Overview
- City leaders officially broke ground Tuesday on a $73 million overhaul of Portsmouth Square that will close the park for about two years while crews install construction fencing and begin site work.
- The redesign adds an 8,300-square-foot community clubhouse with meeting rooms and a commercial kitchen, a larger playground, an adult fitness area, a performance plaza and new landscaping and lighting.
- Funding has been secured through city bond funds, state and local grants and developer impact fees, and the project budget grew from about $54 million in 2022 to $73 million today.
- Removal of the concrete pedestrian bridge over Kearny Avenue is part of the approved plan but remains tied up in active negotiations between the city attorney’s office and the adjacent hotel owner over who will pay for and carry out the demolition.
- Several civic monuments, including the Goddess of Democracy and the Robert Louis Stevenson statue, were moved into storage ahead of construction, prompting community concern about access for seniors and uncertainty over whether the works will return to the square.