A tech-entrepreneur turned venture capitalist is eyeing one of the largest undeveloped tracts in Manchester for a community where tech- and startup-minded people would live and work.
Freedom Village would be located on 250 acres of mostly wooded land at Hackett Hill, which is located in the northwestern corner of Manchester.
The proposed Freedom Village in Manchester would feature as many as 240 apartments, townhouses and stand-alone homes. (Courtesy)
Over the years, the property has been eyed for all sorts of uses: a campus for UNH-Manchester, a corporate-research park, even a privately operated prison.
Jeremy Hitchcock, a co-founder of Dyn Inc. who moved into venture capital after selling the company, is one of the partners in the project.
Under a preliminary plan submitted to the city, Phase One of Freedom Village would feature as many as 240 apartments, townhouse condominiums and stand-alone houses; flexible office space, a research lab, maker space and a clubhouse.
Freedom Village would cater to founders, techno-optimists, engineers, researchers and their families, according to material provided to the city.
“By pairing flexible workforce housing directly with cutting-edge research and lab facilities, Freedom Village will create an innovation hub that attracts and retains both private capital and skilled talent from the Queen City, across the region and nationally,” reads a letter of intent that Hitchcock sent to Manchester city officials.
The proposed development involves five parcels owned by the city, so elected Manchester city officials will eventually have to agree to sell the land.
Early indications point to a strong demand for the project, said Raechel Lambert, a Portsmouth resident who has launched several companies and works in marketing.
In August, the Freedom Summit in Manchester, which closed with a presentation of Freedom Village, drew 200 people. And a Freedom Village membership, which involves access to a newsletter and updates, netted $10,000 in membership fees, Lambert said.
“It’s hard for — I’ll say it bluntly — local older people to understand the desire for the project and our ability to drum up interest,” Lambert said.
If all goes well, site work could begin in the spring. In a timetable she admits is optimistic, people could move in by the summer of 2027.
Hitchcock is expected to appear before the Land and Building on Oct. 20, but much of the discussion could take place behind closed doors. State law allows city officials to meet outside of public view to discuss issues related to land sales.
The land is adjacent to the Cedar Swamp Preserve, which is owned by the Nature Conservancy. The Riverwoods retirement community is nearby, as well as apartments and residences.
When he appears before the committee, Hitchcock is expected to say that Freedom Village fits in with the city’s 2021 master plan, which calls for an “innovation village” on Hackett Hill.
The concept calls for office, industrial and education-oriented employers at the site, as well as auxiliary businesses such as food service.
The zone allows for residential development and encourages green attributes such as a bioretention system, solar arrays and wind turbines.
The Freedom Village plan incorporates much of those concepts. The project would feature green roofs, open spaces, a public train network and a protective buffer to the Cedar Swamp preserve, Hitchcock wrote.
The land has some oddities: a narrow, steep access road and a phantom parking lot built for a university campus that eventually opted for the Manchester Millyard.
A tech-entrepreneur turned venture capitalist is eyeing one of the largest undeveloped tracts in Manchester for a community where tech- and startup-minded people would live and work. Freedom Village would be located on 250 acres of mostly wooded land at Hackett Hill, which is located in the northwestern corner of Manchester.
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