The major mixed-use project proposed by developer Peter Floros to redevelop the former Daily Times building site and other lots adjacent to it was slated to be discussed at a Historic District Commission meeting earlier this month.
Floros is proposing to build a new four-story, mixed-use building at 266-278 State St. in the heart of Portsmouth’s historic downtown core, according to documents filed with the city.
Attorney Christopher Mulligan, who is part of Floros’s team, submitted what he described as a “conceptual design proposal for the redevelopment of the property with all new construction, based upon variances obtained in November of 2024.”
Floros has been trying to redevelop the properties since a fire in April 2017 damaged or destroyed several buildings, including the State Street Saloon and the historic 1850s-era Daily Times building at 278 State St.
Floros’s proposal calls for a mixed-use development at the prime downtown location, which would feature commercial and retail on the ground floor and 17 residential units above, according to documents previously filed with the city.
Preliminary plans filed in advance of the HDC meeting show commercial openings on the first floor, along with some parking.
The plans also show multiple townhouse units on the upper three floors.
The proposed size of those units, according to the preliminary plans, range anywhere from 650 to 1,450 square feet.
There is also a rooftop plaza included in the proposed new mixed-use development, according to the preliminary plans.
Mulligan told the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment in November the developer’s investment for the proposed redevelopment would cost “tens of millions of dollars.”
The redevelopment as proposed evokes the look and style of the former Daily Times building and will help heal the “open wound” in the downtown left by the fire, Mulligan said.
The HDC is slated to discuss the proposed redevelopment project during a work session Wednesday night.
The meeting is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in City Council Chambers in City Hall.
A mixed-use redevelopment of the former Daily Times building site on State Street in Portsmouth is heading to the city Historic District Commission for review. (Courtesy of Michael J. Keane Architects, provided by the City of Portsmouth)
Floros had the remaining shell of the Daily Times building demolished in 2024. He also purchased the adjacent 84 Pleasant St. building, the former Louie’s restaurant building, which was also damaged in the fire, Mulligan said.
The owners of Louie’s restaurant received approval last week for their plan to reopen this summer in the city’s vibrant and growing West End. Co-owner James Woodhouse confirmed he and his business partner, RJ Joyce, plan to reopen Louie’s at 909 Islington St. in a building owned by Eric Chinburg.
“We love that part of town, we see a lot of excitement there,” Woodhouse said.
“We always felt that Louie’s was a neighborhood restaurant, and that’s a great neighborhood that we’re looking to thrive in.”
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