DESIGN A BETTER PORTLAND

Tom Nevers said:
Portland will be, “reconfiguring the intersection of Congress, High and Free streets... Changes intended to enhance pedestrian safety will include eliminating one entrance to Free Street and expanding the pedestrian plaza in front of the Portland Museum of Art.”

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www.pressherald.com

Portland to overhaul busy downtown crossroads starting this summer

The intersection of Congress and High Streets is in the heart of the city's downtown, and changes intended to enhance pedestrians' safety will include an expanded plaza in front of the Portland Museum of Art.
www.pressherald.com www.pressherald.com
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I guess this is finally happening??

wjbq.com

Expect Traffic Delays as Portland's Congress Square Redesign Project Begins

There will be delays if you are traveling through the square. You may want to find an alternate route.
wjbq.com wjbq.com
 
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Finally, after over 6 years of planning. I think the proposed sculpture is pretty cool!
 
I'll withhold judgment on the sculpture until I see it in person... but I'm glad this project is finally getting underway. My understanding is only the street and intersection redesign is happening this year, and the actual redesign of the park with installation of the art piece will likely occur in 2023. That was my takeaway from their most recent presentation anyway.

On a related note, there has seemingly been a lot of work being done around the Schwartz Building in recent weeks. There's been scaffolding up with actual workers doing things, so perhaps Mr. Rice is actually moving forward with making the building occupiable. I hope the plan is for commercial on the ground floors and residential above, as it would really help enliven the intersection.
 
Great thoughts in this article from PPH:

• One: Change zoning to allow for more multifamily, higher and denser housing.
• Two: Establish development districts.
• Three: Create financial incentives to build.
• Four: Simplify and reduce the cost of permitting.
• Five: Establish a blue-ribbon commission.

www.pressherald.com

Maine Voices: Five possible solutions to Portland’s housing crisis

Encouraging multifamily and denser construction, creating building incentives and simplifying permitting are among the ways to make room for dwellings of all types and prices.
www.pressherald.com www.pressherald.com
 
DanielPWM19 said:
Great thoughts in this article from PPH:

• One: Change zoning to allow for more multifamily, higher and denser housing.
• Two: Establish development districts.
• Three: Create financial incentives to build.
• Four: Simplify and reduce the cost of permitting.
• Five: Establish a blue-ribbon commission.

www.pressherald.com

Maine Voices: Five possible solutions to Portland’s housing crisis

Encouraging multifamily and denser construction, creating building incentives and simplifying permitting are among the ways to make room for dwellings of all types and prices.
www.pressherald.com www.pressherald.com
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I thought that Bayside was a development district, no?
 
I am glad they're redoing that intersection, but wouldn't put functioning walk signals (that change with the stop light reliably without a button) at every intersection, and repainting countless faded crosswalks, be a better use of money?
 
Regional planners raise funds for communities of tiny homes to house asylum seekers

"The Greater Portland Council of Governments is raising money to purchase and install 200 small modular homes for migrant adults and families seeking asylum."

It would cost about $20M to buy and install the 200 homes, but starting in the second year it would save $30M annually (it would save only $3M the first year.) The article also says GPOG estimates it is currently costing about $12,000/month in hotel room and food for a family of four. Moving to the new homes would drop that to about $1300/month. They're looking at six locations in four communities - I assume they would be spread out over multiple locations, but it's hard to tell from the article.

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nomc said:
Regional planners raise funds for communities of tiny homes to house asylum seekers

"The Greater Portland Council of Governments is raising money to purchase and install 200 small modular homes for migrant adults and families seeking asylum."

It would cost about $20M to buy and install the 200 homes, but starting in the second year it would save $30M annually (it would save only $3M the first year.) The article also says GPOG estimates it is currently costing about $12,000/month in hotel room and food for a family of four. Moving to the new homes would drop that to about $1300/month. They're looking at six locations in four communities - I assume they would be spread out over multiple locations, but it's hard to tell from the article.

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I foresee NIMBY's losing their minds as well as locals saying why don't we use $20m to build housing for the people already here who are priced out of Portland.
 
