This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Jim Splaine: Killing Portsmouth Is Not An Option

Anti-growth is stagnation.  Communities die that way.  Investment in our community by developers who want to invest in us is a good thing.  Killing Portsmouth is not an option.  We have to grow.

I haven't heard many people who have spoken up in recent months say they are against growth.   However, I have seen words used like "clashes" and "factions" and "critics" to describe the nearly year-long discussion we have been having about development.  I just don't see it that way.   

Maybe I just don't "get it" because through years of listening to thousands of discussions about varied issues -- some very heated and intense -- I tend nowadays to hear the commonality of words and thoughts rather than the divides -- and on the topic of development and growth in Portsmouth, there are many similar views among almost all of us.

Find out what's happening in Portsmouthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Instead of emphasizing where we disagree, perhaps we should take a bit of time to identify ways we agree.  And all of us perhaps need to be more conscious of the words we use in voicing our views.  Passion is fine, but maybe we can tone it down a bit too. 

I hear virtually everyone saying, in somewhat different ways of course, that they are for "smart, balanced growth."  The core differences are in the definition of that concept, and perhaps our choice of words.

Find out what's happening in Portsmouthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But if we put some of the anger aside a bit, spend more time face-to-face and looking eye-to-eye, and listen carefully to what each of us is saying, there is a uniformity of goals being identified:  growth that makes Portsmouth better, preserves the best about us, that is right-sized and of human scale, and buildings that are created well, designed with vision, and contribute to our future needs.  We want that.  We need that. 

On the proposed Sheraton-HarborCorp project, I've listened carefully to the public hearings and discussions, and have tried to absorb much of the dialogue since early December.  I haven't observed major disagreements.  In fact, I have heard much agreement. 

Most people and groups speaking out are for the project, and celebrate that a quite ugly surface lot in our Downtown gateway will be turned into something that can be nice.  There are differences mainly on size, height, location, and density -- and that's part of the deliberation process. 

That process is a good thing.  It makes an idea that is good and decent into something that becomes better and great.

Concerning the most recent hearing this past Thursday, people on all sides praised and celebrated development of the current surface parking lot. And virtually everyone supports the Whole Foods aspect of the project.

There is some objection -- in degrees -- about the "Etc." part of the proposal, meaning the over a dozen condos and the nearly 100 room hotel which have been added to increase the revenue gain, but which also adds to the mass and density of the project.

I have heard much cheering for the parking plans from everyone, although some criticism -- well placed, perhaps -- that it will not be sufficient for a large convention center in addition to Whole Foods, a hotel, and condos. Some moderation has been suggested, but almost no one has said "don't build it."

The public hearings last month and this, and the recent worksession by our land use boards and City Council discussions have served the need to examine the benefits -- and there are many -- yet the drawbacks -- and there are some -- of the original proposal.

Making sure that it "fits" the area, that sidewalks and setbacks, greenery and traffic flow are preserved, and that its height is well-formed, will make the project a real asset for Portsmouth.

We're examining something that will be here for 100 years or more.  This is serious business.  That's why the time we take talking it through -- calmly -- is time wisely spent. 

This hasn't been a "for" or "against" battle.  Instead, it's been a quite exciting dialogue about how big, how wide, how tall, how full it should be. That's important to our future.

Investors and developers are good people, but they need the guidance of our community to make their projects livable and practical.   

In that way, the process to this point has been very positive.  If we seek to hear what we're all saying in affirmative and common words -- and if we work to talk "with" instead of "to" or "at" one another as the process continues, it can become very productive as well. 

We all do better when we do that.  When you think about it, we're all neighbors just having a chat about what Portsmouth will be tomorrow.   

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?