Portland, ME - New Construction Continued

Portlander said:
Looking forward to it Redfern and there are many on this site cheering for your project to move forward. Can you at least confirm that you are still proposing 18 floors at around 200'? My guess is you are if you're applying for a Zone Map Amendment. 200 Federal Street has a nice marketing ring to it!
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We are proposing an 18-story building with 265 rental apartments. Currently the height map allows 150’ with a 40’ appurtenances (190’ total). We are simply seeking to change the height to 190’ so we can build housing up the the 190’ limit.
 
Sounds great and 15' taller than Franklin Towers will be welcomed by many!
 
Long time reader, infrequent poster here. I applaud the efforts to bring some height, density and style to this part of town. When the developer is done constructing 200 Federal, I suggest they approach the City about redevelopment of the parking garage across the street -- wasted real estate to put it mildly. My guess is that the potential height increase has already been discussed preliminarily with City staffers who I imagine are supportive of the request if the intent is to move forward with it (which is good, since they write the recommendations City boards review and act upon ... often times with little or no change). It's a good interest rate climate to seek financing right now (historical lows), but I don't know what the construction lending risk profile for a new development like this will be given how residential occupancy patterns are changing in light of the pandemic, or in light of how many renters have recently opted to abate/not pay their landlords. But with any luck by the time this project is ready to go the virus will be under control and there will be some certainty around those issues. My prediction is that there will be two parties reacting to this project - those who logically conclude it fits with its surroundings, and those who will argue that it is destined to cast a shadow upon Exchange Street establishments. However, given the likelihood that new residents would patronize the retail spaces along that street maybe my assumption is wrong on the second party. In any case if this gets built it will be exciting for Portland and the views from upper stories will be unparalleled. I would welcome any post(s) the developer sees fit to share. I think they will find that most on this site enjoy being armchair critics but at the end of the day everyone here is 110% behind development like this and may even be a good source of drumming up public support in an arena that often gives a louder speakerphone to critics than proponents.
 
Portlander said:
Looking forward to it Redfern and there are many on this site cheering for your project to move forward. Can you at least confirm that you are still proposing 18 floors at around 200'? My guess is you are if you're applying for a Zone Map Amendment. 200 Federal Street has a nice marketing ring to it!
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Thank you!
 
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Some drawings I found for the ongoing renovations to Two Monument Square on the NAI Dunham Group website.
 
Two Monument is my least favorite tower in Portland. The window height is too small relative to the brick floors and I've always felt it looks like a prison. Even some fake panels would help.
 
My second least favorite after 511 Congress with it's dark gothish exterior which looks it's most morbid on an overcast gloomy day. I'm giving the Holiday Inn a pass because it's use is lodging and it's exterior has been recently improved. In my travels, it seems like every mid to large sized city in the country was cursed with a similar type of hotel structure along with a low income high rise like Franklin Towers. Two Monument Square's appearance is too squat and it would be a perfect candidate in my opinion to add additional floors (tapered) which was actually discussed years ago. Though it is similar in height to One Monument Square to the roofline, it's missing the larger mechanical crown which balances 1MS out much better and gives it a taller looking profile.
 
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Portlander said:
I'm giving the Holiday Inn a pass because it's use is lodging and it's exterior has been recently improved.
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I agree that the facade of the Holiday Inn looks better now, cleaner and brighter, but I was disappointed that the work did not continue onto the street-level facade on Spring Street, or the canopy over the entrance, which still look out-dated and tired.
 
Blame the Mainway Project. 70's architecture throughout. Its hard to fix something that had no character from the start. Back then they looked great...LOL I bet the same will happen when people look back at all the cheap apartment and condo buildings around Portland in the next 20 years. Especially from Portland Housing Authority and Avesta.
 
@PWMFlyer - Every architectural style goes though a period of disillusionment in middle age. In the 1960s, they were tearing down art deco buildings we'd kill to have today; 1960s/1970s brutalist and modernist buildings (like the UHaul building on Marginal Way) are already coming back in style, even as 1980s-style mall architecture and "international style" buildings are getting torn down. Personally, I feel like the failed retail/food court at 1 City Center, with its goofy atrium and travertine tile floors, feels *much* more dated than these two office buildings; in a few more years, that goofiness will probably be rare enough that it will feel special again.

Personally, I don't understand why the landlords of 2 Monument Way haven't converted their dead ground-floor parking into leasable retail space – with its corner location at Congress and Temple, it could be one of the more valuable retail spaces in the city (especially after all the effort they've put into improving the sidewalk along Temple).

