City to give presentation on its vision for federal building

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. – The city of Portsmouth is going to share its new vision for a federal building site with the National Park Service.

The city plans to give an online presentation of its “preliminary revised architectural plan” for the redevelopment of the McIntyre Federal Building property to park officials during the last week of July, Seacoastonline.com reported.

The city has been trying for years to gain control of the federal building property from the General Services Administration, which owns it. It has been working to acquire the property for free through the Historic Monument Program, which the National Park Service administers.

A previous City Council voted to approve the redevelopment plan proposed by the city’s private development partners, Redgate-Kane, but the current council rejected a draft ground lease with the developer. That led Redgate-Kane to sue the city in 2020, which is pending.

The city’s design plan includes a glass-covered outdoor area that would lead from a side of the federal building property up to a grand staircase.