Portland, ME - New Construction Continued

Well said Patrick, I agree that there are lots of other issues around town that could be be looked at before this one and it does seem that 'we' (the city, residents, critics, proponents, activists, bloggers, etc) just jump from issue to issue in a never ending cycle.

As far as Congress Square, the part right in front of the hotel, I don't think it's terrible. A few cons would be that it's located next to a busy intersection, it tends to attract homeless people, and Paul's Food is next door (no offense if anyone shops there, I stop by there to pick a couple things up every now and then). One side of the square is dimly lit and completely unused except as a place to throw trash. I remember several years ago I went to a free movie showing there and it seemed to be a good fit. The park is filled up with arts+crafts vendors during the sidewalk art event and other related events.

I have more thoughts but need to do some work today :p
 
All valid points, Corey. I too notice that it is filled to the brim on some First Fridays. Maybe that's all its really good for. The other issues you mentioned are right on point, and have less to do with the plaza than the area. Paul's is a problem. Littering and loitering by certain people is a problem. Lighting is a problem. Accessibility and traffic is a problem. All of these issues, however, are external to the park itself (plaza, whatever you prefer to call it).

Moreover, who decided there was anything wrong with it in the first place? The public wasn't asked to weigh in on that issue, but they are being asked for their opinion on how to fix things. Why presupposed there is even a problem, especially when the City could be using money on more productive things? Is the City Council bored or lacking things to do? I wouldn't imagine so but it seems like it.

The thing that really gets me is that I used to think there was such a thing as a public opinion which predated media broadcasts which, although true in some contexts, appears to be less true than I previously thought. Specifically illustrated by this example: how many people even thought there was an issue with congress square until the PPH reported the city had determined in its wisdom that shortcomings existed? Now everyone will be enthusiastic about fixing it. Let's just focus on things that really need fixing. taxes. schools. luring new business. redeveloping blight. Franklin street and Bayside. everything else should be able to either wait or be delegated to citizen groups and private entities rather than the city. and enough public hearings already. a councilor farts and there is a public hearing about it. In the meantime the city goes down the drain, staff is fired, and homeless people congregate in otherwise attractive urban spaces. Portland can be so frustrating. Nothing against the homeless, but man, let's try to actually solve a problem instead of debating about how to solve it. Nike got it right. Just do it.
 
It does seem as though Portland spends more time talking about planning and redeveloping than actually getting it done. Patrick named all the projects that are currently in the works. As someone who is not from Portland, I see so much potential for the city and urban atmosphere. It could totally capitalize on its location in Northern New England. I hope to move up to Portland within the next year even despite these issues.
Maybe what they should be writing about in the PPH is the lack of progress, and abundance of plans that don't seem to ever come to fruition.
 
I hope the city will decide to sell the land to a developer so a new building can go up on the site. This will put some money in the city coffers, add to the tax base, compliment the Portland Museum of Art across the street, and basically class up that part of Congress Street. My suggestion would be a 6-8 story building with a stepped design along with a dramatic corner entrance. Retail at street level (Dunkin' Donuts and a drug store to keep with past history) with offices on the upper floors. Parking can be arranged for at the Gateway Garage which has plenty of available spaces at last check.
 
We'll have to wait and see but I predict none of that is even going to be considered, if only because it actually makes sense. I predict it will be a bunch of people wanting green space, a fountain, bla bla bla, a bunch of stuff the city has to pay for rather than a developer, and yet the same people don't want to pay taxes. I don't know about a Dunk'n donuts...would it be viable with another one literally one block away? Then we might really be accused of trying to be Boston. Starbucks is there, too, which I have always thought odd. How can it remain in business? The tricky thing with development there is that the top of the east is a great location with a great view, and if anything too tall went there (although I don't suspect its even an option or consideration at this point) it might block the vista. 8 stories sounds about right. I think residential would do well, mixed with office and retail. Mixed use always seems to be the best way to hedge your bets against uncertain markets.
 
Ever Dreamed of Flying?

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Thanks to Bing 3D, now you can. The above picture is a screen shot of Bing's fully interactive and easily navigable 3D software that lets you view many cities from virtually any angle. The above picture is what it would look like if you were to stand atop One City Center, on the roof, and look Northwest over Monument Square. Using mathematics and statistical measurements, the folks at Bing have essentially mapped the entire city in 3D fashion. The graphics look like a video game from the 1990s, but the feeling of floating around town from any angle you desire is quite simply fascinating. Its like you're in a hover craft and can fly in and out of alleys and buildings and land on top of the civic center and fly from St. Dominic's church in the west end to Franklin Towers and beyond. Google Earth had 3D software released some time ago for larger cities, but the graphics were more crude, and to my knowledge the software wasn't as interactive. I have seen the ad for downloading Bing 3D, accessible for free at local.live.com, for quite some time and I'm definitely glad I took a few seconds to finally try it out. Absolutely amazing.
 
