Portsmouth council hears housing committee report, public comments and approves several housing and land actions; asks staff to study resident parking

At its April 7 meeting the Portsmouth City Council received a report from the mayor's Blue Ribbon Housing Committee, heard multiple public comments urging more affordable housing in the city, authorized a new below‑market rate housing trust, approved several land‑use and administrative items and asked staff to report back on the feasibility of a citywide resident parking program.

Blue Ribbon Housing Committee member Mary Loan briefed the council on its year‑long review of city‑owned lots as potential sites for below‑market housing. Loan said the committee narrowed an initial long list of city parcels to a short list of roughly seven potentially buildable sites and recommended examining the City Hall lower parking lot and 25 Granite Street as priorities for further feasibility analysis. "There's an opportunity to turn a parking lot, car storage, into homes," Loan said, adding the committee considered walkability, proximity to services and site constraints such as wetlands.

During public comment, Gerald Duffy and other residents described personal experiences navigating Portsmouth's housing costs and urged the council to act quickly to expand permanently affordable units for working families and long‑time residents. Isabella Romero, a local housing advocate, said she faces being priced out of the city despite steady employment.

Council actions taken on housing and land items included formalizing a Portsmouth Below Market Rate Housing Trust and approving a settlement‑related payment allocation (the trust will receive public and private contributions as provided under the McIntyre settlement). Councilors voted to authorize the City Manager to execute the trust document so funds can be invested and spent under the trust's terms.

The council also acted on a series of staff requests with limited debate: it unmerged one previously merged lot (Lot 44 at 25 Sims Avenue) after the applicant narrowed the request; authorized a payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (PILOT) arrangement with the Friends of Lafayette House under a pilot agreement; and accepted an access easement for water service at 4059 Lafayette Road to allow tear‑down and valve access for the city's water crews.

Separately, the council authorized a 60‑day extension request for an encumbrance on the sidewalk at North Church for construction staging, then amended that extension on the floor to run only through May 6 to protect the Market Square/seasonal downtown operations; staff said they would follow up with the contractor to tighten the laydown plan and reduce sidewalk impacts where possible.

Recognizing parking as a persistent local constraint, the mayor asked for a feasibility report on a citywide resident parking program and mechanisms to limit parking permits for new development. The council voted to suspend rules and asked staff to analyze enforcement options, potential technology solutions and legal mechanisms to tie parking allocations to new developments. Councilors said a practical enforcement mechanism is needed so new housing does not overwhelm neighborhood street parking.

Votes at a glance (selected motions and outcomes from the April 7 meeting): - Bellamy Reservoir easement bond: authorized up to $1,478,000 (resolution adopted). - Co‑living zoning ordinance: passed first reading; public hearing and second reading set for May 5 (see separate coverage). - City Below Market Rate Housing Trust: authorized City Manager to execute trust; funding from settlement and donor contributions to follow. - Unmerge Lot 44 (25 Sims Avenue): approved per Planning Board recommendation. - PILOT agreement, Friends of Lafayette House: authorized City Manager to enter agreement (amount described in packet; final amount to be confirmed in recorded agreement). - Water service access easement (4059 Lafayette Road): accepted and to be recorded. - North Church sidewalk encumbrance: extension approved as amended to May 6 for staging; staff to follow up on laydown vs. parking usage.

Staff updates: the City Manager reported the city signed the option to ground‑lease agreement with the Portsmouth Housing Authority for the Sherburne site and that the planning process for that project will proceed to the technical advisory committee and the Planning Board later this spring. The manager also reported the city had engaged consultants for a new master plan and listed upcoming community events, including a sustainability fair and a regional rail‑trail cleanup.

Councilors who spoke on these items included Councilor Taber, Councilor Cook, Councilor Dutton, Councilor Bagley and others. The meeting included a high level of public engagement on housing issues, and the council asked staff to return with more detailed analyses on parking, feasibility of potential city lots and zoning constraints that limit affordable housing production.