Portland, ME - New Construction Continued

DanielPWM19 said:
Has there been any more talk about this project happening? Would be beautiful.
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There is a master development plan in the works for this parcel, 385 Congress. The developers have hinted at 3-4 buildings with some residential, commercial and congregate care uses.
 
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A bit confused on this development. A while back it was on a much bigger scale, then the hospital got caught overbilling the state by over 50 million for reimbursements, and so, perhaps this had something to do with the downsizing? I drove past the site today and there is a notable sized addition underway connected to the back of the main building, and then the one above, a small separate structure (the pic from Corey). SMRT is the architect, but the designs on their website appear quite different then the actual building excavation and first steel footprints. Anyone have a current sketch, etc.?
 
Corey said:
Those renderings of the old/original Mercy Hospital site are exciting.

Here's a shot of the progress on Mercy's campus expansion on top of the Fore River. Bonus view of the Maine Med Parking behemoth watching over the site.

August_2020_Portland_Maine_20200824-DSC01445_By Corey Templeton__large by Corey Templeton, on Flickr
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Same area but as seen from the Downeaster.
681918AE-E8C2-4E21-9571-ABB1C6739D4B.jpeg
 
At the Mercy site, what is the separate structure under construction? Office? Small parking garage? That was not shown or discussed in the PPH' most recent article on the addition. The final project has been dramatically scaled down which is not good, in my opinion. Healthcare is growing fast in Maine with the underlying conditions, overweight baby boomers retiring. And, procedures are less in Boston (PPH article) as competition is non-existent for many procedures in Southern Maine. I'm guessing the $53 million the hospital overbilled the state for has something to do with it (the hospital created a scapegoat for that by firing an employee--see PPH article). The project needs at least a 500 car garage connected to the hospital. It also needs a space with large windows for people to relax and eat in--views looking south and west from an upper floor would be smart. Also, Maine Medical has a walking, relaxing area with the Western Prom. At "Mercy," patients that can go outside by being pushed in wheel chairs (very common) will have a nice view of train tracks and a massive parking garage (Maine Med). They should have developed the little cesspool pond into something botantically rich (a designed park). Relaxing environments help healing. This project is underwhelming for the hospital's needs, and in a few years when nearly all the baby boomers are frequent visitors to the hospital, and beds are all filled, there will be discussions for another expansion. But it's the Maine way, I guess--build less and put the needed additional out of mind until its grossly deficient.
 
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TC_zoid said:
At the Mercy site, what is the separate structure under construction? Office? Small parking garage?
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From the plans on the city portal, an Ambulatory Surgery Center. And yes, Maine's policy regarding the Certificate of Need process for hospitals is to be conservative when expanding capacity.
 
TC_zoid said:
At the Mercy site, what is the separate structure under construction? Office? Small parking garage? That was not shown or discussed in the PPH' most recent article on the addition. The final project has been dramatically scaled down which is not good, in my opinion. Healthcare is growing fast in Maine with the underlying conditions, overweight baby boomers retiring. And, procedures are less in Boston (PPH article) as competition is non-existent for many procedures in Southern Maine. I'm guessing the $53 million the hospital overbilled the state for has something to do with it (the hospital created a scapegoat for that by firing an employee--see PPH article). The project needs at least a 500 car garage connected to the hospital. It also needs a space with large windows for people to relax and eat in--views looking south and west from an upper floor would be smart. Also, Maine Medical has a walking, relaxing area with the Western Prom. At "Mercy," patients that can go outside by being pushed in wheel chairs (very common) will have a nice view of train tracks and a massive parking garage (Maine Med). They should have developed the little cesspool pond into something botantically rich (a designed park). Relaxing environments help healing. This project is underwhelming for the hospital's needs, and in a few years when nearly all the baby boomers are frequent visitors to the hospital, and beds are all filled, there will be discussions for another expansion. But it's the Maine way, I guess--build less and put the needed additional out of mind until its grossly deficient.
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It is Mercy's new Ambulatory Surgery Center.
 
TC_zoid said:
At the Mercy site, what is the separate structure under construction? Office? Small parking garage? That was not shown or discussed in the PPH' most recent article on the addition. The final project has been dramatically scaled down which is not good, in my opinion. Healthcare is growing fast in Maine with the underlying conditions, overweight baby boomers retiring. And, procedures are less in Boston (PPH article) as competition is non-existent for many procedures in Southern Maine. I'm guessing the $53 million the hospital overbilled the state for has something to do with it (the hospital created a scapegoat for that by firing an employee--see PPH article). The project needs at least a 500 car garage connected to the hospital. It also needs a space with large windows for people to relax and eat in--views looking south and west from an upper floor would be smart. Also, Maine Medical has a walking, relaxing area with the Western Prom. At "Mercy," patients that can go outside by being pushed in wheel chairs (very common) will have a nice view of train tracks and a massive parking garage (Maine Med). They should have developed the little cesspool pond into something botantically rich (a designed park). Relaxing environments help healing. This project is underwhelming for the hospital's needs, and in a few years when nearly all the baby boomers are frequent visitors to the hospital, and beds are all filled, there will be discussions for another expansion. But it's the Maine way, I guess--build less and put the needed additional out of mind until its grossly deficient.
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It is Mercy's new Ambulatory Surgery Center.
 
markhb said:
From the plans on the city portal, an Ambulatory Surgery Center. And yes, Maine's policy regarding the Certificate of Need process for hospitals is to be conservative when expanding capacity.
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I don't think Maine Med got that memo. Theirs is a serious expansion, and the total footprint is actually double of what you see on the hill. Add the expanding Scarborough campus, the former Osteopathic Hospital, several outpatient facilities, and the giant mill building converted to office space (billing) in Westbrook and this hospital is nearly out-of-control with expansion. Mercy's footprint is miniscule, comparatively, and they won't be competitive. And check out Mercy's initial 2014 proposal that can be found in the Bangor Daily News. It looks to be 10 times bigger than the final. (If you put together all of Maine Med's space, all over the city, it's one of the biggest hospitals in the world. Compare all visits, etc. too--not just actual beds.)
 
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Redfern said:
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.
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Any updated renderings you could share please?
 
In today's Mainebiz there is an article that talks about the transformation of the eastern waterfront which is connected to a developer seminar that Max mentioned yesterday. There was one nugget in the write up that mentioned EssexNorth and their recent purchase and renovation plans of the 160 year old Galt Block (former Auto Europe) on Commercial Street. The developer mentioned that the vacant lot in between the Galt Building and the Workingmen's Club Building will be also developed as part of the same project. Great news and it will continue to help fill in the few empty holes remaining along the Commercial Street corridor. Actual use of the lot was not stated but I'm guessing residential.
 
I worked for Auto Europe when we moved from 27 Pearl to the Galt Block. I thought the builders did a terrific job of building modern office space while emphasizing the historic building, at the expense of having to shake 150-year-old wood bits out of our keyboards every morning. I'm interested in what the next stage will be.
 
Thank you to all of the contributors to this forum, it has been my go-to site for following development in Portland for the last 15 years. Great photos and insight, everyone's passion comes though for a balance between desired/undesired growth. and above all to keep Portland a great city to live/work/play - many of us "readers only" appreciate you all, I'll contribute where I can!
 
Plans for the Cold Storage Facility at the IMT have been approved. Construction should begin in the near future

www.mainebiz.biz

Portland cold storage plan moves ahead

After clearing the final regulatory hurdle with the city of Portland, the next step is for the developer to issue a request for proposals for a design build contractor, Maine Port Authority CEO Jonathan Nass told Mainebiz.
www.mainebiz.biz www.mainebiz.biz


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