EDA: AECOM hired for Crawford Bay; temporary parking plan to cover most Harbor Towers spaces

A city staff member told the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority on Oct. 21 that the city is under contract with AECOM to advance redevelopment planning for the Crawford Bay waterfront and that a project kickoff meeting with the consultant is scheduled for the next day.

The staff member said the team had been targeting issuance of a request for information to solicit developer interest this calendar year but that the schedule may shift by about 30 days as the consultant team is onboarded and the scope is refined. "We are now under contract with them, and we have been coordinating for a kickoff meeting, which will actually occur tomorrow," the staff member said.

Staff said the RFI package will include conceptual site layouts and parking plans so prospective developers understand obligations tied to existing tenants. One pressing issue is public parking for the Harbor Towers residents: staff presented a conceptual surface-parking plan that would accommodate about 202 of the 250 spaces Harbor Towers leases, leaving approximately 48 spaces to be accommodated nearby. "We are obligated to provide those spaces," the staff member said.

City engineers worked with consultants to produce the layouts, and staff said temporary parking solutions will be included in the RFI so proposers account for how they would meet the Harbor Towers obligation during redevelopment. Staff also said stakeholder engagement meetings will be scheduled so affected residents and community groups can review options.

No formal action or vote on the waterfront item was recorded at the meeting; staff said they would include the parking concepts in the RFI materials and continue stakeholder outreach.

Plans presented at the meeting were conceptual; staff said timing and specific design details will be refined with AECOM and through public engagement.