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EDA approves consultant for High Street renovation and expands business-acceleration eligibility
Summary
The Portsmouth Economic Development Authority authorized construction-document work on 1220 High Street and approved a change to the Smart Start business-acceleration grant eligibility; staff also reported progress on property demolitions, leases and environmental testing for a downtown parcel.
Julie Cha (EDA staff) gave updates on multiple EDA-owned properties and program items at the June 17 meeting, and the authority approved a consultant proposal for exterior renovations to the 1220 High Street building.
The EDA voted to approve a consultant fee proposal of $33,485 to prepare construction documents for exterior renovations at 1220 High Street. The proposal will be routed to the city manager for signature; the consultant estimated 60 days to prepare documents, a 45‑day city review window, 60 days to select a contractor, and approximately four months of construction, yielding a projected completion date of April 29, 2026. The motion was approved by the Authority (tally: yes 6, no 0, abstain 0). The mover and seconder were not specified in the transcript.
Staff also reported property-specific updates: procurement had identified a contractor under a job-order contract to perform the scheduled demolition at a 10/28 property, and staff will negotiate price and route a contract through city channels; 1117 and 1121 High Street have permits and construction plans approved for roof and interior work, and a temporary two-month lease of 1117 High Street is in place for a feature film set and storage; renovation procurement for those addresses will be advertised imminently. For 934 High Street, the EDA is in due diligence and extended the environmental testing deadline to Aug. 4, 2025; a phase‑1 assessment noted an old UST reference, ground-penetrating radar found no UST anomaly, and the consultant recommended indoor slab/soil-vapor testing because shallow soil/groundwater sampling was infeasible in the area.
On program matters, the Authority approved a staff recommendation to adjust the Smart Start business-acceleration grant eligibility window from seven years in operation to 10 years. The program offers reimbursement grants (up to $5,000 per award) for eligible expenses such as marketing, professional services, and equipment; staff said reimbursement requires documented expenses and typically a 20% applicant match. The EDA also reported that a vendor notice of award for the small-business loan program is imminent and that the city has adjusted the acceleration program budget in previous rounds (staff said the program budget was initially $100,000 and later adjusted to $50,000 for the last cycle).
Board members discussed timing and market risk for renovations without a confirmed tenant and confirmed the Authority’s prior practice of proceeding with needed renovations to make properties marketable. Staff said they will proceed with procurement and return with timeline and cost updates.
No ordinances or legal authorities were adopted at this meeting; the actions recorded were contract approvals and program guideline changes.
