Loudon Revs its Economic Engines

A race at NH Motor Speedway. Courtesy of NH Motor Speedway/Harold Hinson Photography

Already favored with a flourishing agricultural industry, multiple small businesses and a destination speedway that draws crowds in the tens of thousands, the town of Loudon is offering new incentives to attract even more commerce.

Within the last four years, the town has established a new Economic Development Committee, four Economic Revitalization Zones (with a fifth on the drawing board), a Chapter 79E Community Revitalization Tax Relief program and a Technical Review Committee to streamline the development application process.

“There’s some strong interest in using the tools that are available to the town to see what kind of sustainable development they can promote,” says Michael Tardiff, executive director of the Central NH Regional Planning Commission.

The town of 5,600, just northeast of Concord, has a strong agricultural tradition, carried on today by produce and tree farms like Meadow Ledge Farm, Pleasant View Gardens, Pearl & Sons Farm and D.S. Cole Growers.

Pleasant View Gardens in Loudon. Courtesy of NHMS/Vinny Orest.

“There’s not much you can get that isn’t grown locally,” says Jimmie Hinson, chair of the town’s Economic Development Committee.

Farms, adds Tardiff, are “a big part of what makes Loudon Loudon.” A relative newcomer to town, hydroponic lettuce grower Lēf Farms, is already set to expand its operations after its recent acquisition by New York-based BrightFarms, known for such greens as Sunny Crunch. Plans call for enlarging the greenhouse farm from just over one acre to 14 acres, all on the existing Route 106 site, with the project expected to begin this year.

Rendering of BrightFarms’ 14-acre growing hub. Courtesy photo.

“Lēf’s dedicated customer base and established presence in the region will help us quickly become a household brand in New England, which holds the country’s largest market share in the indoor farming category,” says Abby Prior, chief commercial officer at BrightFarms. “The farm in Loudon is also a prime location for both expansion and quick delivery to local supermarkets. We have room to expand the farm fourteenfold, reaching new customers at record pace.”

Speedway in Driver’s Seat
But the town’s most visible economic driver is the 45,000-seat NH Motor Speedway, which opened in 1990 and draws throngs to its NASCAR races and the Loudon Classic, the longest-running motorcycle event in North America. “When a race is in town, there’s an energy and a buzz that not only has a ripple effect in Loudon, but which benefits the economy of the state as a whole,” says Hinson.

Fire Chief Tom Blanchette, a member and former chair of the Economic Development Committee, agrees. “The small restaurants we have in town, the hotel, the convenience stores, the service providers, they all benefit from the speedway being here,” he says. “When somebody’s at the racetrack, the spouse and children might be out at Meadow Ledge picking apples. The diversity we have in town provides families with opportunities to enjoy their time here.”

Among businesses that benefit from those crowds are a Quality Inn, three campgrounds, the Loudon Country Club and restaurant, and several cafes and breakfast spots, including The Eggshell, which offers a home-made cinnamon roll of which Hinson is particularly fond.

“A lot of families who come for NASCAR in July make that their vacation, and they spend the whole week there,” says Shannon Stephens, communications manager at the speedway. “People don’t just come to the speedway and leave. They’re exploring the area as well.”

The speedway’s economic impact on Loudon goes beyond visitor spending. It also pays more than $500,000 annually in taxes to the town, according to Helen McNeil, tax collector.

Stephens says the venue hosts two main events annually, a NASCAR weekend in July and the motorcycle week in June but has multiple track rentals every weekend between April and October. Its annual Gift of Lights event during the holiday season is a 2.5-mile, drive-through show featuring 3.5 million lights, more than 520 displays and festive scenes. The attraction typically draws 12,000 vehicles but last year attracted nearly three times that number, as families cooped up by COVID sought a safe holiday outing, she says.

Children enjoying the NH Motor Speedway Gift of Lights Event. Photo by Brittany McDonagh.

The speedway also prides itself on giving back to the community through its annual Speedway Cares Day, according to Stephens, which involves the entire staff in a local project like this year’s scraping and repainting of a century-old fence in the town’s oldest cemetery.

NH Motor Speedway staff gives back for Speedway Cares Day. Courtesy of NHMS/Vinny Orest.

More Than the Speedway
The Speedway overshadows the diversity of the town’s economy. Multiple small businesses thrive along the town’s main road, Route 106, traveled by some 22,000 to 30,000 vehicles daily, according to Blanchette. Many of those businesses are related to the trades. “You can find everything from a stump grinder to plumbing, electrical and heating,” says Hinson.

