Diversity was the dominant theme throughout our group's discussions concerning the issues Portsmouth faces. We value a community that provides for and is attractive to various ethnicities, socio-economic levels, age groups, businesses, types of professions and cultural assets. We want to live in a community that cherishes its own unique characteristics. Here are the topics that we think are the key components to Portsmouth's future.

1. Housing. There is a lack of affordable housing for middle and low income individuals and families. A commonly accepted guideline for "affordable" is no more than 30% of gross income.

2. Zoning. There needs to be an overall zoning vision that is accessible to and understood by the general population. Zoning should be used as a tool to encourage affordable housing, foster business, maintain and promote a "neighborhood" feel to certain parts of the city, protect green spaces and protect our city from homogenization (chain box stores).

3. Trained Workforce. The diversity of the workforce in Portsmouth is lacking, mainly because many people can't afford to live here. Consequently, many businesses feel they cannot attract the trained workforce they need and relocate to a more attractive region.

4. Education. Education should be tied to real world experiences that introduce students to a variety of career options and create a bond with our community. Our key factors in education are technology, cooperative education, mentoring and the discontinuation of "tracking."

5. Arts & Culture. The arts and other cultural assets are valuable components of the city's character and the city should play a role in supporting them monetarily and through zoning.

6. Transportation. Transportation has a direct effect on the workforce and the quality of life in Portsmouth. Alternative modes of transportation need to be promoted while options for cars need to be streamlined.

Areas of Disagreement

1. Mixed Use Zoning. We had trouble clearly defining the term mixed use and how it would be applied via zoning. It was hard to decide whether or not a business could realistically be no-impact or low-impact and not cause a substantial disruption to the residential neighbors. In theory mixed use zoning could allow a small food shop or other small, low impact business to enter a residential neighborhood and create a focus, or center for that neighborhood. The problem is when that same zoning allows a noisy, smelly, traffic intensive or otherwise disruptive business into a community. Some members appreciated the city's adherence to zoning rules blocking mixed use in their community. Others feel mixed used could greatly benefit the city, specifically in the case of Islington Street, which everyone agrees is lacking an identity.

2. Parking. Most felt there was a parking issue but the disagreement came when solutions were proposed. Some felt that there was a need for another parking garage(s) whereas others felt that the solution lie in promoting alternative modes of transportation or changing people's attitudes towards parking.

3. Chamber of Commerce involvement in business tourism. A member felt that the Chamber's role in providing a historical house tour conflicted with the business interests of SPNEA and the individual private organizations that run their own house tours.

Conclusions and recommendations

1. Housing: