Portsmouth North End construction boom: Condos, micro units and more, all at once
PORTSMOUTH — Work is continuing this week on a number of major construction projects adjacent to or near the city’s Foundry Place parking garage.
Construction crews could be seen working on several different projects in the city’s rapidly developing North End during a visit early Monday afternoon.
City officials alerted members of the city’s Economic Development Commission about all the construction under way near the garage, even as a number of other housing projects throughout the city are slated to begin construction sometime this year.
City Manager Karen Conard told the EDC that city staff are “certainly not naïve to think that everything will go exactly as planned.”
“It won’t be perfect, it will be a messy construction season, we will keep people as apprised as we know,” she told the EDC Friday. “We will have numerous staff working on this.”
She also pledged to work to mitigate any issues that arise because of the construction.
Micro unit project among North End developments in Portsmouth
Projects presently under construction in the North End include the city’s first micro-unit development, which is being built at the intersection of Deer and Bridge streets, near Foundry Place.
The former Statey Bar & Grill at 238 Deer St. was demolished in September to make way for the micro-unit development, which will feature 21 market-rate micro units of 500 square feet or less.
The property is being developed by 238 Deer Street LLC. Restaurateur Eli Sokorelis is the principal of the company.
Condo design inspired by railroad
Dump trucks and front loaders could be seen across the street Monday at the major mixed-use project that’s under construction at 70 Maplewood Ave.
The construction site is located at the intersection of Maplewood Avenue and Deer Street, and backs up to railroad tracks.
Developer Thomas Balon Jr. has said the design for the new project was inspired by the North End’s long railroad history.
The site was the former location of Boston & Maine’s Portsmouth rail station, and will feature 19 condos, including a penthouse, where Balon previously said he will live with his family.
The new project is slated to feature commercial space on the first floor, with condos on the second, third and fourth stories, with a setback penthouse on the fifth floor.
Residences at Foundry Place
Directly across the street from the Foundry Place garage work is also continuing on The Residences at Foundry Place, which will feature 51 market-rate condos for sale.
The units will be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units — and one commercial unit, which will be located on the ground floor, according to developer Kim Rogers.
“It’s mostly two-bedrooms with a few three-bedrooms and a handful of one-bedrooms," Rogers said during a ground-breaking ceremony in April 2023.
Rogers is the president of GL Rogers and Company and manager of Deer Street Associates and Foundry Place LLC.
During a visit to the site Monday, a huge crane could be seen hovering over the development as multiple crews worked on the site.
The top floor of the nearby Foundry Place Garage offered a bird’s eye view of the project, which is located at 88-99 Foundry Place.
The condo sizes will average 670 square feet for one-bedroom units, a little more than 1,100 square feet for two-bedroom units and about 1,300 square feet for three-bedroom units, Rogers said.
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Weekly meetings planned on Portsmouth construction projects
Jane Ferrini, the senior assistant city attorney, told the EDC that city staff hold weekly meetings because of the multiple projects being built around the Foundry Place Garage at the same time.
“A lot of our staff spend a lot of time dealing with these construction projects,” she said. “Construction is challenging, construction is difficult, it has an impact.
“Most of these large projects are mixed use projects, some of them have hotels, most of them have residences and commercial space,” Ferrini stated. “It will really really change all those lots near Foundry.”
She reminded EDC members that the initial plan was to develop the sites near or around the garage before building Foundry Place.
“These are finally coming online after many years,” she said about the projects. “Although it’s new construction, these were sort of contemplated many years ago, but they all just happen to be being constructed at the same time.”
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH North End faces construction boom
