Mr. Morgan has extensive experience in preparing master plans and capital improvement programs, as well as zoning, subdivision, site plan, and building regulations.
He served on the Coastal Risks & Hazards Commission (2013- 2016), established by the NH Legislature in 2013 to advise on preparations for sea level rise and other coastal hazards. The commission’s principal focus was on SLR, however, the scope was broad and also addressed extreme weather events, a warmer climate, drought, food security, vector borne diseases, and flooding. Also in 2016, he successfully completed NOAA coursework on Coastal Inundation Mapping.
He served on the Board of Directors of the Cooperative Alliance for Seacoast Transportation (2009-2016), region’s public transit provider the NH Seacoast and southern York County. It was an experience that provided him with insight regarding the potential for public transportation in the region, and the constraints.
He has raised millions in private funds for improvements to the US Route 1 corridor in Seabrook, NH, and leveraging those funds to rapidly advance projects through NH DOT’s approval process.
He was recently reappointed by the Governor & Council to a third term on the NH Highway Layout Commission.
He served on the initial board of directors of The Housing Partnership, the largest non- profit developer of workforce housing in the counties of Rockingham, Strafford, and southern York. The organization’s current inventory is 312 dwelling units.
At age 19, he spent a summer working aboard a 48’ commercial fishing boat out of Ketchikan, harvesting Alaskan Sablefish (Black Cod). The experience gave him a lifelong appreciation and respect for the hard work and perseverance of those who make their living at sea.
In 2014 he co-founded Portsmouth Smart Growth (PSG). This volunteer-led, advocacy and educational non-profit seek to introduce the best of 21st century planning practices to the citizens of Portsmouth. To date, PS21 has hosted: Jeff Speck on walkable cities, Cornell professor Michael Manville on parking, Boston Globe architectural critic Robert Campbell on the Art of Creating Spaces, Jennifer Hurley on affordable housing, Cameron Wake on climate change, Mike Lydon on tactical urbanism, Ben Frost on accessory dwelling units, Dutch urbanist Matthijs Bouw on waterfront flood protection infrastructure, Former Chief Planner for Vancouver, Brent Toderian, presented on his signature topic, Density Done Well, Edward Cameron, an Irishman and an architect of the Paris Agreement, on a Paris compliant municipal strategy, Chuck Marohn on Strong Towns, Kol Peterson, a nationally respected expert, on accessory dwelling units.
Prior to the closing of Pease Air Force Base, Mr. Morgan prepared the first comprehensive plan for the base’s reuse. Although the plan was never formally adopted, it had a far reaching influence on subsequent redevelopment efforts. He organized efforts to permanently protect hundreds of acres of open space, and led the drive to establish the 1,116-acre Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge that stretches along some 5.35 miles of shoreline. It was the first federal refuge in NH.
His academic background in architectural history along with his related work experience satisfies federal requirements in 36 CFR Part 61. He successfully nominated a dozen properties and one district to the National Register of Historic Places and advised on historic preservation issues for clients throughout New England.
Mr. Morgan earned an MS in Historic Preservation from the University of Vermont, and a BA in History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is a member of the American Planning Association and the Congress for the New Urbanism. He has served as a Proprietor of the Portsmouth Athenaeum for nearly four decades. For several years he chaired Portsmouth’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Tom is well traveled, and takes particular interest in the means by which his professional colleagues in foreign lands respond to land use, transportation, and climate challenges. He served as an NGO delegate at the UN’s 1992 Conference on Environment & Development in Rio de Janeiro (The Earth Summit), and participated in the United Nation’s 2016 Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, seen below.
