| Greater Portsmouth Development Corporation |
About half of Portsmouth's land area is exempt from city taxes. This places an unusually large burden on the city's businesses and homeowners. To address this, the Portsmouth Partnership combined forces in 1997 with the City of Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority to form the Greater Portsmouth Development Corporation (GPDC), a 501c3 organization with the talent, financial leverage, and tax advantages necessary to acquire and control under-utilized but strategic properties throughout the city. While GPDC success stories such as Roger Brown's Restaurant and Sports Bar and the Dinwiddie Hotel, pictured at right, are located in Portsmouth's historic Olde Towne district, other projects include the Victory Crossing retail development, located adjacent to the newly-relocated Tidewater Community College campus.
Since its founding in 1997, GPDC properties have produced over 1,000 jobs and $12,000,000 in tax revenue for the City of Portsmouth.
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| Roger Brown's Sports Bar and Grill |
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| Hawthorn Suites Hotel |
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| Victory Crossing Shopping Center |
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Partnership Development Foundation
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In the summer of 2005 the Partnership Development Foundation, also a 501c3 corporation, was formed. Consistent with the Portsmouth Partnership's mission and similar to the GPDC, the Partnership Development Foundation seeks to revitalize under-performing properties as it generates revenue to support the Portsmouth Partnership's mission and affiliates.
The Foundation's first purchase was the 60,000 square foot Oxford Building, adjacent to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Having been nearly vacant for several years, the building was sold in November of 2005 to a developer who has since converted the building to provide street-level retail space, ground-level parking and 24 luxury apartments.
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The Vann H. Lefcoe Leadership Development Foundation
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The Lefcoe Leadership Foundation and its three-month Leadership Program were founded in 1996 and are named for Portsmouth leader, volunteer and native son, Vann H. Lefcoe, who lost his battle with cancer in 1996. The Foundation's Leadership Program exists to identify, educate and encourage future leaders within the city of Portsmouth. Its twelve weekly meetings feature lectures, small group discussion, reference reading and visits from elected city, state and federal representatives, as well as members of various community organizations and agencies. As of March 2008, 262 adults have successfully completed the program, and over 75% have volunteered to serve on city commissions or community organizations. More information is available at www.lefcoeleaders.org.
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Portsmouth Partnership Foundation
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Founded in 2003 with $100,000 in seed money from the Portsmouth Partnership, the Portsmouth Partnership Foundation was created to support worthwhile projects within the city of Portsmouth. An Advisory Committee of Lefcoe alumni reviews applications, then makes recommendations to the Partnership's Executive Committee for final approval. Over the years the Foundation has supported such organizations as the Bon Secours-Columbia Heart Institute, the Children's Museum of Virginia, Friends of the Portsmouth Public Library, the Elizabeth River Project and more. In addition to grants made to the Portsmouth Schools' Foundation, the Porte Towne Magic performing ensemble and the revolutionary Starbase Victory program, the Partnership Foundation has sponsored the Portsmouth Economic Development Departments Job Fair and Business Appreciation events and, in 2007, began a five-year funding commitment to a TCC scholarship in honor of Partnership member Robert T. Williams.
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| Portsmouth Urban Arts Center |
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| Churchland Library computer room |
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| Pokey Smokey II |
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| Habitat for Humanity home |
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| Bon Secours-Columbia Heart Institute |
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| Starbase classroom |
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Bon Secours Maryview Foundation - Bon Secours-Columbia Heart Institute Portsmouth Museums Foundation - Children's Museum of Virginia expansion Portsmouth Museums Foundation - Winter Wonderland Exhibit Elizabeth River Project Friends of the Portsmouth Public Library - Churchland Branch computer room computers/furnishings Lefcoe SAIL award Mile Marker 0 Rendezvous benefiting the Elizabeth River Project Pokey Smokey II Portsmouth Economic Development - Business Appreciation events Portsmouth Economic Development - Job Fairs Portsmouth Public Schools - Porte Towne Magic Portsmouth Public Schools - Starbase Victory program Portsmouth Schools Foundation Portsmouth Public Schools - Seeds for a Healthy Watershed program Tidewater Community College Scholarship in honor of Robert T. Williams Urban Arts Center
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Grants are reviewed quarterly. Grant requests must be submitted in written form to Mr. Bill Magann, Portsmouth Partnership Foundation, 200 High Street, Suite 201, Portsmouth, VA 23704 by:
- March 15
- June 15
- September 15
- December 15
For additional information, please contact Betty Jo Gwaltney at 397-8473.
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In October of 2008 members of the Portsmouth Partnership identified several significant challenges facing the Olde Towne section of our city: budget cuts had forced the elimination of the city’s Convention and Visitors’ Bureau; the Olde Towne Business Association lacked funding for a WVEC-TV channel 13 ad campaign aimed at salvaging its upcoming Christmas selling season; and the advancing recession’s chill winds that were blowing into all corners of the economic landscape had, indeed, seen several businesses along High Street either close or move. Having established the area as a Historic District in 2004, the Portsmouth Partnership’s promotions of Roger Brown’s and what is now the Dinwiddie Hotel had complemented other significant Olde Towne projects such as the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center, Porte Center, the nTelos amphitheatre, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the now-completed Children’s Museum of Virginia. Clearly, too much had been invested – and too much was at stake – to stand idly by as the recession chewed through these hard-won assets. The Partnership’s response was to convene all of Olde Towne’s stakeholders, from shop and restaurant owners to residents and City officials, in order to take an inventory of the area’s assets and plan a way forward. Among the action plan items were: paying the tab for the OTBA’s Christmas campaign; sending available representatives to CVB-related tourism conventions; promoting recurring First Friday and First Saturday Antiques-to-Flea Market events with banners and newspaper ads; and creating a twice-monthly Farmers’ market. A brand-new non-profit affiliate, PortsEvents, was created to administer the effort.
Today, after two years’ worth of effort, three Restaurant Weeks, two Pub Crawls, two Schooner Days weekends and two Downtown Living tours, things are changing, and good things are happening. The Children’s Museum of Virginia is now open, and Olde Towne restaurants have formed the Portsmouth Independent Restaurant Association, PIRA, to coordinate Restaurant Weeks, Pub Crawls and and other events. Major sponsorship support from TowneBank, along with support from the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Portsmouth Economic Development Authority has enabled PortsEvents to place “First Friday” and “Farmers’ Market” median strip banners along High Street and, for 2011, focus its attention on the monthly “Concerts in the Courtyard” series and a first-class, weekly Farmers’ Market.
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