northeast corner of US 3/NH 25 and Railroad Square Road
- A cluster of thrift stores run by Bridge House
- Parking lots at 36 Main Street and Chase Street
Public input came from 146 people: 91 survey responses and 55 in-person responses collected by the Plymouth Economic Development Committee in the two months before the charrette. They listed the river, the Senior Center, local businesses and the Skate Park as strengths. They also named something any local driver already knows: Railroad Square works as an alternate route for cars, bikes and people to get around Main Street when traffic backs up.
The complaints were about condition. People cited walking routes in poor shape, little signage, poor upkeep of pavement and plantings, and almost no benches or picnic tables. Community leaders added confusing traffic flow, streets known by more than one name, an occasional odor many blamed on the wastewater treatment plant, too little parking during popular events, speeding, and water that pools after storms. The report also says community members didn't know where in the Railroad Square area they were allowed to go.
The road question sits under everything
The transportation section of the report doesn't start with a design. It starts by telling the town to research and settle the classification of the roads in the area before developing Railroad Square at all. Once the status of Railroad Square Road is confirmed, it becomes clear who handles maintenance and right-of-way, plus drainage, sewer lines, pavement and signs. The report gives one possibility as an example: a "Class V Highway Easement" over land owned by abutters. It asks that whatever the town finds be written down for future reference.
Paving comes after that. The team sketched Railroad Square Road between the business district and US 3/NH 25 with two 11-foot travel lanes, roughly 15 on-street parking spaces, and a new sidewalk that would make a walking loop back to Main Street. The report says closed drainage work and a geotechnical study of the roadbed have to come before any paving.
Sidewalks are the same kind of problem. The sidewalk along US 3/NH 25 stops about 800 feet north of the Railroad Square Road intersection. The report recommends finishing it to the Skate Park and suggests a single-lane roundabout at that intersection, which now works as a T with a stop sign on the side street.
What the report sketches, and what each piece is waiting on
Plan NH puts the limits of the report plainly. Its charrette results are "general and overarching planning and design recommendations, rather than specific directions," and "Plan NH does not dictate, but suggests." The full report has no schedule, no cost estimates and no one assigned to carry out any of it. Here are the major ideas next to what the report itself says has to come first.
| Idea | Where | What the report puts ahead of it |
|---|---|---|
| Accessible boardwalk tied to the Heritage Trail, built to withstand periodic flooding | Along the Pemi | A phased approach matched to community priorities and available funding |
| River overlook, playground by the stage, fishing pier, launch upgrades, lighting, restroom | Rotary Amphitheater and Senior Center | The same phased, funding-paced approach |
| Paved Railroad Square Road with a sidewalk loop | Business district to US 3/NH 25 | Settling the road's classification, then drainage and a geotechnical study |
| Single-lane roundabout and finished sidewalk | Railroad Square Road at US 3/NH 25 | Clarity on road responsibilities |
| Two-story deck with about 70 to 80 spaces | 36 Main Street, across from the Flying Monkey | A deal with the owner, Mid-State Community Development Corporation |
| Infrastructure financed through a connected TIF district | Commercial zones linked by Highland Street | Starting improvements only once bond payment is assured |
The parking deck is a good example of how far off some of these are. The 36 Main Street lot isn't the town's. The report lists the options the town would weigh: leasing the land, buying it, setting aside spaces for the CDC or a future owner, or sharing parking revenue. It also asks that the pedestrian staircase from the upper neighborhood down to Main Street be kept.
Other ideas reach further. They include making Depot Street two-way, a possible small deck on Chase Street for merchant parking, and a mixed-use building at 5 Main Street/32 Railroad Square Road with retail on the ground floor and loft units above. The report also floats zoning tools like a Housing Opportunity Zone or a form-based code to encourage village-scale infill, which matches what residents said about keeping the downtown look. Each of these would need its own decisions by the town before anything happened.
Small first is the report's own advice
The road and the deck wait on agreements. Another part of the report needs almost nothing, and the report treats it as the opening step. It describes "activation" as small events and activities that bring people into an underused area. One stated aim is to fix that problem of people not knowing where they're allowed to go. Seasonal events, it says, would let the town "test ideas and build community interest before making larger, long-term investments."
The examples will sound familiar to anyone who uses the riverfront now. The report notes how popular summer tubing and kayaking already are, and suggests a regatta, railbike service nearby, summer movie nights at the amphitheater, and winter bonfires. Later ideas include an indoor farmers market at the Plymouth Regional Senior Center, an outdoor climbing wall behind the Flying Monkey, and an outdoor classroom about the Pemigewasset watershed.
Some recommendations are just paperwork. The report asks the town to make the amphitheater request and permit process as clear as possible, because community members said they didn't know how it works or what kinds of events are allowed. It also asks for a review of the barriers facing temporary businesses such as food trucks and pop-ups. Anyone who has thought about booking the amphitheater for an event knows why that one made the list.
Where it stands heading into November
So far, the timeline shows town government following the report's logic and starting with the cheap pieces.
- May 29 and 30, 2026. Plan NH held the charrette with the town and presented early concepts at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, at the Plymouth Regional Senior Center. The town's $6,500 program fee was waived because Plymouth holds a Housing Opportunities Planning grant.
- September 25. Plan NH released the final report.
- October 1. At the Planning Board meeting, staff reported that the final report had arrived, and members were encouraged to review it. The minutes show no decision about carrying it out.
- October 13. According to the Select Board's draft minutes, the Economic Development Committee discussed next steps after the charrette and pedestrian access near the amphitheater, the Pleasant Street extension and Yamas. Ideas included planters, painted pedestrian markings and other relatively low-cost improvements. The committee had suggested revising amphitheater rental fees to help pay for improvements. The Town Manager recommended first bringing together business owners and representatives from Highway, Planning, Economic Development and Beautification to agree on a shared approach, and no fee action was taken.
- October 15 and 26. The Planning Board agenda focused on reviewing responses to the Master Plan request for proposals and the consultant-selection process, and the Select Board agenda had no charrette item.
That Master Plan update is a separate process on a longer timeline. The same October 13 minutes note that consulting money may be needed in 2027 and that completion is expected in 2028. For now, the changes actually on the table near the amphitheater, the Pleasant Street extension and Yamas are planters and painted pedestrian markings.
I'll keep following Railroad Square as the town works through these next steps, the same way I covered the new ownership at the Flying Monkey and how Plymouth's two main streets are changing. If you own a home near downtown and wonder how a riverfront this close to your street fits into what your place is worth, Juli Kelley is happy to talk it through. You can start with a free home valuation, or browse more on Plymouth.
