Master Plan Concept Options
Since 2020, we have conducted public engagement meetings and surveys, analyzed data, and interviewed stakeholders for the Portsmouth City Park Master Plan project. This helped us determine the priorities and goals of Portsmouth residents, and how we can best utilize park space for future improvements. Using this feedback, we narrowed the selection down to two City Park master plans: All plans share three main similarities:
- An enhanced entrance with new signage, landscaping, and simplified circulation
- An improved waterfront treatment involving living shores, native vegetation, educational signage, and boardwalk/pier components
- An extensive trail network for walking, running, and cycling
Other similarities include a potential bait or snack stand near the northwest boat launch, maintain historic monuments and time capsule feature, and exciting amenities like a dog park, basketball, tennis, and pickleball courts, and a new primary building to house food service, park operations, and public user spaces.
The reimagination of City Park is contingent on two primary factors: how to utilize the current golf course real estate, and how to handle traffic between boat users and park users. These decisions will impact the park’s programming and facility locations.
Open City Park
Key Takeaways:
- Convert the golf course into a multi-use 2,000 person capacity event lawn and stage, pollinator meadow and numerous multi-surface trails that adds approximately 5o acres of public park space
- Build a new road that beings after the park entrance and maneuvers into the northwest corner of the park, connecting to the existing boat launch. This new road separates boater traffic from regular park user traffic.
- The existing boat launch will be maintained in it’s current position, but be reconstructed to a new condition
The Details:
- A separate boat traffic road allows for a larger, continuous open space along the water front.
- Pokey Smokey is retained, moved closer to the waterfront, and length of track is maintained to support holiday season activities. A memorial area and an enclosed observation tower is internal to the track limits to highlight Portsmouth veterans and allow for panoramic views of the park and river.
- A core amenity area is central to the park that consists of activities of the new building servicing bathrooms, park operations, and food service, the existing playground, 6 tennis courts, 8 pickleball courts, and a future flexible play amenity.
- To support the event lawn, 552 permanent parking stalls and 408 temporary event parking stalls will be available in the park.
- Other amenities available in the park are numerous accessible bathrooms, over 5 miles of pathways and trails, a pollinator meadow, 1 acre dog park, 2 basketball courts, public art, and over 30 pavilion shelters for grilling or nature observation.
- The entire coastal perimeter will be improved with native species for coastal restoration and preservation, as well as small craft launches, fishing area, boardwalk observation, and riverfront beach area.
Play at City Park
Key Takeaways:
- Remove the golf course but maintain the existing driving range location but enhance the range as a hybrid concept with driving range and a 9-hole pitch and putt course. This idea adds approximately 26 acres of park space back to the public but maintains a revenue source for the City.
- Build a new road that segments halfway through the park and maneuvers into the northwest corner of the park, connecting to the rotated west boat launch. This new road separates boater traffic from regular park user traffic.
- The boat launch will be rotated west and reconfigured and constructed to new. The rotation will require regular dredging for operation but allows the natural park landform to protect the launch area from impactful tidal conditions.
The Details:
- A separate boat traffic road allows for a larger, continuous open space along the water front that can accommodate event space in the northeast corner.
- Pokey Smokey is retained, moved into the central area of the park for increased visibility to guests as they arrive into the park; with the length of track maintained to support holiday season activities.
- The primary family area is located in central east of park provides a new building servicing bathrooms, park operations, food service, the clubhouse for driving range, and enclosed observation tower for park and river panoramic views. Othe amenities in this area consist of the existing playground, mini golf, over 30 pavilion shelters for grilling and nature observation.
- To support the increase amenities in the park, 385 permanent parking stalls and 92 temporary parking stalls will be available in the park.
- Other amenities available in the park are numerous accessible bathrooms, nearly 5 miles of pathways and trails, 1 acre dog park, 2 basketball courts, 6 pickleball courts, and 6 tennis courts.
- The entire coastal perimeter will be improved with native species for coastal restoration and preservation, as well as small craft launches, fishing area, boardwalk observation, and riverfront beach area.
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