Planning staff recommends wholesale rewrite of Portsmouth comprehensive plan after year‑long audit

City planning staff on Oct. 7 presented the results of a year‑long audit of Portsmouth’s 2018 comprehensive plan (Build 1 Portsmouth) and recommended a full rewrite to produce a 2040 comprehensive plan that emphasizes measurable goals, clearer priorities and stronger public engagement.

Audit scope and process Principal Planner Bill Lanfair described a three‑pronged audit approach that reviewed departmental self assessments, capital improvements (CIP) completed since 2018 and community engagement across neighborhoods. "The audit process coordinated by the Planning Department lasted about a year," Lanfair said; it included CIP reviews and structured visioning with more than 60 residents across neighborhoods such as Churchland, Ebony Heights, Westbury and Waterview.

Findings: accomplishments and gaps Dr. Russell highlighted accomplishments tied to the plan’s themes — thriving, resilient, evolving and equitable — including more than $125 million in capital investments, waterfront and downtown reinvestment, broadband expansion and zoning updates to improve usability.

At the same time, staff found many plan tactics were ongoing or not clearly measurable. "The goals in the plan were ambitious. There were strategic priorities that we were not able to clearly determine," Russell said. Staff emphasized the need to complement value‑based goals with SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time‑bound) objectives for the 2040 plan and proposed integrating a stronger measurement, risk assessment and maturity‑model framework into plan preparation.

Community input and priorities Public engagement identified recurring citizen priorities: cleanliness, sidewalks, beautification, improved school performance, safe parks, youth and senior activities and crime reduction. Recreational assets such as parks and libraries were rated positively; signage and public identity were noted as areas for improvement. Staff recommended increasing the scale and frequency of engagement going forward.

Resilience and interjurisdictional coordination Commissioners raised flooding and regional coordination questions. Commissioner Jiggis asked that the 2040 plan include proactive dialogue with neighboring Norfolk regarding waterfront projects such as flood walls, noting actions in one city can affect the other. Staff said the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan and regional planning coordination (Hampton Roads Planning District Commission) inform grant opportunities and should be integrated into the 2040 planning effort.

Next steps and timeline Staff recommended a comprehensive rewrite of the 2018 plan and said the city has started work toward a 2040 plan. The planning department recommended an 18–24 month schedule for the rewrite with robust stakeholder engagement and proposed activities to develop measurable priorities, consider risk assessments and align CIP investments with plan goals.