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Study Circle 18: Vaughn
This report summarizes the results from the Pleasant Study Circle, beginning with a brief overview of what we covered in each of the four meetings, and next outlining the major themes that emerged over the course of the four sessions, the most pressing issues in our view, and our suggestions and recommendations for making Portsmouth a great place to live and work for everyone. Names of the group participants and the facilitator are listed in the Appendix, as are more detailed notes from our brainstorming and other sessions.
Meeting Overview
Meeting #1: January 29, 2003. Brainstormed what we value about Portsmouth, as well as important concerns about our local communities and about the City as a whole.
Meeting #2: February 5, 2003. Expanded on brainstorm ideas; categorized and ranked issues in order of importance (via group vote). Out of 12 categories of concerns, three were identified as most important or most pressing, and the group decided to focus on these three issues for the remainder of the sessions. The top three issues included (in order of importance) "Development/Greenness," "Recycling" and "Sense of Community."
Meeting #3: February 12, 2003. Discussed suggestions and recommendations for how to address the top three issues.
Meeting #4: February 19, 2003. Refined and clarified suggestions and recommendations.
Major Themes
There were two overarching “guiding principles” that emerged as the group worked its way through the four meetings. The first guiding principle, which was explicitly stated during the second session, was “linkage.” By “linkage” the group meant to emphasize that what goes on in Portsmouth is necessarily connected to what happens in neighboring communities, and therefore the city planners should seek to identify opportunities to link Portsmouth with the surrounding communities. Opportunities for linkage exist in terms of using public transportation and open spaces to link schools, arts and performance centers, and green spaces.
The second principle was implied throughout our discussions of solutions and recommendations, and its essence can be seen in our agreement that decision-making by city planners should be a “smart” process. Whether the issue is rezoning, redevelopment, protecting open space or recycling, it was generally agreed that the current processes tend to be cumbersome, often adhering too closely to the letter rather than the spirit of the ordinances and regulations that are supposed to form the guidelines for important planning decisions. In sum, our group wishes to see decisions made in a balanced and considered way, with an eye toward true improvement for Portsmouth (i.e., planners should take to heart the mandate of Portsmouth Listens: “How can we make Portsmouth a great place to live and work for everyone?”), rather than strict adherence to regulations regardless of their effectiveness.
Top Issues
Out of the 12 categories of concerns identified during the brainstorming phase, the group decided that the following three issues were the most pressing or most important, and subsequent discussions of solutions, suggestions and recommendations focused on the following:
1. Development/Greenness
How to achieve a “smart,” balanced approach to commercial development and residential development in downtown Portsmouth and throughout the city?
What are the best uses for publicly owned (i.e., City owned) properties and lands?
How to encourage “green space” and open spaces in the city?
How to increase/encourage the use of environmentally friendly (or “green”) technologies throughout the city?
How to ensure that city planners take a considered or “smart” approach to residential issues, such as zoning, availability, mixed use and affordable housing?
2. Recycling
What can be done to improve recycling efforts throughout the city, and particularly in the downtown area?
Can Portsmouth become a model city for the region in terms of its recycling plan?
How to ensure that Portsmouth's recycling plan actually benefits the environment?
3. Sense of Community
What can be done to encourage more citizen involvement in their local neighborhoods and in city overall? How to stimulate stronger civic interest?
How to engender a sense of ownership among all residents - the sense that this is “our town”?
What can be done to ensure that the downtown area remains a hub of social activity for residents as well as for visitors?
Suggestions and Recommendations
1. Development/Greenness
Offer incentives for commercial buildings to be environmentally friendly (e.g., energy efficiency, using environmentally safe products) and require “green” standards in municipal buildings and in new commercial developments.
Develop, maintain and link “green spots” throughout the city - from small pocket parks to large gardens. Consider “paper streets” for reuse as public green space.
Maintain the balance between open spaces and population/housing density.
In new commercial development, insist on green space as well as residential elements to encourage the development of “mini-neighborhoods” or mini-communities.
Review existing zoning and existing commercial development to identify opportunities for multi-use zoning (e.g., to include green space and residential units in current commercially zoned areas).
