Public Meeting to Review the Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment on Historic Portsmouth

On Thursday, February 22nd at 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, the Historic District Commission will be hosting a presentation from the Planning Department to share with the community details of work that has been undertaken to assess the potential risks and impacts from sea level rise and/or coastal flooding on the landscapes, buildings, and structures within Portsmouth’s Historic District.

The City had previously completed the Coastal Resilience Initiative in which they mapped areas most vulnerable to sea level rise and severe coastal storms. Building on that data, this study considers both the local Historic District as well as the newly-adopted 2016 Downtown Historic Register District. Historic, cultural and economic information was assessed to estimate the vulnerability of the City’s historic resources in the face of climate change. For a full copy of this study and previous meeting materials, please visit https://www.cityofportsmouth.com/planportsmouth/historic-properties-climate-change-vulnerability.

The City encourages community members interested in the historic resources in the City to attend this meeting to receive a comprehensive presentation of the study and learn more about what actions can happen in the future to reduce the risk of flooding. Those with interest should also visit this interactive Story Map for further details on the Portsmouth Historic Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Planning Initiative.