I recently moved to Rochester NH., on Washington St. One of the big reasons my family and I moved to Rochester, is the economic growth going on here. Shortly after we moved in, a new strip mall was put in about a mile down the road from my house. There are plans to fix and widen my street to make it much more user friendly. At fist I thought this would create a traffic problem in front of my house, but want to say, that it was thought through and the road plan works so the traffic is coming off the highway and right into the mall parking lot. I am very exited about the changes, and think that Rochester can benefit from them. These changes will grab all the shoppers in the towns north( Alton, Wolfboro, Middleton, Milton, Wakefield, and Farmington) that don't want to travel to Portsmouth or Tamworth. It also makes it convenient for people that live in Rochester who sometimes don't want to travel so they can get home quickly after a long day of shopping. I personally am looking forward to more growth in Rochester and can't wait to see what restaurants and stores go up next. Although, there are some residents that feel much differently.

 Like in all topics of conversation there is more than one opinion on this. There are residents on Washington St. and surrounding roads that are not happy. I recently took a walk around my neighborhood and heard a lot of different opinions than mine.  It seems that the people on the street and beyond have been fighting these changes for along time. Hearing these people talk has brought a meaning to the term "You Can't fight City Hall". See, when you widen a street you need land to do it. To get this land, the town figured they would take someone else's. I am one of the fortunate ones that will not have to worry about any of my frontage being taken because I have none to give. However, many of the residents on Washington St. next spring who are used to looking out their front window and seeing Maple trees, nice trimmed bushes, flower gardens that have been prepared just right, or maybe a beautiful lawn that has taken years to perfect, will see a sidewalk, plenty of off street parking, and a bike lane. I can see their frustration. As for the people that live off of Washington St., up on the hill that over looks the whole town, they just like the view anymore. When purchasing their homes several years ago, one of the biggest attraction to their homes was the fabulous views they had off their back decks. The sun rises they would watch in the mornings while drinking their morning coffees. The sun sets they would watch with their spouses. I guess it was incredible to see the sunlight bounce off the trees and small streams that were once there. Now they have the view of the tops of buildings and a huge parking lot. They definitely don't have to worry about sunlight because the lamps that light up the parking lot are plenty bright enough. 

 I can see both sides, and wish there was a way for both sides to win. I feel excited in a way for the city's growth, and in the same respect feel for the residents that have lived hear for so long and could do without the change.