City Environmental Planner Peter Britz Named Interim Acting Planning Director

City Manager Karen Conard has named Peter Britz as the Interim Acting Director of the Planning Department, following the departure of Juliet Walker.

In making the announcement, Conard said, “Please join me in welcoming Peter Britz to this role. Peter has worked to ensure that the City stewards our natural resources and has helped the public understand the balances required to keep our environment safe and our commitment to being an Eco-Municipality secure. Peter is recognized by his colleagues regionally and nationally as the voice of sustainability for the Seacoast of New Hampshire. Under his leadership, the City Planning Department will continue to address the goals of the Master Plan, the Open Space Plan and the adaptations we need to make to recognize the threat of sea level rise in this historic port city.”

Peter joined the Portsmouth Planning Department in 2000 as Environmental Planner for the City, having served as an environmental consultant working in NH and Massachusetts. In 2008, with sustainability efforts becoming a priority for the city, he was named Sustainability Coordinator. In that role, his responsibilities include serving as Planning Department liaison to the Blue Ribbon Committee on Sustainable Practices, which is dedicated to improving residents’ awareness of initiatives the City pursues as an Eco-Municipality.

From 1996 to 1999, he worked for Fishman Environmental Services in Portland, Oregon, as a coastal and natural resource planner. He holds a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and a BA from Middlebury College in Vermont.neq