A comprehensive, accountability-driven roadmap to address Portsmouth's housing crisis through measurable actions and real results
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Quick overview for City staff, Councilors, and interested residents
The problem is known. The tools exist. What's missing is execution.
This Housing Action Plan is an implementation framework with clear owners, timelines, and measurable outcomes—using resources Portsmouth already has. It's designed to support Council decisions about next steps.
Essential workers who make Portsmouth function cannot afford to live here.
Every action has a designated department lead
Quarterly milestones with public tracking
Progress dashboard shows results, not promises
Uses Housing Trust Fund and current staff capacity
Ruth Griffin Place—64 units of permanently affordable housing serving teachers, healthcare workers, and service workers—proves that when Portsmouth supports affordable housing with tax exemptions and smart policy, large-scale affordability becomes operational reality, not theory.
Housing instability increases stress, reduces healthcare access, and worsens chronic conditions. Long commutes decrease sleep and civic engagement.
Housing shortages reduce regional productivity, limit labor market dynamism, and exacerbate inequality. Workers need to live near jobs.
Increased supply with tenant protections produces better outcomes than either alone. Protections prevent displacement from new development.
Ten Portsmouth households show the arithmetic of the housing crisis
The 30% affordability rule is simple: housing shouldn't cost more than 30% of gross income. In Portsmouth, that math doesn't work for teachers, nurses, firefighters, service workers, or young families. These ten scenarios show who gets priced out and by how much.
Click any scenario to jump directly to it
Sample implementation framework showing how Portsmouth could organize housing action steps
Below is a sample implementation matrix showing what Portsmouth's Housing Action Plan could look like in practice. These are illustrative examples drawn from proven frameworks in comparable communities, customized for Portsmouth's context.
The actual plan would be developed through community input, municipal review, and Council adoption. This demonstrates the structure, accountability, and specificity that makes implementation plans work—not a prescriptive list of exact actions.
Sample actions
Sample actions
Sample actions
Sample actions
See what a Portsmouth action matrix could look like (Table View) and how city officials and residents can easily track progress (Dashboard View).
This table shows what Portsmouth's comprehensive Housing Action Plan could look like. The framework is based on proven implementation strategies from similar communities, customized for Portsmouth's specific needs. All action items, deadlines, and assignments shown below are illustrative examples to demonstrate the structure and accountability of a real plan.
$ = Low cost (primarily staff time, minimal direct expenses)
$$ = Medium cost (new staff position, programs, or moderate capital)
$$$ = High cost (significant capital investment, major infrastructure, or substantial program funding)
How Portsmouth makes housing work for everyone
How policy becomes a home
Ruth Griffin Place is a textbook example of how Portsmouth can leverage public-private partnerships to create affordable housing at scale. This isn't theory—it's operational reality.
Ruth Griffin Place proves that Portsmouth knows how to do this. The Housing Action Plan provides the framework to do it systematically, at the scale the crisis demands.
~80 units in downtown pipeline
Small pods (~10 units) sharing common living/kitchen space. Each resident has private sleeping and working areas. Recently approved in Portsmouth zoning code.
Service workers, contract workers, traveling nurses, recently singled adults, seniors seeking community. People who want Portsmouth proximity without typical apartment costs.
~$1,700/month with utilities included. That's $450+ cheaper than a studio apartment, making Portsmouth accessible to workers currently priced out.
Co-living represents the kind of innovative, market-responsive housing Portsmouth needs—providing quality options for workers at price points they can actually afford.
Housing policy succeeds when residents are genuine partners, not just recipients of top-down decisions. Portsmouth needs:
10-Year Property Tax Revenue & Cost Projection
This model estimates the fiscal impact of city-driven outreach, incentivization, and technical assistance to generate additional ADUs and residential conversions beyond what would occur naturally. Through targeted homeowner engagement, streamlined permitting, potential fee waivers, and hands-on support from the Housing Navigator, Portsmouth can actively catalyze gentle density development rather than waiting passively for applications.
These units use existing infrastructure and generate property tax revenue with minimal added municipal cost. The chart below shows how assessed value and tax revenue compound over ten years, compared to modest service costs.
All results reflect incremental units beyond Portsmouth's existing baseline, driven by active municipal initiatives.
Adds $4,000/unit/year (~0.22 students/unit at $18K/student). ADUs typically generate 0.05-0.1 students per unit (essentially zero) based on AARP research showing they predominantly house singles, couples, or elderly relatives. This toggle tests a conservative worst-case scenario.
Gentle density is not just a housing solution—it's a fiscal efficiency tool that happens to add housing.
How Portsmouth's Housing Fund investment becomes a fiscal revenue engine
How implementation costs generate long-term fiscal returns
Return on Investment: 11:1 — Every dollar invested in Housing Action Plan implementation returns approximately $11 in net fiscal impact to Portsmouth over ten years. This isn't spending; it's infrastructure investment that expands the tax base, generates revenue, and pays for itself many times over.
Portsmouth's Housing Fund represents a public-private partnership with equal contributions from the City of Portsmouth and Redgate/Kane developers. This $500,000 resource is specifically designated for housing initiatives and implementation. Using it for Housing Action Plan implementation is precisely aligned with the fund's intended purpose: advancing Portsmouth's housing goals through strategic investment.
Adjust the assumptions below to see how different staffing and support levels affect the implementation cost and remaining Housing Fund balance.
The Housing Navigator accelerates housing production. Each new unit generates property tax revenue. 100 units over 10 years = $3.0M net fiscal impact (Section 4). The program pays for itself 11x over.
Not an enforcement officer—a project manager moving housing through permitting faster. Single point of contact coordinating Planning, Fire, and DPW to reduce time-to-groundbreak for developers and homeowners.
Navigator manages Progress Dashboard tracking every dollar against completion milestones. Real-time visibility into housing pipeline, approvals, completions, and progress toward goals.
GIS analysis, policy benchmarking, and metrics maintained by UNH interns and fellows. Cost-effective expertise supporting evidence-based decisions.
Help navigating ADU permitting, conversions, and affordable housing programs. Makes housing opportunities accessible to Portsmouth residents.
No permanent staff expansion. Evaluate effectiveness after 18-24 months and adjust. If it works, continue. If not, course-correct. Low-risk pilot approach.
Portsmouth has $500,000 in Housing Fund resources (equal contributions from the City and Redgate/Kane developers). A focused, time-limited Housing Action Plan implementation can be fully funded for less than 60% of the fund balance.
This isn't spending—it's infrastructure investment. The $275,000 program cost enables housing production that generates $3.0 million in net fiscal impact over ten years. That's an 11:1 return on investment.
The city doesn't need a large new bureaucracy. It needs one dedicated coordinator, smart use of student talent, and a commitment to operational accountability. The resources exist. The tools exist. The fiscal case is overwhelming.
The question before the City Manager and City Council is not capacity. It is priority.