Roger Maxfield, a selectman of 30 years and current chair of that board, notes Loudon is home to Central NH Trailers, Environmental Soil Management, and several restaurants and shops at Brookside Mall. “We’re not Concord or Manchester, but we do have our share of businesses,” he says.

Several companies have been in town for years, like Eastern Propane, cast urethane manufacturer Plan Tech, Capitol Fire Protection and Benevento Aggregates, formerly Fillmore Industries, which produces construction materials, including crushed stone, hot mix asphalt and ready-mixed concrete products.

Zoning for the Future
But the push is on to attract new business, with the creation of four Economic Revitalization Zones (ERZs) that provide companies with short-term state business tax credits for projects that improve infrastructure and create jobs.

The zones are located at Shaker Brook Park, International Drive, Staniels Road/Veterans Drive and the town center at routes 106 and 129, called The Village. “One of the areas, the Shaker Brook Park zone, just really kind of blossomed,” says Hinson, who points to Nashua-based CPH Manufacturing choosing to locate there.

Blanchette adds that Best Septic constructed a building at Shaker Brook, a family-owned machine shop is slated to move in and a proposed commercial building “will pretty much fill that industrial park.”

At the Veterans Drive ERZ, Core & Main, which distributes water, sewer, storm drain and fire protection products nationally, has set up shop, as has F.L. Merrill Construction.

Enticing businesses to check out the ERZs has the additional benefit of introducing business owners to the town, says Hinson. “When you start looking at the schools, the community, go to an Old Home Day, you see it’s more than just a place to have a business. It’s a great place to live, as well,” he says.

Also under consideration is a fifth ERZ in the northern part of town near the speedway and talks were scheduled to begin in November with nearby landowners and other stakeholders to gauge interest in the idea.

About the same time the ERZs were created, local officials agreed to take advantage of the state Community Revitalization Tax Relief program, also known as RSA 79E, to encourage renewal projects in The Village in the center of town. The program encourages investment in town centers by allowing local officials to provide tax relief at a pre-rehabilitation value for a limited period of time, as long as the project offers a public benefit. A workshop in the spring will provide information to those interested in using the program, according to Tardiff.

The new Technical Review Committee is another creation meant to attract business to the town. Whereas in the past, a developer “would come in here with plans or just talk to the fire chief hoping to get something approved,” Hinson says, that person now appears before “a core group” of department heads and permitting officials. “It allows the developer to come in and answer questions and possibly eliminate the third or fourth visit.… The idea was to simplify the process and make it more predictable.”

Taking on Challenges
But Loudon has its economic challenges: limited broadband availability, infrastructure and road issues, and a lack of affordable housing.

Town officials are working with the Central NH Regional Planning Commission to see what can be done to expand broadband, which is not available in all parts of town, using American Rescue Plan funds. “More and more people are telecommuting, and consistent WiFi is critical for you to work at home,” notes Hinson. Improved broadband, he adds, “will be a real game changer for our community.” Tardiff says Loudon may join with other nearby towns to explore a regional approach to the problem.

Loudon has no water or sewer infrastructure, relying on private wells and septic systems, and Blanchette says that might have to change in the future. “If we were to further develop land for purposes of an industrial park, that’s something that would have to be considered,” he says.

Roadway improvements are another challenge, with Hinson pointing to intersections like the one at Chichester Road and Route 106 as problematic and in need of a redesign, possibly with a traffic light. Tardiff likewise sees a need for improvements to the highly traveled Route 106.

Improving the system of trailways through town is also desirable. Tardiff says such “quality of life” enhancements also contribute to economic development.

Town planners also want to attract a new bank to town, as the departure of TD Bank has forced residents to travel to other communities to do their banking.

Like many communities in NH, Loudon suffers from a lack of affordable housing, and Blanchette says zoning and planning workshops are focusing on “what is the right type of affordable housing for Loudon, and how do we increase that availability and still maintain the small-town look and culture of Loudon. Housing is one of our larger roadblocks,” he says. “We don’t have a lot of affordable housing for our youth so typically once they move out of mom and dad’s house, there’s not a lot of opportunity for them to stay in the community.”

Growth Expected
Still, town officials take pride in recent economic accomplishments and predict further growth for their town.

Hinson foresees an expansion of Economic Revitalization Zones, existing businesses becoming stronger and additional businesses opening along Route 106, as well as more long-term planning on infrastructure and road projects. Tardiff adds more investment in The Village to that list.

“There’s still a lot of room for expansion in the commercial area along the 106 corridor and other areas,” notes Maxfield.

Tardiff says he has worked closely with Loudon town officials and planners, and looking to the future, “Loudon has reason to be confident.”