This sounds pretty bad but what it means is that the city of Portsmouth will enact a 10 year plan to wipe out the homeless in the city.  I said it again wrong.  Portsmouth wants to collect better data on the homeless, focus on prevention, expand housing, and identify other resources to help with the problem.  Part of the plan is to commit money to pay for single room occupancy apartments to get people off the streets.  It is a plan and even if it doesn't work fully it will certainly be a start. http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google geneallen   10/05/2008

Portsmouth pension plan has a bitter pill for those who go on social security.  There is an offset when they become eligible for social security.  It can be hundreds of dollars a month.  Many retirees say they did not know about the offset and would have opted for the the state system. http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen   09/28/2008

Stephen H. Clarke school in Portsmouth is about to be 4.2 acres smaller.  School officials are thinking of selling the land to the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority for $277,000.  The money will go back into the capital improvement fund. http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen 09/24/2008

Here we go again.  Portsmouth has lost another executive.  One in a long line who have left recently.  Fortunately for Portsmouth, William Corvello was talked into coming back to work.  He initially left citing funding concerns with the council.  Since he is the seventh police chief to leave in 6 1/2 years one wonders where the problem is.  A department needs to have a good executive in control of it and it needs to be for a long period of time.   http://www.deniseallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google denise allen     09/06/2008

Townebank which is headquarted in Portsmouth saw its net income rise a very modest 2.3 percent for the second quarter.  The increase came partly from its employee-benefit and property-management services.  Lets up this locally owned bank keeps up the good work. http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen 07/19/2008

I just had a prospect call me on my listing which wasn't for them so I sent them a few more listings in Portsmouth, Va.  They drove down from Richmond to look at one townhouse in a little subdivision called Westmoreland and fell in love with it.  They wanted to look at a few more so I showed them five more a few days later to help them make up their minds.  They bought the first house they looked.  They knew what they wanted and went for it. http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen 07/13/2008

North Truxton in Portsmouth may be in for a rude awakening if plans to ease tunnel traffic is approved.  21 homes and nine businesses will be affected by the plan.  Some of the residents have in the area since 1947.  The Virginia Department of Transportation wants to connect U.S. 58 to Interstate 264 creating a link between the Midtown and the Downtown tunnels.  This would move a lot of traffic off local streets and ease congestion.  The residents like the idea but don't want to loose their homes in the process.  http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen   07/05/2008

Portsmouth keeps trying to do something about blight in its neighborhoods but is short on inspectors.  Back in 2005 four inspectors were hired but now the city has four vacancies.  This only hurt the real estate valuations in the city and reduces the tax base.  Hopefully the city will lift the hiring freeze for this department and get on with cleaning the city up. http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen 06/28/2008

Public schools in Portsmouth have a feeding problem.  Actually a paying problem for a feeding problem.  It seems students in elemetary and preschool can charge lunch without limit.  The School Board is trying to limit that to just one lunch.  At .85 a meal you wouldn't think that would amount to much but as of right now it is at $260,000.  That is a lot of free lunches.  I will try and keep track of this and let you know what happens. http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google denise allen   06/10/2008

Portsmouth officials are talking about extending the MLK freeway all the way to I264.  This would give motorists anouther north-south option through Portsmouth, always a good thing.  Of course this will only happen if the new Midtown Tunnel is built and we all know where the money for that is. http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google denise allen 05/26/2008

Portsmouth may not raise the real estate tax this year but they have the boat tax.  It has gone up to 50 cents per $100 of assessed value.  There are about 3,025 boats still docked in the city.  That is only down about 100 from last June.  The tax bills are just starting to go so we will soon see if more boats have have the city.  It doesn't seem like much but when you have a $1million boat it can add up quick. http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen   05/24/2008

Portsmouth School superintendent David Stuckwisch proposed an average teacher raise of about 4 percent recently.  That is lower then what was expected.  With real estate rates going down lots of budget items in city are taking a hit.  The city didn't give the school system any money and this was one of the solutions along with cutbacks. http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen   05/24/2008

Portsmouth will soon get a new campus for Tidewater Community College (TCC) on a 35 acre site near Victory Blvd and Greenwood Dr.  The current Portsmouth campus is actually in Suffolk was the first TCC campus to open in the area.  The fees at the school are much lower then at four colleges but the education is top notch. http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen   05/22/2008

Finally the Portsmouth Police Department is getting some training on handling the mentally ill.  The idea is for the officers to have training to deal with people that have mental problems.  The police can maybe identify someone who is mentally ill and deal with that person rather then putting them in jail where they may not belong.  There is also a Safe Haven program that is staffed by mental health officials where police can drop off non violent offenders.  Virginia Beach and Chesapeake are also looking into the same type of program. http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home sea... 05/20/2008

Welcome to Sterling Point located in the Northwest section of Portsmouth.  This is a wonderful parklike setting with some homes snuggled along the fingerlets and tall pines along the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River.  Sterling Point, Green Acres and Pinehurst, as the geographical area is referred, was developed in the late 1940's and 1950's.  Most of the homes are substantial brick homes built on crawl spaces with lots from 1/4th of an acre to some lots over an acre.  One of the close-by landmarks was Coleman's nursery.  The neighborhood is beautifully landscaped with lush plantings and greenery of all sorts.  The area still has some of the original homeowners, however, it is slowly transforming into a very desireable area for young families as witnessed by many moms and dads out j... 05/16/2008

If you think traffic is bad in Portsmouth now,, wait a bit.  Regular train service to the new APM teminal is about to begin.  So far the trains are arriving three times a week and are only bringing in materials not bringing any out.  Norfolk Southern will be doing the bulk of the hard lifting. http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google denise allen 05/14/2008

Deanna VanHook has a high tech wheelchair that Tricare, the military insurance program, paid for.  The payment came after a two year legal battle with Tricare.  The battle won't set a precident and paralyzed military members won't be able have them paid for.  The iBot is a $24,000 high tech wheelchair and allows Deanna to change light bulbs.  At that price, you can see why Tricare fights tooth and nail to keep anyone from getting one. http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google deniseallen 05/03/2008

Homeowners in Portsmouth may get a bit of a treat in their stockings this year as the city council is weighing a 5-cent reduction in the tax rate.  That is because the assessments have risen an average of 5.5%.  The tax reduction would still mean that the city has the highest tax rate in the area at $1.21 per $100 of assessed value.  The council is working on giving public safety employees a 4% and 3% to other city workers.http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google deniseallen 04/04/2008

It looks like Portsmouth will have a higher tax assessment this year as will all the cities in the surrounding area.  Portsmouth overall tax increase will be 5.0%.  This is the smallest increase in years and the city is scrambling to deal with the fallout from a smaller tax increase.http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google denise allen 04/04/2008

The city of Norfolk has the NET, now Portsmouth has the LOOP.  Starting April 7, two shuttle buses will circle downtown Portsmouth, traveling from hotels to marinas to a commuter parking and the Naval Medical Center.  City leaders hope the buses will draw visitors from the waterfront farther up High Street, into new stores and eateries.  Hopefully it will ease parking problems and reduce congestion.  A federal grant pays for the buses for three years.  The buses are a hybrid diesel so at least they are low-emission.http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google deniseallen 03/16/2008