City Hosts Next Market Square Master Plan Public Meeting on November 4, 2024

The City of Portsmouth Planning and Sustainability Department will host a Market Square Master Plan Public Meeting on Monday, November 4, 2024, from 6 to 8 pm in the Levenson Room at the Portsmouth Public Library (175 Parrott Avenue).

The Market Square Master Plan process was first launched in 2019 then delayed due to the pandemic. In January 2024, the City selected Beta Group as the consultants to explore and document proposed changes for Market Square based on input from the Plan advisory group and the community. Beta Group conducted a Citywide survey in early 2024 and joined the Planning and Sustainability Department to present the results of that survey and invite public comment on April 24, 2024.

This meeting is designed to refine ideas for a shared public vision for Market Square along with preliminary cost projections. Future phases will lead to final design and the preparation of construction documents.

The last Market Square Master Plan, created in 1978, was designed to revitalize the core downtown. That Plan created the Market Square of today – a busy intersection and a transportation nexus filled with pedestrians, bicyclists, buses, cars, mopeds, and motorcycles against a backdrop of architecturally distinctive and often historic buildings. Much of the public infrastructure above and below Market Square and intersecting streets (including utilities, sidewalks, roadways, parking structures, street trees, street furniture and solid waste collection sites) is due for an upgrade.

The City invites the community to consider how other aspects of the Square and its publicly accessible spaces might be improved or altered consistent with historic preservation objectives, urban design principles, and the City’s Complete Streets, Walk-Friendly, and Bike-Friendly policies. The Market Square Master Plan will be incorporated in the upcoming Master Plan process starting in 2025.

For more information, including the presentations from the April 24, 2024 meeting, visit the Market Square Master Plan page.