Besides, in its current use as a parking lot, it's got an extremely inefficient layout – most of the square footage is driveway aisle, and it only fits 5-6 cars anyhow.
 
Portlander said:
My second least favorite after 511 Congress with its dark gothish exterior which looks it's most morbid on an overcast gloomy day. I'm giving the Holiday Inn a pass because it's use is lodging and it's exterior has been recently improved. In my travels, it seems like every mid to large sized city in the country was cursed with a similar type of hotel structure along with a low income high rise like Franklin Towers. Two Monument Square's appearance is too squat and it would be a perfect candidate in my opinion to add additional floors (tapered) which was actually discussed years ago. Though it is similar in height to One Monument Square to the roofline, it's missing the larger mechanical crown which balances 1MS out much better and gives it a taller looking profile.
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511 is actually one of my favorites, but then I also have a warm place in my heart for the pre-Regency Market Street, which very much felt like Gotham City. I also really liked the white Holiday Inn; sure it could have been washed periodically, but at least it defied the city's brick fetish.
 
I like Portland's brick fetish...it defines an old New England city. That being said....I'd love to see more glass. The tacky faux concrete/stucco paneling has been way overused though....yeah, I know....it's cheap compared to glass and masonry.

Article is from 2019 but fits the bill when it comes to Portland residential construction....

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

www.bloomberg.com
 
I don't mind the building at 511 Congress but the plaza in front of it often seems dead. Anyone of have a differing opinion or thoughts on what discourages people from hanging out there?
 
Plaza is not large enough, too close to Congress Street, no shade, continuous delivery trucks, Metro bus stop at the corner, zero privacy and occasional use by unsavory individuals who like to sit on the brick wall in front tend to keep downtown workers and families away. There is also nothing of interest to attract tourists like there is in Monument Square, Tommy's Park or Post Office Park. Credit needs to go to the current owner who has made substantial improvements to the building's lobby along with the completion of the new garage on Brown Street and management does their best to keep the plaza clean and safe.
 
I wonder if it's less the size and more the design. It seems like it could be reconfigured to provide more seating and, to your point, maybe a table or two with an umbrella or other shade structure. The plaza currently doesn't lend itself to folks enjoying tea from Soakology, or really any other food or drink, due to the lack of surfaces to rest them on.

I'm inclined to disagree about proximity to Congress and a bus stop being factors. You don't have to walk far down Congress before encountering the packed sidewalk outside Taco Escobar.

Next slice I get from Otto's I'm eating in the plaza at 511 Congress.
 
Great point Tom on the proximity to Congress Street, it's more of a personal choice due to my lack of enthusiasm for sidewalk dining on a busy street and I may be in the minority. The busses use the limited parking section as their final approach to the corner bus stop and the older ones are loud and give the gift of exhaust fumes. I think a few tables with umbrellas are an excellent idea but the plaza's incline from Congress Street may limit reconfiguration options. The sculpture in the front was a nice addition a few years ago and added some much need color to the plaza.
 
When it first opened, the plaza occupants may have been more of a draw, at least for foot traffic. Soakology was a Depositors Trust bank branch, the huge storefront to the left of the plaza was the HQ branch of Maine Savings, there was a Deering Ice Cream (a local chain that made its own ice cream and had a menu similar to Friendly's for those who don't know) and a Bookland.
 
Max said:
The developers of the Mercy Hospital site have started reaching out to neighbors with their preliminary plans for redevelopment. I sat in on the presentation they gave to the West End Neighborhood Association the other night, and I was a bit surprised at just how extensive of a development they're imagining.

They're partnering with a senior housing agency to develop one portion of the site and with CHOM to develop affordable housing on another. They're really looking to maximize use of the property, and I suspect they're going to get some pushback on the density from neighbors. For example they're proposing row housing on Winter Street that would line up with the sidewalk (no set backs) at the maximum height of 45 feet, and there was quite a bit of grumbling on this call about that.

Anyway they emphasized it's all very preliminary at this point but they want to be ready to begin construction in April 2022 when the hospital vacates the premises, and finish construction by the end of 2023.

I tried to grab a couple screenshots from their presentation:

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I love this ... it blows my mind that anyone in this neighborhood would hate this. That street could really use some updating. Anything is better than looking at the empty parking lot and back of the Mercy building.
 
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