Interesting forum approaching on sustainable transportation in Southern Maine. Please attend if you are interested. Transportation and land use planning are intricately linked, for obvious reasons, and therefore changes in transportation routes directly enables (or could enable) more dense, city development in urban centers. Think of how much land is dedicated to streets, and how much could be opened up for development if there were more effective ways of transporting goods and people about town. Just something to think about.

Please see below:

The League of Young Voters Education Fund and the Maine Alliance for Sustainable Transportation are holding a forum called We CAN Get There From Here! In a time when gas prices are rising, jobs and affordable health insurance are hard to find, and climate change threatens Maine's way of life, people need options to get where they need to go. The goal of this forum is to bring all different modes of sustainable transportation together around a shared vision. During the forum, we will hear from experts of each mode, and we will break out into groups to develop action items that will help with implementation of our vision. The forum will be held at The Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall on Tuesday, May 25th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

WHAT: Forum: We CAN Get There From Here

WHEN: Tuesday, May 25, 2010
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Merrill Auditorium Rehearsal Hall
20 Myrtle St., Portland, ME (enter the door further toward the bottom of Myrtle)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Our speakers include experts from the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, METRO, Portland Trails, The Maine Rail Transit Coalition, and Go Maine. We will also be hearing from Jennifer Puser, Deputy Director for the Governor's office of Energy Independence and Security. At the end of the evening, Go Maine will be presenting information on how we as a community helped to reduce traffic congestion and auto emissions, as well as auto trips, miles, tons of pollution, and gallons of gasoline, not to mention the money we saved during the month of May - Transportation Month. Go Maine will also be presenting the winners of their Commute Another Way contest - This year's Grand Prize is a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond. They're also giving away two $500 savings bonds and five $100 bonds. Plus a bunch of other cool prizes, like gift cards good for dining, entertainment, shopping and gas. To enter the contest, go to claiming to be http://gomaine.org/commuter-services/caww/.

Mission: The League of Young Voters Education Fund is a non-partisan multi-issue group that works to make politics relevant, accessible, and fun by empowering and engaging young people in social and civic action. We achieve these goals by raising awareness and providing tools for leadership through working on positive social change in our communities.

Mission: The Maine Alliance for Sustainable Transportation works to ensure that Mainers have access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable transportation. MAST strives to defend, expand and improve sustainable transportation options through advocacy, policy initiatives, and public outreach.
 
I went ahead and registered, sounds interesting.
 
it does sound cool, this would be a great place to talk about Light Rail for the Greater Portland Area
 
Thanks Patrick, that would be great to get that up and running...although it will be a while I'm sure.
 
Todd, if the final decision, once arrived at, takes a long time to implement, it will because of political bickering and bureaucratic mismanagement and dilly-dallying, not because the infrastructure would need to be laid. For example, if the state decides on BRT the infrastructure is already in place, and all that's needed is some paint and buses. If the state decided on rail, only about one mile will have to be laid, and the rest is pre-existing from a bygone era. Hopefully something comes of it all.
 
Lets hope so....it should not be a lengthy process then...and rail is a much better option for a city that carries as much significance as Portland does.

Btw...what do people think is gonna be the outcome of the Cumberland Cold Storage redevelopment. Pierce Atwood has plan that the city has will vote on Tuesday.

I hope they make some major improvements inside and out...Portland needs more stand out office spaces....
 
I would also prefer to see new rail services as opposed to bus services. It does seem that we will end up with a bus system though, if anything. It's hard to estimate how many people would use either system. I've read about some really great BRT systems so I'm not against buses (and I ride the Metro to work everyday), but I think that trains would perhaps inspire more usage than busses and it would be a better investment in the long run. It depends on a million different factors, but overall I imagine that rail would be used more than buses. Rail seems to have less of a stigma attached to it. Also, transit oriented development seems to be much more impressive around rail stations than bus ones, but that depends on a lot of factors, too.

I attended an event a while back concerning the state rail plan, and a great point that a commenter made was how we subsidize our non-mass-transit (such as highways) very heavily. Meanwhile, opponents to developing mass transit (such as rail and bus services) argue that it's too heavily subsidized. It would be ideal for a passenger rail service to bring in some revenue, but even if it doesn't, it's hard to argue against losing money because we lose money on highways too. Of course, both cars and mass-transit can have very positive economic impacts and we should not only look at what the costs are but what the benefits can be.

As far as the Cumberland Cold Storage redevelopment, I think fixing that up and creating a little business district in that area would be a positive step. Maybe it would even spur more development in all the empty lots and parking lots in the area.
 
I agree that a rail system would be great. I think rail would be a better fit for the urban vision of Portland. Buses do have stigma, and for some reason, people like to ride rails more. Being from Boston, the rails get used alot more than the buses.
The idea of a mini business district where the Cumberland Cold Storage is is a great idea. They could re-invent the area with some really cool mid-rise buildings. This might be the move that does supr development down there. Good thinking Corey
 
That is a huge improvement to Congress St, with this and the library, things are looking pretty good.
 
Building paint scheme and new marquee looks great and I'm looking forward to seeing it lit up at night. Am also pleased to see that all the graffiti has been finally removed from the side of the Baxter Library near the State Theater. What an eyesore that has been for way too many years.
 
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