18 new apartments in Portsmouth’s West End proposed

The owner of a 181 Hill St. property is seeking to redevelop the site and construct a new three-story building with 18 residential units, according to project plans filed with the city.

The proposed redevelopment near downtown in the city’s West End is slated to be discussed at the Jan. 22 Planning Board meeting. The property is near Hanover Street.

Dilapidated buildings would be replaced

The redevelopment request is being made by owner Hill Hanover Group LLC, according to project documents.

“The site is currently developed with three dilapidated residential buildings. Each building is similar in size and massing, consisting of two stories with four residential units per building, for a total of 12 existing dwelling units,” according to project documents filed with the city. “Surface parking is currently provided along Hill Street and within driveways located between the buildings.”

The proposed plan to redevelop the property includes building “a single three-story residential structure with a footprint area of approximately 9,306 square feet,” according to project plans.

The new building proposed – if approved – would include “18 residential units and … an underground parking garage to reduce surface parking requirements, with minimal surface parking provided along Hill Street,” according to the project plans.

The proposed redevelopment is slated to appear at the Jan. 22 Planning Board meeting for a preliminary conceptual consultation.

Peter Stith, the city’s assistant planning director, explained in a memo to the board that “the preliminary conceptual consultation phase provides the Planning Board with an opportunity to review the outlines of a proposed project before it gets to detailed design (and before the applicant refines the plan as a result of review by the Technical Advisory Committee and public comment at TAC hearings).”

“In order to maximize the value of this phase, board members are encouraged to engage in dialogue with the proponent to offer suggestions and to raise any concerns so that they may be addressed in a formal application,” Stith explained. “Preliminary conceptual consultation does not involve a public hearing, and no vote is taken by the board on the proposal at this stage.”

Preliminary plans filed with the city for the redevelopment project show there are six residential units planned for the first, second and third stories of the new multi-family building.

What is known about new apartments planned

The residential units range in size from 981 square feet to 1,599 square feet, according to the preliminary plans.

There are 17 parking spaces in the underground parking garage, according to the preliminary plans.

The 181 Hill St. property was most recently assessed at $2,610,200, according to city records.

The Jan. 22 board meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Jeff McMenemy