Jeff McMenemyPortsmouth Herald
PORTSMOUTH — Development team members offered new details about the major Christ Episcopal Church redevelopment project during a city meeting this week.
The Portsmouth Housing Authority is working with the church to redevelop the 1035 Lafayette Road site with 44 work-force housing units, a headquarters for Haven, a transitional housing unit, a renovated day-care center and a celebrated burial ground.
Craig Welch, PHA’s executive director, said the agency is “delighted to be working with the Episcopal diocese of New Hampshire and Haven on this exciting project.”
He stressed “100%” of the 44 housing units proposed to be built in a new building off Route 1 on the church property" would be work-force housing.
“I don’t think we have a lot of opportunities to do that,” he told members of the city’s Technical Advisory Committee this week. “We’re just excited to be a part of it.”
More Portsmouth news: Developer buys iconic Congress Street property, former home to J.J. Newberry
Neil Hansen of Tighe & Bond, the civil engineers on the project, said the existing church will remain in place, and the main road into the property will come “right up the middle of the site, with the Portsmouth Housing Authority building to the right of that, to the south side.”
Housing units will offer a mix of sizes
Sarah Hourihane, the principal of Lassel Architects, who’s working on the new residential building, said it would be as high as four stories but also step down in spots to three stories.
She explained the project team is “keeping the existing church intact and repurposing that building for the Haven office spaces and maintaining the day care on site.”
“It was important for us that we not necessarily try to mimic that building, we want to respect that building (the church) as it is, and draw inspiration from the Urban Forestry Center behind us,” she said about the center, which is located adjacent to the church property. “We have a lot of wood tones and natural elements that we are trying to incorporate in this project.”
Hourihane told the committee there will be 33 one-bedroom units, nine two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units.
Community space on fourth floor among amenities planned
The plan calls for “an outdoor patio area” on the fourth floor that all residents will have access to, she said.
“That will be a nice amenity for the residents here,” Hourihane added.
More Portsmouth news: City board rejects plan to raze 1900-era home for four new homes
There will also be a solar array on the roof and the new building will be all electric, she said.
The main entry side to the building, which would be located closest to Route 1, will be three stories high, she said.
“Then we step up to four stories behind that,” Hourihane said.
There will also be a community room for residents on the first floor, with access to a bike patio area outside, she said.
Hourihane stressed architects worked to respect the forest behind the PHA building, which allows it “to sit as its own building on the site.”
Transitional housing, Haven office space
Hansen told the committee plans call for an addition built on the rear of the existing church “with seven transitional housing units, and office space for Haven.”
Haven supports survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and offers educational programs.
All of the roughly 84 parking spots now on site will remain toward the rear of the property, Hansen said.
Architect North Sturtevant, of JSA Design in Portsmouth, is working with Haven on its part of the project.
He explained Haven “provides very important services to women and families in challenging circ*mstances.”
How transitional housing will work
Haven’s transitional housing units in what is now the church will feature three two-bedroom units, three one-bedroom units and a “single unit that is a three-bedroom, more of a congregate care type of environment,” he told committee members.
The church building will be redeveloped to include a renovated Little Blessings Day Care center, he said.
The worship service area of the church will be moved to the existing rectory building on site, according to documents filed with the city.
“The existing church building on the outside will appear more or less like it does today with one main exception, being that the steeple will be partially removed to remove any religious symbolism associated with that building,” he said.
Kathy Beebe, the executive director of Haven, said during the meeting that she expects folks will “stay a varied amount of time” in the transitional housing units.
“Basically it’s the opportunity to help get people ready for housing,” she told committee members. “It could be anywhere from a couple of weeks to six months but it does vary based on the people.”
Burying ground to be preserved
Welch also shared the news that the development team is committed to preserving and honoring the African Burying Ground at Langdon Farm, which is located on the property.
He called it a “really important piece of history,” adding, “there’s actually 14 sets of remains on the site and …it’s really informed a lot of the site plan.”
The committee voted to continue its review of the proposed redevelopment plan at its July meeting.
