TJ Jean sees tremendous potential for economic growth in the Lilac City, including industry, retail and the arts

For more than a century, Rochester was known as a mill town filled with shoe factories and other manufacturing industries. Long after the mill era faded away, Cabletron Systems moved to the Lilac City, creating thousands of jobs and helping bridge the gap from manufacturing to high-tech industry. But Cabletron split apart, downsized and ultimately moved out of town in 2005.

“Since then, we’ve kind of been searching for our identity,” said Mayor T.J. Jean. “As we reemerge and redefine ourselves, the next important step is to really look at re-branding Rochester, defining who we are, who we want to be.”

Now in his second term as mayor, Jean sees tremendous opportunity for Rochester to expand its economic base and become a regional destination. Several large-scale industrial and retail developments are in the works, and the city’s artistic and cultural community is burgeoning. Rochester is uniquely positioned between the Seacoast and the Lakes Region, and Jean sees potential to tap into both markets.

The 33-year-old mayor, a lifelong resident of Rochester, is a graduate of Spaulding High School with a business degree from Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester. A health care administrator at Frisbie Memorial Hospital, he has long been active in the community. He is currently a board member of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and a former board member of Rochester Main Street, and he is also involved with the Rochester Rotary Club and the Knights of Columbus. He believes others share his enthusiasm for the city’s future possibilities.

“I have never seen such optimism for this community,” he said. “We are really on the cusp of what I would call greatness. People are starting to recognize that and they’re starting to embrace it, and that energy that’s coming out of what’s going on right now motivates me as an elected leader. But, more importantly, it’s getting the attention of the surrounding communities, and the state, for that matter.”

Jean said his top priority as mayor is to expand the city’s commercial tax base and help foster job growth, and progress is being made on both fronts. Safran USA is constructing a 275,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on a 50-acre site in the Granite State Business Park off Route 108. Safran will partner with Albany Engineered Composites (site of Vice President Joe Biden’s recent visit) to manufacture jet engine components. The new facility, expected to open in the summer of 2013, will bring 400 advanced manufacturing jobs to Rochester, Jean said.

The city must expand the business park and provide new infrastructure, including water, sewer, natural gas and a bridge over the railroad tracks. But once the work is done, Jean expects other businesses to set up camp in the park, including vendors that will sell raw materials to Safran and Albany.

“I think, all in all, Rochester is very well positioned for economic growth here in the next five to 10 years,” he said.

Another major development is on its way to Route 11, where plans call for a major shopping center. Negotiations are still underway, and Jean could not provide details about the center’s future tenants, “but it is going to dramatically enhance the retail offerings to the citizens of Rochester,” he said.

Jean expects the shopping center to attract other businesses to the Route 11 corridor, creating a retail haven located between the Seacoast and communities farther north, like Farmington, Alton and Wolfeboro.

“A lot of people pass right through Rochester to get to Dover, Newington and Portsmouth to go shopping. There’s no reason why Rochester can’t be absolutely successful in retail based on our location and proximity to Route 11 and the Spaulding Turnpike,” Jean said, noting the state is expanding portions of the turnpike into a four-lane highway.

Jean also hopes to see an expansion of the residential base in Rochester, which currently has a population of close to 30,000 people. He said the city’s biggest current need is workforce housing, although ongoing volatility in the housing market will probably prevent any significant developments in the near future.

There is, however, a pair of senior housing projects in the works. The Rochester Housing Authority is opening a senior housing complex off Brock Street called Marsh View, and a private developer is planning condominiums for seniors off Gagne Street.

The city is in the midst of considering a comprehensive rezoning ordinance that’s been on the table for nearly a decade. The City Council held several public hearings on the plan last year before sending it back to the Planning Board, where it is currently under review. The ordinance is aimed at identifying the city’s long-term goals for residential, commercial and industrial development.

“This has been in process for over nine and a half years, and the fact that we haven’t been able to adopt it has been very frustrating to me,” Jean said. “It’s no one’s fault, it’s a combination of issues that have led to this stalling out many times. But I’m confident that this is something we can get resolved in the next year.”

The Planning Board is also in the process of reviewing the city’s capital improvement program. At a time when municipalities across the nation are burdened with tight budgets, prioritizing the most significant needs is vital, Jean said. Rochester’s most immediate priority, he added, is to improve its infrastructure.

“To that extent, the Council has been focused on road reconstruction projects and overall road paving. That’s been a big capital expense that the city’s incurred,” he said.

The city also must keep up with demand for updated safety apparatus, including police cruisers and fire trucks. Jean expects to replace an aging pumper for the Fire Department’s fleet sometime in 2012.

The ailing economy continues to challenge local municipalities, but Jean believes Rochester’s growing artistic community will help the city overcome its economic obstacles. The Rochester Opera House and the Art Esprit collaborative have spearheaded a cultural movement that has attracted numerous visitors, and the new Rochester Museum of Fine Art is slated to open in March.

“We’re starting to see Rochester really develop into a nice arts and culture community,” Jean said. “I really see the identity of Rochester turning into a community that is very strong, very vibrant and diverse, and I really see the arts pulling us out of the economic downturn.”

Taken in combination with the pending commercial developments, Jean believes the arts will serve as the “icing on the cake” the helps Rochester alter its reputation from a flagging mill town to a thriving Seacoast hub. His two-year term as mayor could prove to be a period during which the Lilac City redefines its direction.

“I think having that re-branding take place will let the Seacoast and even the Lakes Region ... know what we’re all about,” he said. “And I think that’s what’s going to get us on the map again and get people thinking about Rochester in terms of a location for residential growth and retail and commercial growth.”