Planning commission approves use permit for 39‑unit multifamily project; applicant seeks time after geotechnical work

The Portsmouth Planning Commission on Feb. 3 approved Use Permit UP‑25‑16, allowing Community Housing Partners to move forward with a 39‑unit, two‑building multifamily development on two parcels listed as 2216 and 2220 (street name spelling varies in the record) in the multifamily urban residential (URM) district.

Staff principal planner Bill Landfair told commissioners the site is vacant and heavily vegetated, contains jurisdictional wetlands that will require permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and was previously approved by City Council under Resolution R‑23‑16; that earlier approval expired and the applicant filed a new use permit to establish a new construction deadline. Landfair said there have been "no material changes to the original development" and staff recommended approval with the same conditions adopted under the earlier resolution.

The proposed project remains two buildings — one two‑story and one three‑story — totaling 39 units and a community room, with 66 parking spaces (1.5 spaces per dwelling unit). Landfair said subsidies tied to vouchers would support units for households earning 0–50% of area median income (AMI), and that "it’s anticipated that the city council will consider a separate resolution to authorize the use of these vouchers when it considers this use permit next month." He also noted that an updated geotechnical report related to an award of low‑income housing tax credits found the need for surcharging (additional excavation and site work), which lengthened the construction timeline and prevented the developer from installing footers by the prior deadline.

Joe Schwenker, senior development officer for Community Housing Partners, told the commission at the public hearing, "We're not asking for a change. We're asking for time," and said the team was "very confident" they could meet the extended schedule after additional borings and engineering work.

Commissioner Curry moved to approve UP‑25‑16 with conditions; Commissioner Melvin seconded. The item was approved in an electronic vote reported as 6–0.

The record includes inconsistent notations for the project acreage and street name: early meeting materials list the site as "approximately 2.3 combined acres," while the staff presentation at one point refers to "2.4 acres," and the street name appears in the record as "Walton," "Waldron," and "Weldon" in different places. The commission's action was limited to the use permit and its conditions; Landfair reiterated that federal wetland permits and any subsequent council action to authorize vouchers remain separate steps in the process.

The council is expected to take up the separate resolution on vouchers at an upcoming meeting.