By Alan Forbes
There’s an old adage that states: if you are digging yourself into a hole, put down the shovel.
For many years now, the City of Portsmouth have been digging the taxpayers ever deeper into a failed project. The original idea was to purchase the McIntyre property from the Federal government for $1, designating it as a historic monument, and enter into a public/private development partnership to create something of broad public appeal. That was the thinking back in 2016 when the building was declared surplus to the government’s needs.
Since then, despite the best efforts of several City Councils, the project has been plagued with public controversy over the design, legal disputes with the Redgate Kane development “partner,” and wild cost estimates regarding the financial burden to be placed upon the taxpayers of Portsmouth. After spending millions of dollars to settle legal disputes with more damages potentially to come, the City and Redgate Kane were unable to comply with a Federal deadline for submitting a jointly approved development plan, and the General Services Administration has rescinded the offer of McIntyre to the city, now stating that the site will be put up for sale to the highest bidder.
The City Council now faces a decision: do the taxpayers of Portsmouth want to be that highest bidder? A $12 million price tag is rumored, with the Council considering spending up to $25 million. Keep in mind there is a plausible case that the City already owns the building.
The Republican Committee of Portsmouth is taking a position on this question, and basing its recommendation to City Council on two core principles of good governance. First, with development costs anticipated to exceed 100 million dollars, the principle of good stewardship demands that the City acquire the property only with a fully vetted and transparent plan for its use or development which has been approved by the voters of Portsmouth. This plan should take into consideration alternative uses for the same money, such as making our schools more secure. After all, the citizen’s money is not unlimited. Second, private property rights are foundational to ensuring the best use of land. A private owner will have a vested interest in ensuring that whatever is constructed on the site is economically viable, with the highest value and therefore produces the best tax revenue for the city.
The City Council should have no role in the development of the site beyond ensuring that our land use boards are populated with individuals who can be trusted to critically and fairly evaluate compliance with our established aesthetic and zoning regulations. The City Council was not elected to engage in complex and speculative real estate transactions with our money.
Our plea to the City Council is simple: Put down the shovel.
Alan Forbes is the Chair of the Portsmouth Republican Committee