Maintain a “smart” review and overview of building demolitions throughout the city, not just in downtown.
Ensure that any development of Pierce Island is related to marine use. The area should be kept as public space (rather than allowing commercial development). An example of allowable development might be for small boat use such as a city marina with slips to accommodate smaller fishing boats and smaller private vessels, similar to Great Island Common.
Investigate the current use of city-owned buildings and land, and review their potential for alternative uses such as parkland, green space, affordable housing, or other public benefit. Examples of properties that should be reevaluated include the Lafayette School, the Creek AC (athletic club), and the “stump dump.”
The City should review opportunities for the direct acquisition of federal properties or lands (as opposed to these lands being transferred to the State).
Consider an environmental impact fee on new development to support the purchase of new public spaces within the city.
2. Recycling
Mandate and enforce recycling throughout the city - residential as well as commercial
Expand the list of recyclables.
Consider alternative systems such as “pay-per-bag” for refuse collection that would encourage more recycling, waste reduction and composting (e.g., as in the Seattle model). A move to a pay-per-bag system should also include a review of resident tax responsibility regarding the cost of trash and recyclables pickup.
Place recycling bins alongside the public trash bins downtown.
Ensure that recycling bins are available in all city buildings
Follow through on the mandate with a promotional campaign to educate the public about recycling and to encourage and expand recycling
Institute year-round compost pickup
Ensure that whatever recycling plan Portsmouth puts into action, it is actually good for the environment.
Point of disagreement: Whether to bring back “seagull week” in Portsmouth. On the one hand it encourages reuse and recycling of large household items and can reduce the waste disposal burden on Portsmouth, but on the other hand surrounding communities bring their own bulk waste and dump it on Portsmouth curbsides, increasing the burden on Portsmouth while reducing the incentive for surrounding communities to support their own bulk waste disposal programs.
3. Sense of Community
Encourage gathering places downtown for local residents. This can be enhanced by facilitating more outdoor activities downtown and by helping to maintain a “working downtown” - that is, encouraging tenure for diverse businesses that employ local residents.
Redevelop the Federal Building to include a diversity of businesses that will draw Portsmouth residents as well as tourists, such as convenience stores, specialty shops, a green grocer, or an indoor market.
Review current issues that may impede downtown development, especially for new businesses. Some barriers might include truck access, difficulty in securing financing from local banks (especially small businesses).
Support resources that encourage local businesses to keep their location downtown. Some of these resources may include Chamber of Commerce involvement, developing a relationship between the City and the Whittemore School at UNH, or supporting a micro-enterprise development fund backed by the City.
Support and encourage neighborhood associations.
Ensure that neighborhood associations represent the views of all of their neighborhood constituents (associations should be required to demonstrate evidence of adequate representation of and input from residents when presenting decisions or proposals before the City)
Encourage neighborhood gatherings and events organized around social events (e.g., block parties). Provide funding (“seed money” for a community development fund) or facilitate the use of open spaces or one-day closing off streets for special events.
Expand outdoor pool hours and extend the season.
Get the word out about resources such as meeting space (e.g., in the Library) available to neighborhood groups, by advertising in local newspapers and via free circulars such as “Re-Ports” (a one-page summary of upcoming community events), and by posting events and news on the City of Portsmouth Web site.
Appendix One
These are the actual working notes from our group's brainstorming session. Even though not all of these ideas are extrapolated on in the report, we hope that these issues are examined as the master plan process moves forward.
Week One: What do we Value about Portsmouth? (and some concerns that arose as well)
Open spaces, parks, playgrounds
Size: “small town feel”
Composition
Distinct Village Center (malls nearby but separate; strong downtown builds community, necessary services keeps downtown active, vital-post office)
Neighborhood Groups (coalitions, newsletters, involvement on a smaller scale)
Real/Complete community :place where you can live, work and play.
Not completely polished
Active Waterfront (salt Piles, tugboats)
Reason to go downtown, economic mix
A “working city, not a Disney City”
Strawbery Banke “real” quality shown here in different periods, not all 1840's, well done.
