PORTSMOUTH – Residents who participated in a special City Council meeting on the proposed redesign plan for the Thomas J. McIntyre Federal Building property Tuesday were almost evenly split on whether they liked the proposal.
Bow Street resident Mike Casino called what has been described as the market pavilion or shed design for the 2.1-acre site “absolutely phenomenal.”
“If we could have something built like this in the downtown it would represent an iconic piece of architecture that would become a signature image for the city,” he said during Tuesday’s special council Zoom video conference meeting.
He stated that the proposed design is “the type of development that Portsmouth deserves,” that provides a “meaningful amount” of public, open and gathering space.
PORTSMOUTH A market pavilion design has emerged as residents preferred vision for redevelopment of the Thomas J. McIntyre Federal Building property.
Boston-based design firm Principle Group revealed its final redevelopment sketch to Portsmouth residents and city leaders Tuesday night. It features retail and restaurant space, outdoor performance space, underground parking and the return of a post office to the site.
Russell Preston, founder of Principle Group, told the meeting’s virtual attendees the pavilion design, which he termed a market shed design, on average, ranked the top option out of four prior design sketches in a survey of Portsmouth residents. It scored an average of 3.8 on a scale of 1-5. The survey asked for opinions about multiple visions for the property created through a lengthy public input process.
PORTSMOUTH Portsmouth Listens hosted 160 attendees remotely Wednesday night for its virtual “McIntyre Project 101” opening session. It was the first in a series of events aimed at compiling public dialogue and opinion on how best to redevelop the long-sought-after Thomas J. McIntyre federal building property on Daniel Street.
Partnering with members of the McIntyre Subcommittee, city officials and Principle Group, a Boston-based urban design architectural firm charged with developing sketch proposals of the McIntyre property based on the results of public dialogue, Portsmouth Listens co-founder Jim Noucas said the road to beginning the public input process has been a long time coming.