General Portland Discussion

In a Bizarre turn, VIP Charter Bus has been purchased by the Conway Scenic Railroad.

Unfortunately, this means the high- visibility parcel on the corner of Fox and Franklin will remain a bus Maintenace facility
"In addition, Conway has an exclusive option to buy the one-acre property VIP owns in the Bayside neighborhood, at 129-137 Fox St., which serves as headquarters and bus depot.

That purchase could happen "in the future at a time that works for all parties involved," said Jason Briggs, VIP vice president of business development. The railroad's plan "is to occupy this premier location for many years to come," according to a news release from Malone Commercial Brokers, the Portland real estate firm representing VIP."
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www.mainebiz.biz

Decades old and family-run, a Maine charter bus service changes hands

The sale of VIP Tour & Charter, whose headquarters and motorcoach fleet have long been a fixture in Portland's Bayside neighborhood, comes as bus companies are still reeling from the impact of the pandemic.
www.mainebiz.biz www.mainebiz.biz

Quite disappointing honestly. This is such a prominent and underutilized parcel. East and West Bayside have grown apart and are separated by a void of empty lots and dying light industry. It feels like Bayside will never be one cohesive neighborhood
 
Agreed it's a weird buyer, but on the other hand, redevelopment anywhere along Marginal/Somerset is going to be a long shot until the City/MaineDOT commit to a new design for Franklin and deal with the flood risks through the I-295 exits by elevating all those streets by 10-15 feet.

This is the new FEMA flood map for the neighborhood – basically everything in the shaded area is high-risk for sea level rise, which makes it expensive to insure and nearly impossible for investors to underwrite.
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My understanding was that the Back Cove stormwater project currently ~2/3 of the way to completion is intended to dramatically reduce risk of flooding in the Bayside area...It's a challenge to be sure but it shouldn't mean that Bayside is doomed to remain undeveloped forever.
 
Cosakita18 said:
My understanding was that the Back Cove stormwater project currently ~2/3 of the way to completion is intended to dramatically reduce risk of flooding in the Bayside area...It's a challenge to be sure but it shouldn't mean that Bayside is doomed to remain undeveloped forever.
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I think that project is supposed to reduce the risks of high tides backing up and bubbling up through the storm drains on Marginal Way and Somerset Street, but I believe the FEMA maps reflect the risks of surface water flowing in through Exit 7 and Exit 5 during storm surges (which is incidentally when the combined sewer system is most likely to get overwhelmed as well – if you have extreme rainfall combined with high tides, those tanks are going to fill up fast and all that water's going to have nowhere to go).
 
nomc said:
Maine high court sends challenge to Munjoy Hill condo development back to city
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This was discussed at the 11/28 PB meeting - as I understand it, the Law Court request the PB provide information supporting their decisions at the 12/14/21 meeting where it was approved 6-0. There is a staff report outlining the response here if anyone is interested. To recap, the three items brought before the court seem to be:
  • The height was improperly calculated
  • That the retaining walls were not considered conforming structures for setback compliance purposes
  • HP didn't provide an adequate report about the character of the surrounding neighborhood
My main takeaway from listening to the PB meeting is that it seems like nobody has an actual method for determining height! These meetings are hard to hear over Zoom now, but it seems like they defer to a code enforcement officer for the determination but also that there may not be an exact method for determining average grade outlined in the code. They mentioned code may need some additions in the future to clarify this. The report now goes back to the Law Court who will determine if they followed code on each of the three items. What a mess.
 
This is a fun sushi place, and so the outdoor patio will be a scene. And speaking of scenes, at the end in the pic is the John Ford statue, of Hollywood fame for his scenes. "The John Ford Patio at Yosaku."
 
With 2023 just about done, I'm wondering what project(s) the people of this forum would like to see started/restarted in 2024 - could be Portland or beyond. I'm not talking about breaking ground, but conversations/plans around abandoned projects, new plans for vacant lots, etc... if you had to pick one area/project...

Here, I'll start:

I'd like to hear some news about any of the lots on lower India St:
  • Finishing the India/Thames/Hancock/Fore superblock
  • 208 Fore
  • Any of the parking lots in the Fore/India/Commercial/Franklin block
  • The rest of the Jordan's Meats block
Proposed adjacent/supporting projects:
  • Maine Public
  • Redevelopment of the Ocean Gateway lot
  • A solid plan for the VA building/lot
  • Franklin redesign
  • Wex 3
Some movement:
  • Some/all of the 1 Commercial retail space is "under contract"
  • Build out of the second Wex 2 retail space (wine bar) has started
  • The end unit on the Hamilton Marine building is going to be a Mexican restaurant - build has started

Assuming the next phases of Portland Foreside happen - creating a new retail district - it would be nice for there to be a welcoming streetscape connecting to the Old Port.
 
nomc said:
With 2023 just about done, I'm wondering what project(s) the people of this forum would like to see started/restarted in 2024 - could be Portland or beyond. I'm not talking about breaking ground, but conversations/plans around abandoned projects, new plans for vacant lots, etc... if you had to pick one area/project...