Architecture, texture, history
City you can walk in
Economic Diversity, people are downtown during the work day, offices are still downtown
Nice Residential Areas (older houses)
Nice place to raise a family
Able to get to know neighborhood kids from walking to schools
Cultural Aspect (Theatres, Arts Communities, Galleries, Crafts)
Music Hall, Bow St. Theatre, Coffee places
Decks (stock pot) on the River
Outdoor activities in the Summer (outdoor music)
Friendly (very emphasized)
Recognizing people
Restaurants
Small businesses (non-corporate)
Geographic Location: On river, within an hour lakes region, mountains or city, proximity to ocean
Feeling of Safety
Market Square Day
Nice to get to live in a place which is desirable to others (tourists)
Backdrop of the shipyard-reinforces active working river, history of the area, was a strong local employer, training of workers.
Minimum of Sprawl, active commercial development/subdivisions doesn't adversely impact the downtown
Concerns
Transportation Systems: lack of reliable regional bus system. Current bus system problematic because of ties to University. Need to contact with other communities/large employers to coordinate better system.
Working Waterfront threatened
Dover Point Bridge (and infrastructure in general) and related commuting issues
Loss of workforce housing (creates commute, need for more roads, pollution)
Zoning: current laws insist on huge lots vs very small lots in desirable down town. Our current desirable residential neighborhoods can't be replicated. Other zoning issues seem arbitrary (max multifamily units is 4 regardless of sq footage of property).
School System and Tax Rate (related issues and separate)
Loss of tight knit, 'small town' feel
New construction should be in keeping with existing architecture (and who is responsible for good design oversight? HDC? Ports Advocated? Planning Board/Dept?)
Loss of Black Community
Difficulty for disabled to get around town
Limited outdoor activities (music is disappearing, ordinances prohibit some outdoor activities)
Fed Building Area (“fortressing in the middle of town”, security needs, keeping workers downtown, pros and cons of fed building moving to Pease, poor current use of space)
Becoming a place for the wealthy
Appendix Two
How do we make Portsmouth the best place to live and work for everyone?
Guiding Principle: Linkage
Seek to identify opportunities to link
Schools, arts communities, transportation, green spaces
e.g., link bulk trash pickup with other communities, Boston's “Emerald Necklace”
Development/“Green-ness” (8 votes)
Manage/contain sprawl
Maintain density in development
Building limitations (size, usage); don't overdevelop
More services downtown or near downtown (e.g., Islington); gas, groceries, drug store
New construction should be in keeping with existing architecture (and who is responsible for good design oversight? HDC? Ports Advocated? Planning Board/Dept?)
Prevent traffic circle from becoming another “Week's Circle” in Dover
Zoning: current laws insist on huge lots vs. very small lots in desirable down town. Our current desirable residential neighborhoods can't be replicated. Other zoning issues seem arbitrary (max multifamily units is 4 regardless of sq footage of property)
Review current use of under-used buildings/spaces
Redevelop strip malls to become “neighborhoods”; add 2nd floors…residential/office; add park space
Redevelopment of the “God awful” parking lot across from Sheraton
Declare a moratorium (or make it under strict review) on demolition of older buildings
Fed Building Area (“fortressing in the middle of town”, security needs, keeping workers downtown, pros and cons of fed building moving to Pease, poor current use of space; re-development? Removal?
Increase health and community awareness of North Mill Pond
Develop “green standards” for development
More small public garden plots
Protect open spaces (forever)
Community garden space
Dredge South Mil Pond
Beautify Portsmouth's outer city streets (signage, adopt-a-spot)
v Widen nature strips narrowing roads in residential areas
More dog friendly space (open space, off leash)
Becoming a place for the wealthy
Don't let Pierce Island become developed unrelated to marine use
Upgrade Pierce Island to include a water play area
Reuse old buildings to maintain density/compactness of city and manage sprawl
Recycling (6 votes)
Downtown recycling
Expand recycling program
Waste management
Better recycling program
Pay-for-bag trash system
Encourage composting (individual level or by the municipality)
Bring back “seagull week” (twice/year bulk waste pickup)
Recycling would be better for the environment without curbside pickup
Address needs of homebound
Be like Seattle! (“Garbage” magazine article; pay for trash overage; expand allowed recyclables)
Larger issues (after Portsmouth pickup, does it just get dumped? e.g., brown glass; economics of recycling)
Sense of Community (6 votes)
Rec center for kids (toddlers, pre-k)
Expanded pool hours
Improved library
Indoor playground
Maintain/expand rec department offering, continuing ed at middle school, etc.
