REVISION OF LAND USE REGULATIONS
The draft revised Zoning Ordinance is the product of three years of work by the Planning Board, the Planning Department and consultants. The Zoning Ordinance revision effort began in April 2006 and has involved extensive consultation with Portsmouth’s elected and appointed officials, including approximately four dozen Planning Board work sessions and meetings, eight City Council work sessions and meetings and at least a dozen meetings with other City boards such as the Conservation Commission, Historic District Commission, Sustainability Committee, Blue Ribbon Commission on Housing, and Economic Development Commission. The process has also included numerous meetings with City staff to review specific issues with the existing ordinance and discuss proposed changes and new provisions.
The Zoning Ordinance revision effort has also included a complete revision of the Planning Board’s Site Review Regulations which were completed in April 2008. Because the Zoning Ordinance and Site Review Regulations are so interrelated, adoption of the Site Review Regulations by the Planning Board has been deferred until the revised Zoning Ordinance is finalized and adopted by the City Council.
The draft Zoning Ordinance and Site Review Regulations are available for download below:
Copies are also available for on-site review at the City Clerk’s Office and Planning Department at Portsmouth City Hall; and several copies are also available for check-out at the Public Library.
Status of Revised Zoning Ordinance
The Planning Board has voted to recommend to the City Council that the revised Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map be adopted. For further information on City Council consideration of the Planning Board’s recommended Zoning Ordinance, please check upcoming City Council meeting agendas.
It is important to note that the revised Zoning Ordinance will begin to impact development proposals even before it is adopted by the City Council. Under State law, all development proposals must comply with the regulations of both the existing and proposed Zoning Ordinance beginning on the date that the legal notice of second reading of the ordinance at City Council is posted.
For further information, call Rick Taintor, Planning Director, at 610-7290.