Portsmouth City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - May 26, 2026
Portsmouth City Council Work Session and Regular Meeting - May 26, 2026
The Portsmouth City Council held a combined work session and regular meeting on May 26, 2026. The work session focused on downtown parking policy and the Link District streetscape project, while the regular meeting included a public hearing, consent agenda approval, and public comments. Key decisions included direction to proceed with two-hour free parking on High Street with escalating charges, adoption of a preferred streetscape option with further study of mini-roundabouts, and approval of multiple grant and settlement ordinances.
Consent Calendar
- Approved 14 ordinances and one resolution as part of the consent agenda (7-0 vote). Items included:
- Temporary relocation of polling place for Precinct 11 from Joseph E. Parker Recreation Center to Stephen H. Clark Academy for the August 4, 2026 primary election.
- Acceptance of a donated horse trailer for the Police Department Mounted Patrol.
- Reappropriation of $13,696,509 in federal grant funds for Portsmouth Public Schools.
- Acceptance of various grant and settlement funds totaling approximately $14.76 million for dam safety, PFAS settlement, social services, behavioral health, and economic development (Crofton Enterprises and Radiant Forge).
- Approval of a resolution supporting a federal Port Infrastructure Development Program grant for 16 Harper Avenue.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Alexandra Westfall (West Haven Civic League) raised concerns about property records accuracy and the special exception process for non-conforming lots, specifically regarding a developer who began demolition before officially owning the property. She noted unresolved FOIA requests and a missing property record.
- Dr. Rhonda Alexander (Chainbreakers) reported that 579 children are enrolled in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Portsmouth. Her reading enrichment program served 127 students across four schools, with nearly all improving decoding skills. The organization has provided over 1,200 meals through the Nourished Neighbors program.
- Pamela Anstead (Prentice Park) described safety hazards at a vacant church (Lincoln Street and Parker Avenue), including a recent incident where youths set a small fire and police were unable to catch them. A firefighter deemed the building too dangerous to enter. She requested city action.
- Christopher Hines (New Generation Band) said the organization has grown to 125 members but faces transportation constraints due to restrictions on Portsmouth United funding (short-term grants cannot be used for capital purchases like vans). He urged the city to find a solution to transport students safely.
- Sergio O’Neal (New Generation Band) echoed transportation challenges, noting that the band left 25–30 members home for the Memorial Day parade. He also urged the city to consider sustained funding for Portsmouth United beyond state grants, and suggested better food vendor selection at the Yemoja Festival.
- Donna Biggs (Woodvine Farms) criticized the public notice for a Newport Phase II project at 3741 Elliott Avenue, arguing a housing commission should track vacancies and approve new developments only when needed. She called for better communication from the city.
- Ray Smith (Portsmouth Council of Civic Organizations) warned that newly installed LED streetlights (26,000 lumens) are too bright for residential areas like Cavalier Manor and West Haven, causing light trespass. He urged the city to reconsider placement and lumen levels.
- Sheila Joseph (Portsmouth Boulevard) requested removal of trees blocking neighborhood signs and described persistent issues with Dominion Energy regarding transformer replacement and meter accuracy.
- Dominic Edgerton (Band Royal LLC) proposed a partnership to host a regional marching band festival in Portsmouth, citing the success of the March 2025 Trucker Classic (4,000 attendees, $10,000 profit). He estimated 700–800 student participants for an inaugural event.
Discussion Items
- Downtown Parking Policy (Work Session):
- City Manager Carter presented an overview of parking availability and the proposed transition to T2 paid parking. Areas affected include former metered spaces, surface lots, time-restricted zones, and garages; residential districts (north and south) are excluded.
- Councilman Hugo supported two hours of free parking on High Street followed by escalating rates to incentivize short-term customer turnover and push long-term parkers (residents, employees) to off-street lots and garages.
- Councilman Tillage proposed the opposite: charge for High Street from the start and keep side streets (King, Queen, Court, Dinwiddie) free for two hours.
- Councilwoman Bryant noted business owner concerns and suggested considering three hours free on High Street due to toll costs from Norfolk. She also asked about cash payment options (kiosks) for seniors and unbanked individuals.
- Vice Mayor Moody emphasized the need for wayfinding signage and simplified instructions before implementing paid parking, noting that King’s Square lot was nearly empty during a busy weekend.
- Councilman Dotson raised the lack of enforcement in Southside residential permit areas.