Support non-profits that provide needed services to Portsmouth citizens (saves tax dollars; folks not dependent on city welfare)
If you don't like it, don't move into it (e.g., downtown residents vs. business/bars)
Maintain/foster “neighborhood” affiliations
Better attendance at neighborhood meetings
Support and affirm gay and lesbian community
Support anything that adds to our social capital (choruses, art groups, book clubs, etc.)
Sense of community
Keep it safe
We need to realize there are some thing city government can't do
Making people more aware of things out there (e.g., community gardens)
Develop greater civic interest within community
Raise awareness/education of other cultures coming into area
Loss of tight knit “small town” feel
Build up local appreciation of our restaurants and the things that attract tourists (like Dining In, Web Dining)
More restaurants with outdoor eating
Limited outdoor activities (music is disappearing, ordinances prohibit some outdoor activities)
Infrastructure (5 votes)
Underground utilities
Improved traffic control infrastructure (lights at dangerous intersections)
Dover Point Bridge (and infrastructure in general) and related commuting issues
Handicap accessibility
Make post office more accessible
Difficulty for disable to get around town
Specified truck routes that are enforced
Minimize/ban tractor trailers in residential areas
Maintain sidewalks even (or especially) in winter
More parking
Parking problem solved
Make banks and private entities open up parking on nights and weekends
v Addressing density of cars in neighborhoods creating parking hazards
Plow all sidewalks or plow none (e.g., some municipalities require residents to plow their sidewalks or be fined)
Snow removal (better system, money saving)
Do the basics first (roads, sewer, sidewalks, parks)
vThe trees are wrecking the sidewalks; how about rationalizing our environmental plan?
“Walkability”; sidewalks, crosswalks, marks on roads, signs
Bike lanes throughout town
More sidewalks
Downtown area is a walking place only
Encourage alternative transportation (walking, bikes, more bike stands)
Fix the roads
Clean public restrooms
We need curb and gutter (zero puddles)
Infrastructure
Preservation (3 votes)
More clout from the HDC on building development
Promote and incentivize preservation of the look of our housing
Preserve the look of the JFK
Maintain history
Keep church bells ringing!
Incentives for businesses to update facades
Downtown (3 votes)
Make it more difficult for chains to move in (e.g., Gap, Banana Republic, Starbucks)
Extended business hours downtown (shops)
Marketplace where Parade Mall is (local businesses; e.g., Portland Public Market, Fanueil Hall)
Restrict commercialization of residential areas
Increase commercial presence downtown (offices, the people upstairs)
Keep diversity, no chains, mixed use
Lower rent downtown to help small local businesses
Free ice cream in summer
Arts and Culture (3 votes)
Arts and cultural centers
Art museum
Support development of museums at Albacore Park (Albacore, maritime, children's)
Fishing/marine museum
Support public art
Arts and culture center
Get a new newspaper!
More (better) radio stations
Working Waterfront (2 votes)
Working port
Not moving salt piles
Preserving our working waterfront
Working waterfront threatened
Workforce Housing (2 votes)
Affordable housing alternatives for elderly
Housing for “all”
Workforce housing
Address housing as a regional issue not just ours
Loss of workforce housing (creates commute, need for more roads, pollution)
We should not compare our housing market to San Francisco and Oakland and the like
Affordable Housing (Frank Jones Brewery, Federal Building sites)
Support all income strata; we don't need just the top and bottom
Make it easier to incorporate “in law” apartments (changes to zoning)
Develop a long-term plan to subsidize moderate/low income housing; private plan, publicly supported
Diversity (1 vote)
Maintain/stimulate diversity (people, business, entertainment)
Economic diversification (i.e., not just shopping, ecoast, military); get a balance
Loss of black community
Build diversity
Preserve economic diversity while preserving character
Transportation (1 vote)
Transportation Systems: lack of reliable regional bus system. Current bus system problematic because of ties to University. Need to contact with other communities/large employers to coordinate better system.
