I thought this article was particularly interesting, and wanted to share it with you... the second part will be published tomorrow... bf
How to keep Portsmouth 'Portsmouth' stirs debate
How to keep Portsmouth 'Portsmouth' stirs debate
By Adam Leech
as seen in SeacoastOnline.com
December 13, 2009 2:00 AM
This is the first of two articles on the question "How big can Portsmouth get and still be Portsmouth?" The second will run in Monday's Portsmouth Herald.
John Hynes felt different. He felt it all around him. The city was changing before his eyes and he didn't like it.
The question was posed as a simple observation, while at the same time a thought-provoking inquiry to spark discussion on how the city should grow.
It ended up becoming a campaign slogan during his 18-year career on the City Council, as well as the mantra repeated by politicians and long-time residents alike when big projects, big ideas or big change came to the city. It was meant to ask people to grasp what quaintness remained in the city.
"It was a way to awaken people to the issue," said Hynes, "to make people think about the future. To make sure whatever they did today, they would have vision so we don't look back and say 'Oh my god, why did we do that?'
The answer to the question differs, depending upon to whom you speak.
In the early 1990s, it was necessary to fast-track development to sustain the city's economy after the loss of Pease Air Force Base and the threatened closure of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, according to state Rep. Jim Splaine of Portsmouth.
But at the turn of the century, that became less of a necessity. Yet Splaine doesn't see the city putting on the brakes and it is impacting "the feel" of the city.
"In the '90s we got a bit hungry," said Splaine. "But we're at the point where we can be much more selective, but we don't seem to be ... We say yes to way too much."
Case in point, according to Splaine, is the Historic District Commission's approval of the historic Martingale Wharf, which was gutted to facilitate more office space and renovate the historic building. However, the amount of work proved too much for the building, which now must be demolished.
Splaine doesn't blame the developers for trying to improve a property. He blames the city for not protecting one of its most historic buildings.
"I think we need to be very careful," said Splaine. "Because those buildings won't be historic for another 200 years."
What is 'quaint?'
Lifelong South End resident Harold Whitehouse stepped down from the City Council in 2007 after a 12-year career. Over time, he realized fewer and fewer of his fellow policy makers were listening to his concerns about the change happening in the city.
For Whitehouse, it wasn't about the buildings; the Historic District Commission did a good job ensuring the core of the city had buildings that worked with the city. The streetscape, however, was overlooked, he felt.
Placating to the call for wider sidewalks, bump outs, the narrowing streets, the period lighting and the miles of brick sidewalks never made sense to him.
"This is what people come here for, the quaintness, the narrow sidewalks, the alleys, the leaning telephone polls and low hanging wires, the little shops in quaint streets," said Whitehouse. "Everything wasn't brick in the '30s and '40s. There's more now."
The word "quaint" means different things to different people, according to architect Lisa DeStefano of DeStefano Architects, who is also a lifelong resident. As one of the key influences in the shape and style of buildings throughout the city, DeStefano said there is so much more that goes into the feel of the city than bricks and mortar.
"The size and scale of the city, from the sidewalks to the energy, to the character, to the detailing of buildings, whether it's a 2010 building or a 1910 building, its about how you experience it," she said. "The people are also part of the character."
The Norther Tier
The Northern Tier is in on the brink of an entirely new character and feeling, with the first phase of the Portwalk development — a five-story Marriott Residence Inn hotel with retail space — scheduled to be ready by next summer. The former Portsmouth Herald building, the site of the approved Westin Hotel and conference center, 30 Maplewood Avenue, the Worth Lot, 31 Raynes Avenue could all look very different in the next five years.
The North End was where DeStefano's family settled after DeStefano's great-grandfather, Frederick, left San Giovanni, Italy, in 1907. Splaine, too, grew up in the North End. However, the dense residential area fell victim to the 1960s urban renewal project after the land was deemed more profitable as commercial property.
Nowadays "urban renewal" is considered by many to be one of the city's greatest mistakes, one that deprived the city of character.
"The initial development was very poor, box buildings and law offices," said Splaine. "If we had not had urban renewal, downtown would be an absolute gem for the state and New England, but we've lost much of it."
