Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Newport Phase3 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission recommends approval for Newport Phase 3, citing mixed housing and attainable units
Summary
The Portsmouth Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for Newport Phase 3, a 29.7–30.5 acre mixed‑use development proposing 394 dwelling units and a mix of for‑sale products including lower‑priced stacked townhomes aimed at affordability.
The Portsmouth Planning Commission on July 7 recommended approval of UP‑26‑03, a conditional use permit for Newport Phase 3, a multi‑phase neighborhood planned for 109 Missy Elliott Boulevard.
Principal planner Bill Lanfair told commissioners staff found the proposal generally consistent with the 2006 master plan and the city’s Newport design guidelines. The concept site plan proposes 394 total dwelling units, a decrease of 33 from the original master plan, and relocates multifamily buildings to the Interstate 264 frontage. Lanfair recommended approval with conditions that require subsequent plans to be in substantial compliance with the concept elevations and architecture shown to the commission.
Why it matters: The development covers roughly 29.7–30.5 acres in Portsmouth’s mixed‑use corridor and is intended to provide a range of housing types and neighborhood amenities, including a central clubhouse and pedestrian‑oriented streets. Staff also added a security condition: “before operating the multifamily dwelling component of the project, the applicant would be installing digital video equipment,” Lanfair said.
Applicant Melissa Venable, representing the Newport applicant, said the project includes three product types and will offer for‑sale homes targeted at lower price points to expand ownership opportunities. “This would allow neighbors to leave the rental market and enter into the home ownership market,” Venable said. She told the commission the development will include a mix of 4‑story elevator buildings at the site entrance, three‑story townhomes, and 1‑over‑1 stacked townhomes intended to address affordability.
Commissioners asked whether a traffic study was required; Lanfair said none was required at the permit stage but one may be needed at site plan review to assess AM/PM peak impacts. The commission approved the recommendation by voice vote, recorded as 6 to 0, and attached staff conditions requiring substantial compliance with the concept elevations and applicable codes.
Next steps: The planning commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final action. If approved by council, the use permit will include the three‑year automatic expiration provision unless a building permit is obtained and work commenced.
