Hotel, Restaurants Among Incoming Businesses

Community Development Director Tim Thompson has a sunny outlook on the future of Merrimack's business climate, but he knows there is still a ways to go.

With the arrival of the Merrimack Premium Outlets on the horizon – a shopping center that is bringing big business to town – there are several other projects in the works that give Thompson a reason to be optimistic.

“I think the outlet mall is really the catalyst, at least for the southern and central parts of Merrimack,” Thompson said. “But really, we have yet to see what sort of opportunities will come from having the airport access road at the north end of town ... With that, I think that land becomes more attractive up there as well.”

There's already some movement in town that's showing promise, Thompson said. Roedel Companies, the owners of Holiday Inn Express, are preparing to renovate the old Fairfield Inn behind Burger King on Continental Boulevard and he believes are looking to open sometime in the next six to 10 months.

Last week a sign went up at the old Silver Maple Restaurant announcing the impending arrival of the Pacific Fusion Restaurant and Bar, a Chinese and Japanese restaurant that Building Inspector Rick Jones said is currently being renovated to include a sushi bar and reflect a new and updated look.

Shaolin Adapting Fist Kung Fu owner Nate Tupper said he's excited to see a restaurant replace his former neighbor, but he's been lucky in that his business has remained steady even in the absence of much other business in that plaza. But he wouldn't be opposed to the rest of the mall filling out and adding some foot traffic past his studio.

Tupper, who moved his business from a shared space with a yoga studio in Nashua about a year ago, said he works a day job, but some added business would allow him to step away from that day job and teach martial arts full time.

Sweet Ginger, a Thai restaurant proposed to fill out the plaza that includes the liquor store, received conditional site plan approval from the planning board in January, Thompson said, and Concord-based Nanocomp Technologies and Washington-based Puget Sound International are both preparing to move into parts of the old Nashua Corp. building on the southern end of Daniel Webster Highway.

And despite the fact that Atrium Medical Corp. recently withdrew its application to build a 300,000- to 400,000-square-foot facility, the company still intends to bring its business to town, but is looking now to renovate an existing space in place of constructing a new one.

Even with all that, like many other communities around the state, and the country for that matter, the economy has taken a toll and there are dozens of former store fronts and commercial spaces that remain vacant in Merrimack.

“The two obvious ones are Zyla's and the old Shaw's,” Thompson said as a way of pointing out a couple of the places the town would really like to see some new life.

The good news is Shaw's is relinquishing the lease it's held on the old store for the last five years when it expires in May, opening up the potential there. Zyla's, which was up for an auction in October, and again in November, that was called off due to a potential buyer, is unfortunately stalled again after Thompson said the buyer walked away from the sale before it was finalized.

“One of the things we encouraged this prospective buyer to do would be to hold a design charrette for the property, just to hold a community meeting, invite people together just to sort of brainstorm what the best ideas people had for what could be used for the site,” Thompson said. “They've been used successfully all over the state.”

Thompson said he hopes the continuation of the master plan process, which still has a year to go before completion, will allow the town to identify places in town where such a study could be implemented.

While the town would like to see those bigger spaces filled, Thompson said the smaller retail spaces in the strips are probably the bigger challenge, due to the age of the buildings and the simple fact that the economy has been difficult for the businesses that tend to fill those spaces.

“The economy has been very hard on small businesses and although it's improving it's still been a tough road for communities with strips like that,” Thompson said. “But I don't see Merrimack as being unusual in that regard.”

Thompson said he thinks there's an opportunity for complimentary businesses to come in once the outlets open, and for that matter, a Dunkin' Donuts has already approached the town about building on the corner of Industrial Drive and Continental Boulevard, he said.

They should be before the planning board within the next few meetings. And Thompson said he can see potential for some off-site restaurants and increased business at places in town like the Common Man and Homestead Restaurant and Tavern.

“I can really see and sense that just based on the uptick in the number of applications we're seeing at the planning board, even with small businesses and redevelopments, we're at least starting to see more of an interest in town,” Thompson said. “I really think there are really great opportunities in the southern end of town as well as up near the airport access road.”