Somersworth 2023 City Council candidate Paul Goodwin
Name: Paul Goodwin
Education: Somersworth High School 2006, bachelor of arts degree in geography, University of New Hampshire, 2012, master in city planning and master of science in real estate development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2015.
Occupation: Real estate development, senior development manager.
Political or civic experience highlights: Somersworth Main Street Volunteer 2002-2005, Somersworth Planning Department intern 2012, graduate thesis on Somersworth, “Fringe Town: Revitalization on the Margin, Assessing Small Downtown Revival and Catalytic Real Estate Development Feasibility on the Urban Fringe,” 2015, Somersworth Planning Board alternate 2022-present.
What would be your top three priorities if you are elected?: 1. Updating the city’s Master Plan to ensure it is comprehensive, inclusive of funding for community engagement, neighborhood meetings and design charrettes, and to devise a shared vision for growth.
2. Rehire a communications professional to aid public information and community engagement to improve day-to-day accessibility to public documents, the public process, and existing city resources.
3. Support the smooth transition of the outgoing city manager and hire a new city manager ready to lead Somersworth into its next chapter.
What is the biggest problem Somersworth is facing and how you would solve it?: We need a plan for housing and growth. The opportunity to rebuild our downtown, to create much needed housing, to enhance our tax base, to keep our schools filled and funded may well be here, but I do not believe the city and the community have a shared vision and plan on how to harness the regional growth that is knocking at our door. Seizing this opportunity for Somersworth requires real engagement and improved transparency and clarity.
I support additional funding for a comprehensive Master Plan update that actually engages the community for their input. That means workshops, charrettes, and community meetings in neighborhoods across the city.
I also support rehiring a communications professional that aids public information and community engagement to improve accessibility to public documents, clarity of the public process, and existing resources. The city must do a better job of getting important messages out to where today’s community and businesses are–online, on social media, and out in the world.
Should the city work to create below market rate housing, and where is the best site?: Affordable housing is essential for community stability and vibrancy and the city should absolutely work to create and protect affordable housing.
A central part of housing affordability is the development of more housing in general. Construction of market rate housing takes pressure off existing, often older and smaller, housing stock which traditionally serves as entry-level homes and homes for working families. Without the construction of ample market rate housing, these “entry-level” homes become especially scarce as those lucky enough to find them either don’t sell them or improve them significantly such that they are no longer in reach for those who would benefit from them most.
Where new affordable housing construction is needed, I support a mixed-income housing approach. Mixed-income housing, the intermixing of market rate and affordable housing in a development, results in better outcomes for both lower income households and the broader community. Mixed-income housing provides dignified housing options for everyone, it helps decrease stigmatization and economic and social isolation of often siloed working families.
Location is really a question of where housing can be built, which is informed via zoning, suitability of land for development, and access to infrastructure such as road frontage, water, and sewer services.
Should the council address the pace and type of development in the city? If yes, how?: It is the council’s primary job to enact the will of its constituents. To answer this question, I believe the city needs to invest more in direct community engagement through a comprehensive Master Plan update. I believe the Master Plan update should include funding for community workshops and charrettes to work with specific neighborhoods throughout the city to identify areas with the best opportunities for housing and growth and to outline how to best accommodate future development and current needs.
Since the last master plan was completed in 2010, the community’s needs and wants may have changed–the Seacoast’s housing market and nature of work certainly has.
In short, we need a plan with community buy-in to inform growth moving forward, so the council, land-use boards, city staff, and the community are all reading from the same playbook.
Does the city need to make changes to its approach to parking as development increases?: The city absolutely needs to address parking concerns downtown. A parking assessment should be completed as part of the Master Plan update and or with any housing assessment as parking is a key driver of feasibility.
There is a significant amount of parking downtown, though utilization varies wildly as much of that parking is on Main Street or in the Plaza, and I do not think most of the public is comfortable using it. To improve what I think is at least in part a parking perception problem, we need to improve downtown beautification, wayfinding, and enact traffic calming measures to support a safe and enjoyable walking environment. We also need to continue to support businesses looking to occupy vacant storefronts, explore infill development to repair the scars of urban renewal, and support alternative transportation methods.
What is the city doing well and where is there room for improvement?: I believe that Somersworth's diversity is one of its most remarkable qualities. Our community is unexpectedly diverse, and works to embrace our diversity. From the Indonesian Festival to queer- and immigrant-owned businesses and classic pizza parlors that also serve poutine, Somersworth is a place where people of all backgrounds have come together to form a community.
As we move forward, I am committed to preserving and enhancing this spirit of diversity and inclusivity in Somersworth. I want to ensure that our city remains a place where every resident can thrive, regardless of their background, and where we value the unique contributions of all members of our city.
As for the second part of the question, there is always room for improvement. In three words, I would say our “opportunities for growth” are: leadership, vision, and clarity.
What is the city’s responsibility to its homeless population, both this winter and long term?: I believe we as a community need to take care of each other in our times of need. I fully support efforts within the city’s capacity and/or working with neighboring communities to provide access to warming shelters.
Unfortunately, the resources at the city level are insufficient to address many of the causes of homelessness and long-term solutions require coordination at the regional and state levels, if not beyond. I believe the city should fully engage its resources to advance the interests of all members of its community, including the unhoused, with regional partners, state, and federal representatives.
Does the city need to do more to enforce codes regarding apartments in disrepair? If yes, what?: Code enforcement as a matter of public health and safety is a necessity, and must be a priority to the full extent required to mitigate harm. Code enforcement as a means of beautification is more subjective and a more complicated standard to enforce. Unlike health and safety codes whose intents and metrics are clearly stated and tested, a reasonable aesthetic standard is harder to define, requires community buy-in, and even so, is inherently harder to enforce because of subjectivity.
Sometimes carrots are better than sticks, and code enforcement efforts should include prevention and opportunities to correct non-urgent issues. Some education is required, the average property owner or renter does not have equal familiarity with code requirements as the code enforcement officer does. To build capacity we must continue to make sure that there is easy online access to applicable codes and that those codes are clear and actionable and or that they are accompanied by illustrative materials to make them so.
We must also continue to encourage the use of existing resources that aid investment, such as 79E and revolving loan funds like those available at Strafford Economic Development Corporation.
And of course, the city needs to lead by example and continue to invest in the city’s own infrastructure, updating sidewalks, paving roads, maintaining city green spaces and civic structures.
What should be done with the former National Guard property?: I believe the city should retain the property until there is a community charrette to better inform future use. The site is home to a beloved recreational space which is likely best to stay in its current location. The site is well suited to development but there is no consensus on the scale and nature of potential development. Informed by community engagement, any future request for proposals should be preceded by the city advancing required administrative work such as the subdivision of the parcel and desired zoning changes.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Somersworth 2023 City Council candidate Paul Goodwin