Greater transportation resources, buses, trains, etc.
Coastal bus system
Good public transportation
Expanded public transportation (beyond the trolley)
Better evacuation route for nuclear problems
Education (0 votes)
Keep elementary and middle schools where they are
School system and tax rate (related issues and separate)
Excellent education
Appendix Three
Meeting #3: February 12, 2003
Tonight's meeting focused on discussing suggestions and recommending solutions to the top three issues identified the previous week (Development/Greenness, Recycling, and Sense of Community). The idea was to discuss broad principles as well as specific solutions. To ensure that each topic gets enough coverage, we decided to allocated approximately 45 minutes to each of the three issues, distributed over the third and fourth meetings.
Thus solutions to the first two issues were discussed in detail at tonight's meeting, and the third issue, Sense of Community, will be discussed at the beginning of the fourth and final meeting on February 19.
The suggestions and recommendations are detailed below under each topic headline.
Development/Greenness
Require “green” standards in municipal buildings and in new commercial developments. (i.e., support municipal building projects that are environmentally friendly; also bring existing municipal buildings up to green standards in terms of energy efficiency and environmental friendliness)
Offer incentives for commercial buildings to be environmentally friendly
Develop some means of preserving open space - maintain the balance between open spaces and population/housing density
Develop (and maintain) “green spots” throughout the city - from small pocket parks to large gardens; sites to consider for such spots may include “paper” streets.
Maintain strict review or overview of building demolitions throughout the city, not just in downtown
Don't let Peirce Island be developed for anything not related to marine use
In new commercial development, insist on green space and residential components - encourage development of “mini-neighborhoods” or mini-communities.
Review existing zoning and existing commercial development to encourage multi-use zoning (to include green space and residential components)
Include community input, open sessions, no closed doors when deciding about mixed use/zoning issues. For example, the Federal Building should not be just all offices or all high-end condos… should include an affordability component.
Recycling
There must be recycling throughout the city… both residential and commercial.
Expand the list of recyclables
Enforce recycling regulations
Research or consider “pay-per-bag” system or other alternatives for waste reduction and that would encourage more recycling and composting (e.g., Seattle model). Research should look at costs, benefits, economic impact, avoid double taxing, etc.
Place public recycling bins downtown, alongside trash bins.
Portsmouth should become the model for the entire state and/or seacoast region for recycling initiatives.
Make sure recycling containers are available in all city buildings
Initiate a promotional campaign to encourage and expand recycling - slogans, logos, community involvement, etc.
Institute year-round compost pickup.
Point of disagreement: Bring back “seagull week” vs. the current system of on-demand pickup. “Seagull week” may encourage recycling/reuse, especially of large household items, but also encourages “poaching” by surrounding communities, thereby increasing the burden on Portsmouth citizens and lessening the impetus for neighboring communities to institute their own program.
Housekeeping Issues
Toward the close of the meeting Terie brought up some housekeeping/administrative issues, namely a volunteer to write the report and a volunteer (or volunteers) to present our group's findings to the planning board in early April.
Brendan volunteered to write the report, with help from Ea.
We still need volunteers for the presentation.
Appendix Four
Meeting #4: February 19, 2003
The goals established in Meeting #3 for this, the fourth and final meeting of the group, were to make suggestions and recommend solutions for the third of the “top three” issues we decided to focus on (namely “Sense of Community”), and to also discuss issues related to writing the report.
Before moving into a discussion of “Sense of Community,” however, we spent some time revising a few of the suggestions and recommendations made during the previous meeting. Revisiting these issues provided an opportunity for some group participants who had missed Meeting #3 to add their views and input on what the group sees as the most important of the three issues: “Development/Greenness.”
The first point of discussion, as originally stated, was as follows:
Maintain strict review or overview of building demolitions throughout the city, not just in downtown
It was decided that the word “strict” was, well… too strict. For example, if a given building is not architecturally or historically important, why not consider it for demolition? While nobody wants to see old buildings demolished without consideration, is it necessary to always preserve old buildings simply because they are old? Rather, the group decided that it is more important to carefully consider the historical and architectural importance of buildings that are slated for demolition while also weighing their potential for reuse (i.e., renovation), redevelopment, or green space.