Now the city has another opportunity to breath life into the North End, and that's exciting to DeStefano.
"Eventually we're going to have all the Northern Tier filled with new buildings that work for the present day lifestyle," said DeStefano. "Did it break my relatives' hearts that the place we had grown up in was taken down? Yes. But in 2010 and beyond we have opportunities to do something thoughtful in that area."
Changes over time
The fact is, Portsmouth has had many iterations over the course of its history.
George Carlisle, who co-owns Olde Port Properties, said change in Portsmouth is more of the same, but the "feel" of the city is not lost.
"I've lived in Portsmouth all my life, and it's been a great place to live the entire time. But in reality, it's felt like I've lived in four different cities. This city has evolved and changed that much," said Carlisle.
"Portsmouth has the 'feel' it has, not because of the number of people or buildings, but rather because of its attitude, personality and outlook. That's what makes Portsmouth different and special."
The question of "How big can Portsmouth be and not be Portsmouth?" is the wrong one, according to Carlisle. It is asked by people who don't know what makes Portsmouth "Portsmouth" in the first place.
"If you were to somehow change the attitude, personality and outlook of this city, then it wouldn't make any difference how many buildings or people were here anyway," he said.
Mix of people
And part of what keeps Portsmouth a dynamic community is the mix of people, according to Cristy Cardoso, who is the chairwoman of the Citywide Neighborhood Committee.
"I feel that the city's character comes as much from it's people as the architecture or infrastructure," she said. "Portsmouth has always had a great mix of residents with all sorts of backgrounds. If we lose that mix it doesn't matter what we build or don't build."
That mix of residents is being threatened by gentrification, according to former mayor Steve Marchand. The fact that gentrification is an ongoing reality in Portsmouth allowed the city to absorb the fall of the real estate market better than most places, he said, but it also means the city is losing some of those lifelong residents who create the mix of which Cardoso speaks.
In many parts of the city, such as Islington Street, the city is experiencing a "class clash," where there's a mix of longtime residents who purchased their homes for $15,000 and do little upgrades and new residents from Connecticut who have remodeled their homes, increasing the value. Much of the South End has already been fully gentrified, he said.
From a diversity perspective, Marchand said the city has become a victim of its own success.
"If Portsmouth continues to be a place to live, work and play in, due to the demand, the property values will continue to increase. That will limit the type of people that can move into the community," he said. "I'm not sure how much socio-economic diversity we'll have in 25 years ... Is that good or bad? I don't know, but it's definitely different."
When this question comes up, City Councilor Chris Dwyer reminds people the population is smaller now than it has been at other times. She said she has felt for a long time that Portsmouth needs to at least regain that 20 percent of the resident population that was lost, and it needs to be done in diverse ways, such as work force housing — an issue that was the focus of a recent council committee she chaired.
"We don't want to be in a community that is only a business hub nor do we want to be only a 'bedroom.' In fact, the vitality that everyone seems to love is certainly in part attributable to the balance," said Dwyer. "I think generally people who bring up the 'how big' question aren't talking about 'big' at all, but about urban-ness and aspects of urban-ness, which include scale of buildings, density, traffic, change and different-ness ... I think we need to attend to balance, but acknowledge that we are a city and not a small town."
What's the risk?
The bottom line for Whitehouse: Portsmouth is at risk of losing everything that makes it unique if it does not do a better job of advocating for keeping it. And he fears he's one of the last voices.
"Do we want to make this city like Anywhere, USA? People come to this city and they want to see something old. What is the first place you visit when you go to Montreal? The old part," said Whitehouse. "Pretty soon my granddaughter is going to say, 'What happened to the old part?' and I'll say, 'They just didn't listen.'
Splaine said he is planning a "Portsmouth 2050 Vision Project" to begin this year, the sequel to Portsmouth 2020 that started in 1991, which brought approximately 100 residents together to try to answer this very question.
"We have to look forward," said Splaine. "How big can Portsmouth become and still be Portsmouth? I wish we stopped a few years ago, but at least we can look at it now and decide, 'Do we want more of the same, or do we want something different?'"
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