Portland Bayside

Portland needs to fix or significantly help it's homeless and street drug problems with inventive housing and drug addiction programs. Did you read the NY Times hit job article on Portland from 2 weeks ago? I seriously thought that the two young cub reporters were thinking that they were discovering a gem of a story to advance their careers (am assuming that) and had confused Portland, ME with Portland, OR. The article tone and depth reports that Portland, ME (and not just Bayside) is a horrible, dangerous place to live or visit. The entire city? The article implies that. Buy it then cancel the subscription (but it's still a great source of objective news so I'm continuing mine, though this time they kind of F'd up). If you love Portland, it will make you incensed and feeling betrayed. These reporters are not seasoned reporters, and I think that they simply picked the Preble Resource Center block area as a focus, then took a few pictures of nearby alleys to show how horrible the city is. Two blocks away at The Armature a few furnished apartments are at $8,000 a month, and the food and drink scene down below is thriving. Walk two blocks north and it's a disaster? Since many who read the NY Times have not been to Portland recently, this now means that this "reporting" is the de facto truth now, or with them. Of course there are pockets. Every city has them. The city council and mayor are failing the city a bit, yes, but ask for help with creative sociologists and architects like Redfern and Kaplan Thompson. The latter is almost done with a fantastic creative and fun renewal neighborhood in downtown Lewiston.

The link...

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/health/meth-maine-fentanyl.html
 
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How about something that would kill a few birds with one plan? I see synergy among a bunch of current loosely-planned proposals that have been mentioned in the three years since I have moved here.

Of course NONE of this could be done without improving transit, my latest Northern New England Transit fantasy map actually *isn't* updated to reflect the plan in this PDF. And the plan itself is very much that, just a plan. But my time in Denver makes me think that there is much for Portland to learn from Denver's 2004 FasTracks scheme, both in what worked and didn't. These kinds of investments in transit, infrastructure, street grid layout, utilities, parks, streetscape, and connectivity unlock private investment in the kind of mass multifamily development that this region sorely needs to bring housing costs down and help with our vicious cycle of homeless.

The PDF indicates significant investment in a new intercity rail and bus station underground in heart of Bayside, using the Portland HS as a brand new headhouse (and the future *Living Room* of Portland, as they called their plan in Denver for their Union Station - see attached PDF from a Doors Open Denver tour I did in 2019 of the Union Station neighborhood, I lived there for two years and let me tell you that is an incredible success story that could be done here).

The fantasy map as currently design suggests light rail investments...I don't think that we are ready for that kind of build out at this point. But I DO think that every red, orange, and green line (north of Portland, south is the existing Downeaster) shoudl be BRT...and furthermore there is INTRAcity BRT that could be added to facilitate the construction of dense multifamily construction that is geared toward car-free households that work on or slightly beyond the peninsula and are highly willing to depend on bus/bike for mobility (students, first responders, low-income earners, retirees and seniors, anyone coming home from a bar after happy hour, etc). With that said, I probably should develop an alternative google-based fantasy map that incorpoartes all the existing bus lines in the Portland Metro region, whether they are part of GPMetro bus or not.

Ideas and critique are welcome!

PS - The HS integration/modernization part of this plan would mean Deering Oaks HS would become something the city could sell to developers to partially-fund this project. The city should do as Denver did
PPS - I think there is something entirely separate to be done with South Portland Middle School and that town's CBD as a new urban core that falls more into the category or mimicing Blue Back Square in West Hartford CT.
 

Attachments

  • Vision for Portland 2030.pdf
    4.2 MB · Views: 141
  • DenverUnionStationTour.pdf
    582.1 KB · Views: 56
www.pressherald.com

Portland hires firm to market prime ‘Midtown’ parcels in Bayside neighborhood

The lots along Somerset Street represent some of the only remaining undeveloped land on the peninsula.
www.pressherald.com www.pressherald.com

Summary for those that don't have a PPH subscription:

The city of Portland has hired The Boulos Company to market four vacant, city-owned parcels along Somerset Street in the Bayside neighborhood. However, the move has sparked a debate among city officials regarding the future of the land.

Here are the key points from the article:

  • The Land's History: The roughly 3.5-acre site was originally slated for the "Midtown" project, a massive $85 million mixed-use development. After a decade of lawsuits and delays, the project collapsed in 2018. The city reacquired the land last year as part of a $15 million settlement.
  • Divided City Council: Officials are split on how to proceed.
    • Pro-Sale: Mayor Mark Dion and city staff argue that selling the land will help address Portland’s housing crisis and allow the city to recoup its $15 million investment.
    • Cautions/Skeptics: Several councilors expressed surprise at the marketing move, claiming there was no consensus to sell the lots yet. They argue the land should be evaluated for public uses, such as a park, rather than just being sold to the highest bidder for housing.
  • Public Concern: Bayside residents are calling for a more transparent public process. They hope to avoid the "frivolous lawsuits" and "stops and starts" that characterized the previous decade of failed development.
  • Current Status: The parcels are currently used for snow storage and have been the site of homeless encampments. They are zoned for high-density use, allowing for buildings up to 185 feet tall.
While a broker is now in place, any final sale of the property will still require approval from the City Council.
 
My vote would be to do this with the existing Bayside Trail, to develop it further with inspiration pulled from The High Line in midtown Manhattan. It's the most dynamic urban public and green space that I've ever experienced, and that includes the wonderful Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston.

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TC_zoid said:
My vote would be to do this with the existing Bayside Trail, to develop it further with inspiration pulled from The High Line in midtown Manhattan. It's the most dynamic urban public and green space that I've ever experienced, and that includes the wonderful Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston.

View attachment 70897View attachment 70898
Click to expand...
This whole article appears to ignore that Kennedy Park and Deering Oaks are both within like a 5 or 10 minute walk of the Midtown site...
 
That property has very high concentration of chemicals, metals, etc in the ground. A complete VRAP would have to be done for a kid friendly park. The trail is not good enough? if its not 5 feet from your apartment, then its not good enough.
 
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