Consulting Work for Navy Surplus Land Redevelopment Put Out to Bid

The town of Portsmouth is moving forward with plans to redevelop 146-acres of Navy surplus land known as Tank Farms 1 and 2 as the deadline in a request for proposals for consulting work quickly approaches.

The land had been used by the Navy since the 1920s for fuel storage and were decommissioned in the 1990s.

The town earlier in July issued a request for proposals from consulting firms to help the town complete due diligence work in advance of crafting a formal redevelopment plan.

The two sites hold underground storage tanks that were used to store various fuels used by the Navy, a 1,000 gallon underground water reservoir, some road infrastructure and eight small buildings such as pump houses and utility structures.

The town has been working slowly but surely since the mid 2000s in a process engaging with the Navy to transfer the properties to the town with a plan for future development.

The development project is in about as early a stage as it gets and the town describes itself as “currently undertaking a due diligence process to determine the next steps in the project” in the RFP.

The early vision is to redevelop the two sites into a combined 146-acre site with office space, light industrial and flex space with boat storage, parking and “possible non-intensive development” like a solar array.

There would be a 400-space, 4-acre parking facility on the west end of the site adjacent to the rail line. To the north, another parcel is indicated for about 40,000 to 50,000 square feet of light industrial development for boat storage.

To the east, another 90,000 square feet of light industrial and flex development is proposed along with associated parking from Bradford Avenue to the east.

To the far south, with access from Stringham Avenue, planners see the possibility of 110,000 or so square feet of office space for small users and small business startups.

Planners will likely avoid disturbing the ground where fuel tanks are stored. Some of the tanks were cleaned and filled with water to prevent groundwater contamination, but some of the potential issues with contamination at the site have yet to be fully determined. That’s part of the reason the town is seeking the services of a consulting firm.

One concept involves using the areas with storage tanks to install solar arrays, which could be a potential revenue source and “provide economic benefit for the region.”

The state and Navy have been pushing for the use of the storage tank areas as solar farm. In the RFP, it states that “since the tanks are buried placing solar panels over the tanks are an easy redevelopment option.”

The thinking is that as environmental work and cleanup continues on the Navy’s timetable, the land might become more valuable for other uses down the road.

The consultant, whichever is picked, will be expected to review records of the environmental conditions of the Tank Farms, review Department of Defense remedial actions and determine what future steps need to be taken to “effect final cleanup.”

The consultant will also have to figure out the best and most affordable method the town should employ to complete the land transfer.

Other responsibilities will include: market research, identifying the town’s goals for the project, gauge the response from residents and measure their concerns and desires for the properties as well as calculate all the costs involved.

All bids are due at the town’s Finance Department office by July 31.

The Town Council in May authorized the RFP and engaged in a discussion about the properties as a whole and how they fit in to the bigger picture. One question that remains unanswered is the level of contamination at the site. And then there was the philosophical question of what kind of growth should the town steer there?

David MacBain, chairman of the Portsmouth Redevelopment Agency, which has been negotiating with the Navy and has since switched to an advisory role to the Town Council, said that Newport is overdeveloped in terms of boating infrastructure and the boats are moving up the coast.

The “mega-yachts that are coming in. . .people on board and renting cars, renting houses and spending money. There’s no room in Newport. The marine industry is moving north. We should be ready for it,” he said.

Redevelopment of the site could also add properties to the town’s tax rolls.