There is a thin line between improving a neighborhood and overdeveloping it. While ongoing discussions about improving the Islington Street corridor in Portsmouth have frequently included references to beautification, the word carries negative connotations for some residents.

Take Jim Carini, for example. Carini was born and raised in Portsmouth and has lived in the city for well over half a century. He used to live in the Northern Tier—that is, until his property was stripped from him through eminent domain and replaced with the gigantic Sheraton Harborside Hotel. When the project got underway, proponents said it was aimed at beautifying the city’s North End. But, according to Carini, where there were once trees and historic homes, there is now a “monstrosity” of a hotel.

Carini was among about a dozen residents and business owners who attended the first of several stakeholder meetings regarding an “action plan for Islington Street” on Thursday, Sept. 27. Todd Richardson, principal of Richardson and Associates Inc., was on hand to collect feedback from people who live, work and recreate around Islington Street on the type of improvements they would like to see. The city has hired Richardson and Associates, a landscape architecture company, as a consultant for the Islington Street project.

Also on hand at the meeting, which was held at West End Studio Theatre at 959 Islington St., was economic development manager Nancy Carmer, who assured Carini and the other stakeholders present that eminent domain would be off the table for Islington Street. She said the use of eminent domain in the case of the Sheraton project was part of the federal government’s urban renewal plan, which she called “a failure around the country.”

Richardson added that eminent domain is a “top down” policy, while his company is focused on working from the ground level up, gathering input from stakeholders before making recommendations to the city. The goal, he said, is to develop short- and long-term recommendations for the Islington Street corridor that reflect Portsmouth’s unique character while promoting healthy growth, pedestrian-vehicle safety, aesthetics and the development of an arts district in the area.  

“The goal of this study is to help foster a long-term vision for the corridor,” project manager Anna Kelly added.

Those present at the meeting Thursday expressed a mixed bag of emotions regarding Islington Street, which stretches from Maplewood Avenue to Route 33. While they all have a sentimental attachment to the street and surrounding neighborhoods, many of them referenced the negative reputation it has developed for being unattractive, unsafe and congested with traffic.

John Rudolph, a radio producer who lives in southern Maine but works at the Button Factory on Islington Street, noted that it is unsafe for children to walk along the busy street.

“It should be a wonderful place to walk, and it’s a terrible place to walk,” Rudolph said. He later added that the street’s diverse mix of housing, businesses and industrial areas makes it difficult to navigate. “It’s really hard to find places along Islington Street. The signage is extremely confusing or nonexistent. There’s no cohesive visual organization to it,” he said. “I think there needs to be some kind of unifying characteristic that gives people a sense of security.”

Art-Speak member and resident Blair Hundertmark said nearby Middle Street is prettier than Islington and has fewer traffic lights. “The aesthetic of Islington Street is what makes you cringe,” added Joli Foucher, owner of Elements Martial Arts at 767 Islington St. C.J. Cogswell, owner of Cogswell Enterprises Inc. at 180 Islington St., said he has to pick up litter every morning and hears loud noise from partiers at night. Martin Hill Inn owner Margot Doering said there have been arrests for alcohol consumption and drug transactions near her 404 Islington St. business.

But Carini refused to hear his neighborhood disparaged. “What’s wrong with this street? Nothing’s wrong with this street,” he said. “It’s a good street. Make it better, but that’s it,” he advised Richardson, noting that Islington could use more streetlights.

Other participants quickly backtracked after Carini’s comment, stressing that they all like the street. Everyone seemed to agree that Islington Street offers nice places to shop or eat lunch, and the street’s diverse zoning and architecture make it a unique area of the city. Noting that the Button Factory is one of few affordable spaces for artists to work in Portsmouth, Rudolph said he does not want to see development of the sort that has transformed downtown Portsmouth into a “one-dimensional cartoon of what a city should be.”

Rudolph suggested turning the existing rail line that runs parallel to Islington into a trolley line that could convey people from downtown to Hannaford Plaza. Doering seconded the idea, noting that new hotels and residences in the Northern Tier will likely bring more vehicular traffic through Islington Street if alternative means of transportation are not established. Richardson said he would consider the suggestion.

The morning session was the first of three to occur on Thursday. Later sessions focused on the development community, such as brokers and landowners, and arts and cultural organizations. Another aspect of the Islington project involves the development of an arts district, which Richardson said would likely include some kind of structure to support arts and cultural activities.

Participants at the meetings were provided with disposable cameras, small journals and maps to take pictures and identify areas of concern on the street. They were encouraged to return the materials by Oct. 12 so that the images collected can be put on display during a public meeting on Nov. 8. The location of the meeting has not yet been determined.