LONDONDERRY — A project long on the town's radar is still at the top of the list for making Londonderry grow.
Community Development director Andre Garron said the Pettingill Road project is still a projected success story for the town's future economic development.
The 1,000-acre project has been on the town's list for more than a decade, Garron said last week during a regional economic development event sponsored by local Chambers of Commerce.
"This is a key area," he said.
The Pettingill project would connect the existing intersection of Pettengill and Harvey Roads with the new airport access road, providing another route to the Manchester Boston Regional Airport.
The airport access road officially opened in November.
Opening up that area for commercial and industrial use could bring a boom to the town, Garron said.
Through the years, town officials pondered Pettingill, held numerous meetings and design charettes on ways to use the land and what uses should be.
Experts also were part of the planning, Garron said, to help create a vision of what Pettingill should be once development takes place.
Once developed, Pettingill could generate up to 6,000 jobs in that area.
Paying for Pettingill is another challenge.
In 2002, the town approved financing for the engineering portion of the project and permitting was put into place.
Garron said it's time to get funding to help the project move ahead.
"It's been difficult to get the project on the state's 10-year plan," he said. "It's not a state highway, but it connects to a state highway." He said funding would be explored to help Pettingill happen.
Bernie Ross, chairman of the Greater Derry/Londonderry Chamber of Commerce's Government Connections Committee, said having regional meetings between town planners is one way to help bring awareness and help to projects like Pettingill that would serve not only Londonderry, but the entire region.
An event will be planned in March to bring together more of the key players to discuss Pettingill and other development projects.
"We want to learn more and get behind the issue," Ross said.
Garron said Pettingill is still on the books, and is something the town and region should get behind.
"We still excited about the project," Garron said. "So many things could take place in that area. We look at Pettingill Road as a regional project, not just a Londonderry project."
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