- Mayor Glover stated that parking is not a revenue generator but a quality-of-life issue, and that some free period on High Street is appropriate to show support for businesses. He directed staff to proceed with the two-hour free option.
- Link District Streetscape (Work Session):
- Councilwoman Bryant and Councilman Tillage, as liaisons, recommended Alternative 1 (parallel parking on both sides with a median) based on meetings with engineers, traffic studies, and feedback from Cape Charles. Alternative 1 provides more parking spaces, better landscaping, and future flexibility.
- Councilman Hugo proposed eliminating the median and installing mini-roundabouts at two key intersections (Elm and Godwin) to slow traffic and add character. He cited the VDOT road design handbook and noted that temporary, removable roundabouts are available.
- City Manager Carter noted that the median is needed for left-turn lanes, especially on the western end due to projected growth. Engineers said mini-roundabouts are viable but require further study.
- Council voted to proceed with Alternative 1 (consensus) with a caveat to continue exploring roundabouts during detailed design.
Key Outcomes
- Parking Policy: Council directed staff to develop a proposal based on two hours free parking on High Street with escalating rates thereafter, combined with improved wayfinding signage. A formal ordinance will be presented at the first June meeting.
- Link District Streetscape: Council adopted Alternative 1 as the preferred design (parallel parking on both sides, median). Staff will continue to evaluate mini-roundabouts as a potential feature at Elm and Godwin intersections during design development.
- Consent Agenda: Approved 7-0, including all 14 ordinances and one resolution.
- Public Hearing: Closed with no speakers; precinct relocation item moved to consent agenda.
- Other: Councilwoman Thomas noted that the budget discussion for Portsmouth United should consider capital purchase restrictions. Councilman Dotson offered a private bus contact for New Generation Band’s June 20 event. Vice Mayor Moody suggested New Generation apply for city grants next cycle.
Meeting Transcript
Manager in place. Let's get it going. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Citizens of Portsmouth are called order at a meeting of a public work session for today. I want to take a moment to uh acknowledge everyone that's here and attunance our city staff that's here and also our visitors in the room who are here to listen to the work session. Our city attorney, Mr. Derek Challenger. Also want to acknowledge our city assessor, Mr. Stephen Edwards, and our city clerk, Miss Deborah White. Swite, would you please call the role? Yes, sir, Miss Bryant. Present, Dr. Dotson. Here. Mr. Moody. Here. I just saw Mayor Clever. Here is in the building. Yeah. Thank you, Madam Clerk. And Mr. Carter, sure, you have the floor. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, everyone. Hope everybody had a pleasant uh Memorial Day weekend. There was a lot of things happening right now, City. Hope you had an opportunity to participate in all of them. But they had some scheduling conflicts and had to back out, so we have to reschedule that presentation, but we will get that before you. This is County Street lot. It used to be a garage. Then the red shows some other surface lots. You have the old town south uh parking district to the uh the south here of County Street, and then you have some time restricted parking areas and areas of parking meters shown in that map as well. So this map sort of breaks everything up. The two residential parking districts on either side of high street, the uh city-owned lots, parking authority owned lots, and parking garages. Time restricted parking. This is specifically for the two-hour time restricted parking. So downtown visitor parking availability. Um Middle Street and Ward Street garages, you have 279 spaces, uh, 120 uh spaces in Water Street, um, the other are in Middle Street, middle asterisk area because middle streets parked by float, surface lots, 234 spaces, then high street, um includes handicap uh parking and 30-minute parking zones, 165 spaces, 678 spaces, just NDs looking at these specific areas here. Does not include the lots from Queen Street or any other available uh on-street parking. So parking on Washington Street, parking on court, any of those other streets where there's on-street parking, not included in this number. So your May 12th budget budget ordinance two things right now uh parking ordinance reference meter meter parking, so it removes that reference to meter meter parking. So any reference to the to the form of payment for parking is removed from the ordinance. Um it also increased the on-street parking fees from 125 to $2 per hour. So in your parking ordinance, um, it specifies where the city imposes parking, pay for parking, um, and the applicable rates. Those rates are in appendix A. Um, the time frames and any operational details are set by the city manager. So future parking ordinance, uh modifications are needed to the May 12th ordinance. Um at the uh PPA meeting. Um certain parts of the ordinance still weren't clear, so some clarifications that's needed in the existing ordinance as it relates to residential parking districts, and then there's discussion that we're gonna come back to council for for um whether you're gonna change high street parking from time restricted to paid visitor parking.
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