Nashville is the 21st largest city in the US with a city population of 680,000 which is ten times the size of Portland. It is now larger than Boston, Las Vegas, Detroit, Louisville, Memphis, Baltimore, Kansas City and Atlanta to name a few! Portland's current development and skyline are doing just fine when compared to cities of 70K and less. :)
 
City population is often misleading to how big one actually is. Portland only has 21 squares miles of usable land. If city population is used to determine the size of a metropolis, then El Paso, Texas is bigger than Boston and double the size of Miami. I've been to El Paso (twice). It looks and feels no bigger than Portland. And when compared to the much smaller sized Miami...
 
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I totally agree and we've covered this a few times in the past. Nashville basically incorporated all of Davidson County in the late 60's and was followed years later with Lexington, KY merging with Fayette County and Louisville with Jefferson County among others. Jacksonville, FL is the biggest fraud when it comes to city population as it relates to land area with 747 square miles as shown below. These consolidations increased city populations substantially and I can only imagine the outrage if Portland tried to incorporate Cumberland County! That said, comparing Nashville to Portland is like comparing Portland to Presque Isle. Nashville is the 35th largest MSA with a population of 2,012,000 people and Portland is ranked 103 with 557,000.
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"Portland is a suburb of Boston." (As said from Brooklynites in Portland.) That's an impressive slate of construction for Nashville, and it has become a national hub for many companies, including Amazon (though distribution, not higher skilled, like Boston). But I don't see the upscale nature in business happening, or certainly anywhere near what is happening in Boston. The headline yesterday from Boston was Moderna's executive staff going on a home buying spree. The Director of H.R. bought a $6 million dollar house in the city. H.R.? Jeez. Boston is where the big tech money is and it's still coming. Big Pharma in China is positioning itself around town with satellite offices. The Encore signage is English/Chinese. I used to do a lot of jobs in Nashville for Nissan a while back. One had a helicopter on deck. I loved the little country bars with live music in the immediate downtown, but I don't see a version of the Seaport District forthcoming. And I counted 8 mega yachts in Portland two weeks ago, and one had a helicopter on deck. You don't even see that many in a grouping in Sag Harbor, for the Hamptons crowd. Portland is swinging big, or bigger than it used to, and it will continue. "It's a suburb of Boston" (with a beautiful coastline).
 
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I respectfully disagree with your Brooklynites opinion. 108 miles is too much distance apart to be lumped in with greater Boston and Portland also has it's own CSA so the US Office of Management and Budget does not agree. Portland has it own unique character and cosmopolitan vibe and very little about it reminds of the mega city to the south. Now, I would grant you that Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill and Newburyport fall under the Boston umbrella to the north with Nashua and Portsmouth located on the outer fringe. I personally still consider Worcester, Manchester and Providence as their own separate "kingdoms" even though they are part of the Boston CSA. Also, I'd put Fall River as being more reliant on Boston but not New Bedford which I've always felt was more independent.
 
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Portlander said:
I respectfully disagree with your Brooklynites opinion. 108 miles is too much distance apart to be lumped in with greater Boston and Portland also has it's own CSA so the US Office of Management and Budget does not agree. Portland has it own unique character and cosmopolitan vibe and very little about it reminds of the mega city to the south. Now, I would grant you that Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill and Newburyport fall under the Boston umbrella to the north with Nashua and Portsmouth located on the outer fringe. I personally still consider Worcester, Manchester and Providence as their own separate "kingdoms" even though they are part of the Boston CSA. Also, I'd put Fall River as being more reliant on Boston but not New Bedford which I've always felt was more independent.
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I've lived in several large cities around the U.S. experiencing many two-hour commutes from one side of town to another. An hour and forty is all it is from Portland to Boston. Correction, de facto suburb.
 
TC_zoid said:
I've lived in several large cities around the U.S. experiencing many two-hour commutes from one side of town to another. An hour and forty is all it is from Portland to Boston. Correction, de facto suburb.
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It sounds like you're comparing rush hour in those other cities with clear roads here. Right before covid changed working habits Boston was ranked as the worst congestion in the country. I had plenty of similar experiences there to what you had in the other large cities you mention. On the worst days it could take 2 hours just to get to the North Shore (Peabody/Danvers area) let alone all the way to Portland.
 
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