Here, I'll start:

I'd like to hear some news about any of the lots on lower India St:
  • Finishing the India/Thames/Hancock/Fore superblock
  • 208 Fore
  • Any of the parking lots in the Fore/India/Commercial/Franklin block
  • The rest of the Jordan's Meats block
Proposed adjacent/supporting projects:
  • Maine Public
  • Redevelopment of the Ocean Gateway lot
  • A solid plan for the VA building/lot
  • Franklin redesign
  • Wex 3
Some movement:
  • Some/all of the 1 Commercial retail space is "under contract"
  • Build out of the second Wex 2 retail space (wine bar) has started
  • The end unit on the Hamilton Marine building is going to be a Mexican restaurant - build has started

Assuming the next phases of Portland Foreside happen - creating a new retail district - it would be nice for there to be a welcoming streetscape connecting to the Old Port.
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Parking minimums removed citywide.

New train hall on the main line (near the former Union Station) for the Downeaster, with a viaduct over Congress Street.

Completion of the Franklin Street re-alignment to open up new development parcels and reconnect Munjoy Hill and East Bayside with Old Port and West Bayside.

Continued progress on the Port Properties build-out across Bayside, with continued improvements to walkability and pocket parks.

Planning and engineering for re-alignment of the I-295 exit ramps at Forest Avenue and Congress Street exits, to create more buildable and walkable opportunities where those large, circular ramps now dominate and disrupt the urban fabric.

Up-zoning along Forest Avenue from Deering Oaks Park/Post Office parcel to Morrills Corner, making < 5 floors of mixed use residential-over-commercial structures as-of-right.
 
I've heard the next big project is going to be in a surprising location...the arts district. The surface parking lot behind 645 Congress is being eyed for a two-building residential project with each building being ~8 stories

1704053737905.png
 
Cosakita18 said:
I've heard the next big project is going to be in a surprising location...the arts district. The surface parking lot behind 645 Congress is being eyed for a two-building residential project with each building being ~8 stories

View attachment 46252
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Good to see, but at that height, it’ll just look like all the other buildings right around it. Is this on the spine of 300 foot limits? Maybe 200? 8 floors seems not very ambitious.
 
My New Year's wish list for 2024 in order:

1) Begin construction of the Herald Square project
2) Start the renovations to the Time & Temperature Building to coincide with its 100th anniversary
3) Begin construction on the Maine Public HQ on Commercial Street
4) Begin construction of the 6 story condo project on Commercial Street next to the Holy Donut
5) Complete final plans for the Portland Square development
6) Secure funding for the renovation of the Masonic Building before it's too late to save it
7) Secure Federal funding for the numerous improvements needed for the Jetport
8) Be more patient and understanding when reading TC's detailed and entertaining posts :)
 
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Portlander said:
My New Year's wish list for 2024 in order:

5) Complete final plans for the Portland Square development
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I have a feeling they might be waiting for the ReCode zoning changes to be finalized before resubmitting a project with less office space. As mentioned this parcel could get a massive increase in allowable height and I could see them going for a 25+ story residential / mixed use tower.

The ReCode changes probably won't be through Council and written into law until the end of '24. So we may have to wait a bit longer but anything is possible!
 
Cosakita18 said:
I've heard the next big project is going to be in a surprising location...the arts district. The surface parking lot behind 645 Congress is being eyed for a two-building residential project with each building being ~8 stories
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Too bad they couldn't expand the parcel to include and demolish the Geno's Rock Club structure which is one of downtown Portland's biggest eye sores.
 
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My wish list:
Court action on Bayside/Midland Parcels allows for construction.
Top of the Old Port parking lot sells then plans come forward.
Harold Square construction starts.
Jetport Expansion with Customs to allow Breeze international service,
Portland Square new plans come forward-New Height
Redevelopment of 477 congress garage-Demolition and 18+ story apartment complex.
Rite Aid/Walgreens Parking lot near Neal Dow House-
Franklin Towers addition
 
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