Small businesses say Portsmouth’s rolled out the welcome mat for them. Tuesday, the city agreed to designate an area as the Innovation District. News 3 told you when the plans were first discussed and then tabled and now we’re following through as the city moves forward.
Watch: Portsmouth city council defers vote on new Innovation District
Portsmouth city council defers vote on new innovation district
In downtown Portsmouth’s High Street Corridor, roughly half of the land is dedicated to parking or undeveloped, according to the city’s GIS Parcel data, but that’s changing when Portsmouth’s Innovation District develops.
“When I drive down the west end of High Street I just see potential,” said Timothy Armstrong who found potential for his own small business, Omnicruit International, on High Street. He uses Bloom Coworking’s shared space to run his business, recruiting nurses from overseas to help with nursing shortages.
He’s been glad to grow a business in Portsmouth.
“Growing a business is hard, it’s not for the faint of heart. But it’s wonderful and fulfilling. And doing it in Portsmouth is just the icing on the cake,” said Armstrong. “When we pulled up [to Bloom Coworking] it was a shell. They were still under construction, but I saw the lighting, the walls the structure. I knew I wanted to be in this old space with old bones and create new things.” He said Bloom and the city helped him get started.