Preliminary Vision Plan for the West End

On April 2nd a preliminary vision plan for the West End was released (check out the complete plan here). Portsmouth has contracted the Town Planning and Urban Design Collaborative (TPUDC) to work on this project. Although the actual dates for the project have not been defined, the first drafts for this plan are quite spectacular and will give the West End a new look

You may remember a few weeks ago we posted about the West End and mentioned all the great events to attend, or all the great places to spend time at in the area. Per TPUDC, this plan will add to all that as it will complement the existing historic structures, as well as create more opportunities for living, working, shopping and interacting with the cultural parts of the area.

There are four main parts to this plan; civic space, building design, land use and transportation and infrastructure. The civic space part will essentially create common spaces throughout the area for people to relax, grab some food, or even get some work done. It will end up creating outdoor plazas with dining options in each of them. The building design part of the plan basically states what types of buildings will be put into the area. Portsmouth hosted a design charrette (named the West End Charrette) from February 20th to the 23rd where residents came and voiced their opinions over this design plan, and something residents continually voiced was a desire to have a variety of buildings (small, tall, wide, etc.) in the area. This will end up resulting in the area having its own special feel to it, different from that of the bustling downtown scene.

The land use portion of the plan is a large part of the expansion. Participants in the West End charrette voiced that there needed to be more housing in this area of Portsmouth, and the plan is for this housing to come in all different ways; mid-rise multi-family buildings, and rowhouses are just some of the examples of that housing. Additional parking structures and areas will be created, as well as a new Artisan Industrial Character District which will allow for the type of artistic development envisioned for the Button Factory. The last portion of the plan regarding transportation and infrastructure sheds light on the need for better connected streets, and safer paths for bikers and pedestrians. These additions will make travel for anyone, much smoother.

This is all exciting news. The West End is a fantastic area for spending time, and the new additions are something we should be looking forward too. This is just another example of how our great city is expanding, and creating new opportunities not just on the waterfront. The one thing that we can be sure of while this project is going on is that the historic aspects of the West End will not be overlooked. If anything, it will cause them to stand out even more, showing that the history of our city will never go away, and that it will continue to stand the test of time.