Portsmouth Mayor McEachern shares his top priorities for 2023. Housing is No. 1.

PORTSMOUTH — Mayor Deaglan McEachern hopes the City Council can kick off a project in 2023 to bring below market rate housing to what is now the Robert J. Lister Academy.

“Ruth Griffin Place has been a big success,” McEachern said about the Portsmouth Housing Authority’s new downtown housing development. “We need to have a project that’s even bigger than that, and get that to a place where the city of Portsmouth can say yes and get that moving forward.”

Ruth Griffin Place filled up almost immediately after it opened earlier this year with rent prices substantially below market rate for its 48 one-bedroom and 16 two-bedroom apartments on Court Street.

McEachern wants to see the city partner with the Portsmouth Housing Authority (PHA) to redevelop the Lister Academy site for below market rate housing “so more people can afford to stay in Portsmouth.”

He believes the Lister Academy building, 35 Sherburne Road — which is home to the city’s alternative high school — could be renovated for the redevelopment project.

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“I think it’s a fantastic place for housing, it’s close to transportation and it would connect Pannaway Manor more closely with downtown,” McEachern said about the adjacent residential neighborhood. “That’s where my sights are set. We could create below market rate housing there that would be guaranteed forever.”

The School Board has already committed to moving the alternative high school to the Community Campus property the city bought, once it's ready for students.

Resolve McIntyre project, 'come hell or high water'

In terms of other priorities, McEachern stated this "has got to be the last council that deals with McIntyre.”

“Come hell or high water this council needs to be the one to make a decision to set that on a course that’s irreversible,” he said about the lengthy effort by the city to redevelop the Thomas J. McIntyre federal building with its development partners Redgate/Kane. “We can’t leave it to another council.”

That means getting it done for the city's 2023 election in November.

McEachern’s comments came as part of a wide-ranging interview at the end of his first year as Portsmouth’s mayor.

He addressed a series of issues the city is facing, but also spoke about his personal experiences as mayor and whether he’s planning to run for re-election to the council.

The city has been trying for years to acquire the 2.1-acre federal building property – which is located in the heart of downtown and near Portsmouth’s popular waterfront - for $1 through the Historic Monument Program, which is administered by the National Park Service (NPS).

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The General Services Administration, which owns the property, recently granted the city a three-month extension for its deadline to submit a complete application to the NPS, City Manager Karen Conard said.

But the cost estimates for the so-called Community Plan design for the redevelopment project for the site came in at a low of $74 million and a high of $147 million.

The city and its development partners, Redgate/Kane, have finished the project design and agreed on the preservation plan of the existing federal building, Conard said recently.

“The piece we do not agree on is the pro forma or the financial terms,” Conard said, which is why they asked the GSA for the three-month extension.

Redgate/Kane, the city’s development partners on the redevelopment project, agreed to drop its lawsuit against the city in April and move forward with The Community Plan in exchange for receiving $2 million for money they spent on their previous design, which did not move forward.

As part of the settlement agreement, the city agreed to contribute to the cost of the project — that amount has not been agreed upon yet — and guaranteed a rate of return for Redgate/Kane, which operates as Sobow Square.

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McEachern said he’s hoping the redevelopment efforts end “with a complete application and submission to the NPS.”

“We have to make that call. It’s gone on too long,” McEachern said. “If that costs me my seat, then so be it, it’s time for the city to move on with this.”

City Attorney Susan Morrell recently said the city is continuing to negotiate the financial deal between the city and Redgate/Kane, which includes the development agreement, the ground lease and the amount of the public contribution to the project.

Asked how to move the project forward given the high cost estimates, McEachern said it could involve “reducing the size of the project given the cost or changing the term of the lease so the city gets it (the federal building property) faster.”

“If the city is going to invest a boatload of money then it should get a boatload of money back,” McEachern added. “Either we’re going to have to come together or we’re not going to be able to do it."

Will the Portsmouth mayor seek re-election?

McEachern said he hasn’t started thinking seriously if he will run for a third two-year term on the council yet. This is his second term on the council but first as mayor.

McEachern laughed when told some people have speculated he won’t run for re-election.

“I don’t know if they’re trying to will me into something or not,” he said.

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But he stressed that being mayor is “the most fun I’ve ever had from a personal experience.”

“It’s a fantastic opportunity and you get to change things and I’ve loved it because you get to work on making things better for people that you truly care about,” McEachern said. “You get to make a difference in their lives.”

“I really do enjoy helping people, solving problems big or small,” he added.

Family is top priority

McEachern, who’s married and has two daughters, ages 6 and 2, with his wife Lori, said “being a dad is my number one priority.”

When it gets closer to re-election time, he’ll talk to his wife and make a decision about whether to run again.

But he added, “If the filing date was today, I’d definitely want to serve tomorrow.”

Growing up with the first name Deaglan taught him not to worry about what other people say about him, McEachern said.

“I think people think that I came out of the womb as the 6-foot-5 mayor of Portsmouth, but I was a nerd, I was a total dork growing up,” McEachern said.

“Growing up wasn’t the easiest thing to get through, I guess I always think of myself more as an underdog.”

“It would be a long day if I cared about what people said about me,” he added.

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In terms of personal resolutions for 2023, McEachern said he’s has to do a better job of disconnecting from his phone, especially around his family.

“I’ve gotten to the point where my 6-year-old daughter notices that, so my biggest resolution is be a more in the moment dad,” he said. “When your 6-year-old is calling you out for your phone etiquette, you’ve got to do a better job.”

He credits his wife Lori for all the sacrifices she’s made to help him during his first year as mayor.

“She loves me a lot and I think she sees how much I enjoy this aspect of my life and she’s made just a lot of sacrifices so I can do this,” he said. “She’s a great friend and an awesome mom and her love of Portsmouth is measured in how much she lets me do this.”

The importance of land-use decisions

In terms of this council’s biggest accomplishments, McEachern pointed to the work the Land Use Committee has done and continues to do.

“Moving forward I think we’ll see updates that make it easier for people to build ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) to create lower priced housing,” he said.

McEachern acknowledged that he worries “there are going to be some tough times” in 2023.

“I always worry about not only the economy but how changes to it will affect the people who live in Portsmouth,” he said.

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And while he appreciates the people who have invested in million dollar homes in the city, he worries about others who still make Portsmouth home.

“It’s people that I grew up with that are part of our diverse economy that we’re losing at the moment,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth Mayor McEachern wants to focus on housing in 2023