The City Council held a Work Session on Neighborhood Parking Programs on November 21, 2022. Go to the presentation.
The Neighborhood Parking Program pilot ended on December 6, 2022.
The Islington Creek Neighborhood Parking Program (NPP) pilot launched on August 4, 2021 and was extended beyond its original end date of February 4, 2022 to September 5, 2022 in order to collect and report feedback on the program, including the results of a survey of NPP pilot participants. For the results of the survey, click here.
MEETING PARKING & TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE REVIEW OF NPP PILOT SURVEY. Wed. March 16, 2022. For the video recording of the meeting, click here.
Under the rules of the program, the following streets are included in the program: McDonough from Dover to Brewster; Sudbury, Hanover from Brewster to Bridge Street, Tanner from Islington Street to Hill Street; Tanner Court, Autumn, Parker, Pearl, Rock, Brewster, Langdon, Cornwall, Rockingham, Cabot, Salem and Dover Streets.
Residents and businesses in this neighborhood as well as residents of both sides of Islington Street from Dover Street to Bridge Street may apply for one permit per vehicle and a maximum of three per residence/business. Residents of Portsmouth who live outside the pilot area may apply for one permit. The permits are tied to specific vehicles and are not transferable. There is no charge for the pilot program permit.
The permit allows parking between 9 am and 8 pm, seven days a week. It does not guarantee parking availability or a specific parking space but is described as a “license to hunt for parking” in the pilot area. Islington Street retains its 2-hour limit on parking, regardless of permit status.
Participation is voluntary. Vehicles without a valid permit may park for up to two hours on any street in the designated neighborhood.
Residents and businesses in the defined Islington Creek parking zone, and Portsmouth residents from anywhere in the city, may apply for permits at the Parking Clerk’s Office in the Foundry Garage (west entrance), during regular office hours (Mon 7 am-5 pm; Tues-Thurs 7:30 am-4 pm; Fri 7:30 am -12:30 pm). The application form is available online and must be submitted in person along with two of these items to show proof of residency:
- Motor vehicle registration showing the vehicle registered to a Portsmouth address
- Valid New Hampshire driver’s license with a Portsmouth address OR one of the following:
- Current month utility bill containing the applicant’s name and a Portsmouth address.
- Fully-executed lease agreement with the applicant’s name and Portsmouth address.
No trucks or busses over 5500 lbs. are eligible for permits.
2021 Pilot Program
NEIGHBORHOOD PARKING PROGRAM UPDATE TUES DEC 21 -- For the presentation, click here. For the video recording, click here.
Parking & Traffic Safety Meeting: Update on Pilot Program, Nov 16, 2021. Click here for the presentation. Click here for the meeting video recording.
Parking & Traffic Safety Special Meeting: THURS July 22, 2021. Click here for the video recording. For Islington Creek NPP Program Summary, click here.
Click here for the video recording of the July 19 Special Meeting.
For the July 8, 2021 Parking & Traffic Safety meeting recording, click here.
For the June 10, 2021 Public Input Meeting recording, click here.
Pilot Project Public Input Meeting Presentation (April 14, 2021)
Map of proposed Neighborhood Parking Pilot Program.
2018-2019 Pilot Program
Referred from City Council for vote on 3/7/19 from Parking and Traffic Safety Committee on amended program
Proposed Rules and Street Maps for the Neighborhood Parking Program
After strong public input and interest expressed by the South End and Islington Creek neighborhood groups, City staff may launch pilot Neighborhood Parking Programs pending Council approval and further neighborhood support. At this time, the potential pilot program would likely take place in the Islington Creek neighborhoods for a duration of one year. Under an NPP program, people living in the neighborhood who wish to park on the street longer than the designated time limit would need to display a permit from the City on their vehicle, according to a draft of the program that was presented at the September 6, 2018 Parking and Traffic Safety (PTS) Committee meeting. Parameters of the program went before the PTS Committee on January 10, 2019 and is now before City Council.
2018 Neighborhood Meetings
The Department of Public Works and the Parking Division would like to thank participants from the Islington Creek and South End neighborhoods for contributing their thoughts during a series of Town Hall meetings held on 10.4.18 (Islington Creek Neighborhood) and 10.11.18 (South End Neighborhood). Communication with members of each community is vital to the development of a program that works best for each neighborhood’s specific needs.
Background
Based upon the responses received through the Neighborhood Parking Program Online Survey, a set of Program Parameters was developed Meetings with representatives from each Neighborhood further refined those parameters, resulting in the iteration of the programs discussed at each of the Town Hall Meetings. Below you can access links to the handouts made available, which represent the iteration of the program discussed at each Town Hall Meeting.
HANDOUTS
Islington Creek Neighborhood
Proposed Requirements for a Neighborhood Parking Program (NPP)
If your neighborhood is considering becoming an NPP District, the following would be required:
- Each request must be made by a Neighborhood Association registered with the Citywide Neighborhood Committee.
- Each Association is responsible for contacting its residents, circulating a petition, and obtaining signatures for a minimum of 75% of households within the NPP District. A ‘household’ is defined as a legal, single-family residential address.
- The petition must encompass a complete neighborhood as registered with the Citywide Neighborhood Committee. This requirement may be amended due to circumstances unique to a specific area.
- The Parking and Traffic Safety Committee will evaluate the petition request, ensure that all petition requirements are met, and make a recommendation to City Council.
Spring 2018 Community Survey
In February 2018, City staff presented the logistics of a potential Neighborhood Parking Program (NPP) to discuss various factors and requirements involved to implement such a program. Following discussions at both a City Council Work Session, and at a Citywide Neighborhood Committee, the Parking Division released an online survey in Spring 2018 to collect thoughts and feedback from Portsmouth residents on a potential program.
The survey was an initial tool to not only receive public input but to assist residents in understanding the many factors to consider when implementing a Neighborhood Parking Program, such as associated costs and enforcement that could be involved, and how other groups such as Portsmouth workers and visitors might be affected.
Survey Results
The City received almost 400 responses to the survey. Below are a few proposed program parameters that were suggested by the majority of survey participants:
- Pilot programs should be executed in the South End and Islington Creek neighborhoods
- Property owners and renters should both be eligible to sign a petition
- Permits should be available to single family residences, renters of apartments, businesses located in NPP neighborhoods, and properties with driveways
- Programs should be neighborhood-specific
- Two permits should be allowed per household and one guest permit should be allowed per household
- Enforcement should be 24/7 (NOTE: a close, second majority suggested enforcement 7am-7pm daily)
- Violators should be ticketed on first two offenses, towed on third offense
- NPP should be free (NOTE: a close, second majority suggested a revenue neutral pricing platform)
- NPP residents should be allowed three or more event passes
- Participation in the program should NOT be mandatory
- Rules should be the same for ADA