Vision for Portsmouth debated

By Adam Leach
aleech@seacoastonline.com
December 14, 2009 2:00 AM
SeacoastOnline.com

Editor's note: This is the second in a two-part series on the question "How big can Portsmouth get and still be Portsmouth?" The first part ran in the Dec. 13 Seacoast Sunday.

PORTSMOUTH — As the head of the city's top policy-making board, as well as a lifelong resident, Mayor Tom Ferrini sees the issue on both ends. There is a need to make the city the best it can be from an economic perspective and there is a need to prevent the city's success from negatively affecting the quality of life of the people who live here.


But Ferrini said there is no reason the two cannot coexist, which is why the revised zoning ordinance currently in front of the City Council is so important.

"We're fortunate to have economic interest in our city even in a down economy. That brings a lot of positives; it helps with the tax base and creates vitality," he said. "But it also makes it difficult for our residents at times, whether it be added traffic, a lack of parking or the pressure of development on neighborhoods. I believe the new zoning, historic district growth and sustainable initiatives are one way we can keep Portsmouth 'Portsmouth,' while trying to accept the good parts of development and preserving our heritage at the same time."

Everyone has a part of Portsmouth's history that is uniquely important to them, according to author and local historian J. Dennis Robinson. Those yearning for old Portsmouth must not forget the rest of the city's past, like the empty storefronts, quiet downtown, greater crime rate, Red Light district and a much smellier South Mill Pond.

"Exactly what part of 'Portsmouth' really defines this city? Only the pretty buildings?" Robinson said. "The West End used to be a stinky, gritty, polluted beer factory. The Button Factory was filled with machinery; now it's filled with artists. The Daniel Street Power Plant is now office condos with lovely views and not a smokestack."

The city population has dropped at least 5,000 people since Robinson moved here in the 1970s. It seemed more crowded then, but the downtown was sparsely populated, he said. The closure of Pease Air Force Base in 1990 was not a positive event at the time, but the public suddenly has access to a large part of the city and thousands of good-paying jobs. The base was completely shut off unless you were employed by the Air Force or were a pizza delivery person. Is that bigger or smaller?

Prescott Park used to be crowded with water towers, coal pokers, rotting wharfs and trashy warehouses, and the street was lined with large buildings. They've been removed for open space, flowers and a waterfront park. The city once had many more hotels downtown in the late 19th century, though not as big. Most closed, but they're coming back. Is that bigger or smaller?

"Are we motivated by nostalgia here, or facts? Doesn't each new generation bemoan the loss of its own personal city?" Robinson asked. "Future generations will likely remember Portsmouth as a bustling town full of cute shops and fancy restaurants, festivals and road races. Each generation redefines the city, keeping some of the old, putting old things to new uses, then redefining the city in fresh ways.

"If any town has done a good job of moving forward while regaining its essential seaport character, I'd say it is Portsmouth."

The problem with the question of "How big can Portsmouth get and still be Portsmouth?" is that we probably won't know the answer until a year or two after it happens, according to longtime Historic District Commission member David Adams, but "I am uncomfortable right now," he said.

Adams was, and continues to be, sensitive to the role that buildings and streets play in the makeup of the city. He never failed to let his opinions be known while on the HDC because it is important to him, but it appears as if the city has lost the ability to say no and its running out of control.

"Every time a building comes down, from fire, decay, or the will of a developer, Portsmouth gets a little less like itself," said Adams. "I think that there is an underlying belief that if there is more taxable property in the city, then the tax burden of the homeowners will go down. This is wrong and it is leading us down a path of no return ... destroying our city and its 'sense of place.'"

For Doug Bates, president of the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, it's about balance. Even the most business-centric perspective cannot view Portsmouth as simply a place where people flock to naturally to rid themselves of money. What keeps people coming back is the character of the city, from the ability to park and walk the entire downtown with ease to the friendly locals at the coffee shop.

It is important for the community to understand the "brand of Portsmouth," Bates said, the things tourists expect when they visit — to feel welcome and safe and to have a good time. If that brand is embraced, Bates said, Portsmouth will have a sustainable economy for years to come and not necessarily at the expense of the people who live here.

"If stuff starts to go away, then we start to backtrack to where we were. Are we forced to grow? Probably. Can we grow intelligently? Probably," Bates said. "With a balance of residential and business, we can make it work and move forward so residents and business people can still smile at each other when they're getting their morning coffee."

While there is no question parts of old Portsmouth are gone and lost forever, there is plenty left that is embraced and is promoted, Ferrini said.

"Do I miss seeing the 'Pic N' Pay' sign in the window at Hannaford? Sure. When I feel really sick for old Portsmouth, I go to Gilley's," he said. "But Portsmouth is now. We preserve the past and live in the present. The Portsmouth of my youth didn't have The Music Hall; it had the very beginning of a cultural community and there weren't as many good restaurants as there are now."

Portsmouth is physically constrained, according to Dana Levenson of the Economic Development Commission. "We all know that. The question of getting bigger, for me, is more a question of continuing to build a better community that meets the needs and wants of its citizens. To me, that means maximizing undeveloped opportunities (Northern Tier), responsibly recycling old buildings (Lafayette School), promoting the arts and tourism, and creating an environment where we are flexible to recruit new businesses and retain our existing ones."

Native and longtime School Board member Kent LaPage remembers when the last herd of milking cows left the city limits in 1971 on a cattle drive over the Spaulding Turnpike. It was part of what defined Portsmouth in his youth and it strolled right out of town.

"I was sad, as a kid, to see that go away, but with no growth or change, things die. Portsmouth is not dying, it is alive, and better off than many other parts of the nation," LaPage said. "Will it still be the city I knew and grew up in? The answer is no. Some things I see and like, others may take time to become accustomed to, and yet some I see as lost forever.

"Let's hope we don't just change because of the all-mighty dollar. Let's hope everyone does it for reasons that (make it so) everybody will be able to enjoy the life we have here in our little heaven called Portsmouth."