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Council accepts Market Square master plan, commissioners say plan is a first step
Summary
Portsmouth adopted a Market Square master plan on Aug. 4. Councilors praised the public outreach and pedestrian-focused proposals but some said the plan does not go far enough on long-term issues such as electrical infrastructure, bicycle parking and accommodating future mobility changes.
The Portsmouth City Council voted to accept the Market Square master plan Aug. 4, endorsing recommendations to improve pedestrian space, expand sidewalk dining opportunities and redesign elements of downtown streetscapes.
Consultants and staff conducted public outreach during the plan’s development and presented options to reconfigure certain lanes, widen sidewalks in key locations, and improve bike and pedestrian amenities. Councilors described the plan as a needed update to a configuration that has not been comprehensively reworked in decades.
Supporters said the plan will allow the city to coordinate Market Square work with upcoming utility and paving projects — a practical advantage because much of the area will be disrupted for subsurface upgrades. Councilor Bagley, who sponsored the plan update, said the study’s goals include more pedestrian access, room for outdoor dining, and traffic-calming measures.
Several councilors and members of the public praised the plan but also urged additional study in several areas: where to place long-term bicycle parking and lockers, how to site electrical infrastructure and transformers for future electrification, and whether the plan adequately anticipates mobility changes over the next 20–50 years. Councilor Cook said the plan “doesn’t go far enough” on long-term details such as scooter and bike parking and transformers for electric vehicle infrastructure.
Staff noted that some elements of the plan are intended as multi-year work and that implementation will be phased, tied to the capital-improvement schedule and to specific roadway projects that are already planned.
Action: Council voted to accept the Market Square master plan and commit to the goals and recommendations in the document. Acceptance does not itself authorize construction funding; those items remain subject to CIP prioritization and separate approvals.
