Planning commission approves use permit for three townhouses at 531 Edward Street

The Portsmouth Planning Commission on April 7 approved Use Permit UP-26-01, permitting the construction of three townhouse units at 531 Edward Street after a staff presentation and an applicant walk-through of conceptual plans.

Principal planner Bill Landfair told commissioners the property is a vacant parcel about 75 feet wide and 121 feet deep (approximately 9,075 square feet, or 0.21 acres), located in the AE8 special flood hazard area and within the Chesapeake Bay preservation resource management area. Staff recommended approval with conditions and said the submitted elevations and conceptual plans were incorporated into those conditions to ensure substantial conformity with design standards.

Designer Irving Henderson and owners Tavon Baker and Travis Williams presented the proposal, describing two end lots of about 3,449 square feet each and an interior lot of about 2,178 square feet; each townhouse footprint would measure roughly 18 by 30 feet and provide about 1,556 square feet of living area. Each unit would include two off-street parking spaces, a covered front porch and a second-story rear balcony. Henderson said the units were designed to be more affordable than detached homes in the neighborhood.

There were no registered public speakers on the item, and Commissioners asked only brief clarifying questions. Commissioner Glover moved to approve UP-26-01 with conditions; the motion received a second (the seconding speaker is not identified in the transcript) and passed by a 5-0 roll-call vote.

The decision sends the application forward with the conditions noted in staff’s recommendation. The case had been deferred from the March 3 meeting for further consideration; staff and the applicants confirmed the current submission meets the applicable zoning and subdivision requirements under the city’s multifamily urban residential district and the Build One Portsmouth comprehensive plan guidance on mixed-income housing.