PDA/EADS briefing to selectmen highlights small-business parking concerns, Rye Beach extension and port activity

Susan delivered a briefing to the selectmen on Pease Development Authority (PDA) and EADS matters, focusing on small-business impacts, state oversight, and port activity.

Susan told the board the “average size of an American business is about 5 employees,” and argued that state-set parking fees can disproportionately affect seasonal, weather-dependent small businesses such as a parasailing operator who testified to PDA. She said that fee increases — cited in PDA materials as moving from $5 a day up to $10 a day in some places — can be “a steep climb” for businesses whose clients are not on-site for a full day.

On statutory and administrative constraints, Susan said the state Attorney General limited PDA to issuing only a one-year extension of rights-of-entry agreements for shore-side business “shacks” at Rye Beach; she said that extension would run from May 2025 through April 30, 2026. She also distributed a letter from state legislators expressing concern about the pace of decisions related to rights-of-entry and encouraged continued public comment on the process.

Susan described port activity and infrastructure updates reported to PDA’s Port Advisory Council, including dredging projects with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers near industrial berths, the recent Market Street Wharf upgrades and a planned north-end extension, and ongoing attention to shipping lanes and offshore wind corridor planning. She noted a leadership change on the Port Advisory Council and summarized large bulk-cargo and salt ship traffic; she also cited truck counts tied to cargo offloads.

Susan said the PDA recently hired an assistant division director for Courts and Harbors and that the PDA will continue follow-up briefings to the selectmen.

Ending: The selectmen accepted the briefing for their information and asked staff to distribute a copy of a legislators’ letter that Susan provided.