In sum, we decided that the point should replace the word “strict” with the word “smart,” meaning that the review of building demolitions should be conducted in a balanced and considered way.
The group next discussed revisions and clarifications to the following point made in Meeting #3:
Don't let Peirce Island be developed for anything not related to marine use
As the group agreed that perhaps this original point was somewhat vague, the discussion centered around what kind of development (if any) would be preferable for Pierce Island. Some suggestions to be added to the original point include:
Keep the area as public space (rather than allow commercial development)
Develop an area for small boat use, such as a city marina with slips to accommodate 20-foot fishing boats or small private boats. Something similar to Great Island Common was recommended.
Any development or improvements made to Pierce Island should utilize the natural resources that the area offers (e.g., deep water access).
In the end, the group decided to rephrase the original point as follows:
Maintain development of Pierce Island related to marine use.
The group also decided that several new bullets needed to be added to the “Development/Greenness” suggestions and recommendations, to wit:
Investigate the current use of city-owned (or public-owned) buildings and land and review their potential for such alternative uses as parkland, green space, affordable housing, or other public benefit. Examples of city-owned properties that should be re-evaluated include:
Creek Farm
LaFayette School
Creek AC (Athletic Club)
The “stump dump”
Related to the above point, the City should also see what opportunities exists for the direct acquisition of federal properties or lands (vs. these properties being transferred to the State).
Consider an environmental impact fee on development to support the purchase of new public spaces within the city.
Finally, a request was made to add one point to the “Recycling” issue:
Recycling should pursue a plan that is actually good for the environment.
Recommendations and Suggestions for Building a “Sense of Community”
Encourage gathering places for locals downtown
Old examples include A&P, Green's drugstore (question: why did these fail?)
There are too many tourist spots
Keep a “working downtown”, which Portsmouth seems to be losing. Boutiques are too touristy, businesses downtown are not balanced
Encourage more outdoor activities downtown (need more flexibility in allowing permits, etc.)
There should be reasons for people to gather downtown - businesses that could draw locals to the downtown area
Develop the Federal Building for this purpose? Plus more green space?
Market? Could include
-- Convenience stores
-- Dean & Deluca-style specialty shops
-- Green grocer (like Portland)
-- Indoor specialty markets
Park area, streetscape, walkways, with parking underneath
Issues/Barriers to downtown development and encouraging new businesses:
Truck deliveries - poor access (small streets) or restricted access for large trucks
Difficult for entrepreneurs to secure financing from local banks
Resources that could be drawn upon/encouraged:
Strong local banks
Chamber of commerce support and involvement
Whittemore School of Business (UNH) program for small business development
Micro-enterprise development fund (city funded/backed)
Supporting neighborhood associations
How much power should they have?
How can they be made more representative or inclusive of the neighborhoods they are supposed to represent?
Advocate “smart” input and influence
Are there some ways to ensure that neighborhood associations or groups represent the views of all people in the neighborhood? Balance is necessary, and neighborhood associations should be required to demonstrate evidence of adequate representative input from residents as part of the decision/proposal process
The purposes of neighborhood associations are seen as:
Community building (meet people, build connections and neighbor relations)
Serve as a way to represent sub-divisions within the city
Serve as a forum for policy review and change
How to encourage participation in neighborhood associations?
Organize/rally around social events vs. around specific causes: “food vs. politics”
Neighborhood gatherings encourage a mix of generations
Obtain funding (“seed money”) to host social gatherings - community development fund? Permits from city to close streets for “block parties”?
Union Street is a good example of having a great sense of community
Expand pool hours, and extend the season
Help make community groups aware that community/meeting space is available in the Library
Get the word out about resources available to neighborhood or community development
Advertise gathering places
Newspaper ads
Community calendar (free circular)
Website or listserv
Mailings
Revive “Re-Ports” - a one-page summary of upcoming community events
Include links on the Portsmouth City website
Information available at a kiosk downtown?
Methods of notification and information dissemination should be easy to use, and available to people who might not have Internet access (e.g., available in a paper version by subscription)
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