Biddeford/Saco Developments

[lunardinosaur]

I remember about 15 years ago they produced a "traffic plan" for Portland that suggested widening Franklin Street to 8 lanes .

That is some serious nightmare fuel right there...

 

[markhb]

That is some serious nightmare fuel right there...

I assume (but am not certain) that it was a proposal to build a version of the originally-planned tunnel under Cumberland Ave. and Congress St.? So there would be the existing two lanes going up the hill and the other two going straight under to Middle?

 

[Fitch Bronson]

I mean G-P is just executing on behalf of its client, like and other civil would. Not sure if you'd get a better product with Acorn or Stantec or someone else if the project is scoped out the same. The developer, the developer's vision, the capital stack and demand for ROI, and the land development code drive the choice of typology more than the particular civil chosen, IMO. And that typology is admittedly subpar in this case.

 

[cneal]

I mean G-P is just executing on behalf of its client, like and other civil would. Not sure if you'd get a better product with Acorn or Stantec or someone else if the project is scoped out the same. The developer, the developer's vision, the capital stack and demand for ROI, and the land development code drive the choice of typology more than the particular civil chosen, IMO. And that typology is admittedly subpar in this case.

To be sure, other civil engineering firms put their names on similar dreck, but Gorrill-Palmer isn't just doing the engineering, they're also doing the site design with their in-house landscape architects.

Look at their past projects – almost all of them are strip malls, cul-de-sac subdivisions, or suburban office parks.

Land Development - Gorrill Palmer Consulting Engineers Inc.

a list of land development services and jobs that Gorrill Palmer has completed

gorrillpalmer.com

I assume (but am not certain) that it was a proposal to build a version of the originally-planned tunnel under Cumberland Ave. and Congress St.? So there would be the existing two lanes going up the hill and the other two going straight under to Middle?

Yep, that was the pitch. IIRC they actually proposed a four-lane below-grade expressway in the trench, next to the existing four-lanes, which would have become a sort of Texas-style frontage road. It would have gotten even wider down by I-295.

 

[Tom Nevers]

View attachment 37518

Rendering of Port Property's Landing on the Levee (32 units) - this is one of the structures on Upper Falls Rd, off Elm St, adjacent to Lofts at the Levee (96 units) and two other proposed buildings. Occupancy is planned for fall 2024.

Snapped a couple of photos while passing on the Downeaster.

 

[NR2Portland]

More shots of The Levee. Can’t wait to see the transformation of this side of town. On each side of the train track and each side of elm street. Going to be HUGE for the area.

 

[Tom Nevers]

Some photos taken while walking around today.

Construction on The Levee continues.

A couple of pictures showing early stage work on Saco Harborside at Factory Island East which will consist of 24 townhouse style duplex units.

The project described in post #39 is moving forward. Incredibly small building footprint!

 

[Tom Nevers]

First time biking the Scarborough to Biddeford section of the Eastern Trail this year. Snapped a few update photos of the building described in post 39.

 

[Fitch Bronson]

I drive past that location almost every single day. IMO, from a streetscape and placemaking perspective, it's getting better, but still not quite there, as is still the case with the mill district. I'm in the mill district frequently and even with all of the millions of SF worth of adaptive reuse to residential, the vibe is still tumbleweeds most of the time except for summer evenings - and a walking and biking culture has yet to emerge despite all of the additional density being brought online and despite the young professional/retiree mix that have moved into the mill units. You might see the occasional remote worker walking a dog but that's it, and rarely any families. I have a theory that it's due to two things: 1) the people who want that life are still self-selecting to Portland and SoPo if they can afford it, and 2) a lot of origins and destinations in town accessible by foot or bike require walking or biking along some of the traffic sewer-y arterials like Elm St and Main St. There are some sketchy street crossings involved and neither feels that safe to bike except off peak. A Complete Streets makeover would do wonders. I don't expect it to become the West End or the hill but we can do better here in terms of giving it a little urbanity.

 

[nomc]

There are some sketchy street crossings involved and neither feels that safe to bike except off peak. A Complete Streets makeover would do wonders. I don't expect it to become the West End or the hill but we can do better here in terms of giving it a little urbanity.

This was it for me when I was in the area more. Not that it needs to feel urban, but it needs to be more pedestrian friendly. Any not that there aren't areas in Portland that are unfriendly, see Franklin or Commercial.