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Patrick
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Cool photos Corey, thanks. The planning board info should be up on the website today for anyone interested in the details of the new 7 story hotel proposed in the old port.
And in unrelated news, here's a picture of Augusta's downtown, which I must say is surprisingly nice. The taller building is new but context appropriate.
And in unrelated news, here's a picture of Augusta's downtown, which I must say is surprisingly nice. The taller building is new but context appropriate.
Massing sketches of the proposed Fore/Union hotel. That's a small retail space on the ground-floor corner, behind it is a porte-cochere, and the rest of the ground-level streetscape is for the hotel lobby. Architects are Canal 5 Studio, the same outfit that proposed the redevelopment of the "public space" in Canal Plaza on the other side of this same block.
Looks very promising:
Also, has anyone noticed the new solar panel array on top of the parking garage next door to this? They're in these drawings, and also visible in the new Google Maps satellite view. These new owners of the Canal Plaza complex are doing cool things.
Looks very promising:
Also, has anyone noticed the new solar panel array on top of the parking garage next door to this? They're in these drawings, and also visible in the new Google Maps satellite view. These new owners of the Canal Plaza complex are doing cool things.
PortlandArch
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Thanks for posting, I don't like the entrance, but overall very nice massing. Is a drive thru necessary on the corner? The harbor hotel has it, I suppose, and that doesn't do too much bad to the area, but it could be better and I wish there was a way to make it so.
^I also think the massing looks good. Looking forward hearing more about this and if there are any plans for the fenced-in power station.
Appears that Avesta is proposing a building at the former proposed site of the "Waterview at Bayside" (funny that they still have the site up). There is some info on the Housing and Community Development website about the Avesta proposal under the name "409 Cumberland Ave." Some screenshots:
And from the executive summary:
Appears that Avesta is proposing a building at the former proposed site of the "Waterview at Bayside" (funny that they still have the site up). There is some info on the Housing and Community Development website about the Avesta proposal under the name "409 Cumberland Ave." Some screenshots:
And from the executive summary:
I would like to have seen the waterview built....it was more height appropriate for a lot so close to back bay towers. Also, for a mixed use district, this is now the second property that Avesta is proposing which doesnt have street level retail, the other being pearl place.
It is bette than an empty lot, but I would like To see avesta make some proposals that are truly in line with the bayside plan, not encompassing one or teo of the goals presented
It is bette than an empty lot, but I would like To see avesta make some proposals that are truly in line with the bayside plan, not encompassing one or teo of the goals presented
PortlandArch
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I think an empty site is better than more low income housing here. This is a struggling area in the center city and doesn't need an infusion of low income residents to help it out.
^ The 409 Cumberland building would actually be mixed-income, according to the materials. 10 market-rate units plus 46 subsidized units in the same building, which is a positive. Another positive is that they're only proposing 21 parking spaces onsite for the 56 apartments. Of course, there's a big garage across the street that's mostly empty nights and evenings when most residents would need to store their cars.
The architecture and materials are extra bland. It looks a lot like Oak Street (which, in my opinion, turned out much cheaper-looking in real life than I'd expected) — prefab panels and metal siding are becoming par for the course in new construction around here.
The HCD materials also show drawings for a new multiunit on Washington Avenue in East Bayside, down towards the Eastern Prom intersection: 18 studio efficiency units in a 4-story building, mostly for folks earning at or below 50% of the median income, and only 2 on-site parking spaces. A similar quality of architecture
I think that what the city needs most right now is transitional housing to get people out of the shelters. Hopefully projects like these will help relieve the overcrowding by giving some of the marginal cases and newer arrivals a fighting chance at getting back on their feet.
The architecture and materials are extra bland. It looks a lot like Oak Street (which, in my opinion, turned out much cheaper-looking in real life than I'd expected) — prefab panels and metal siding are becoming par for the course in new construction around here.
The HCD materials also show drawings for a new multiunit on Washington Avenue in East Bayside, down towards the Eastern Prom intersection: 18 studio efficiency units in a 4-story building, mostly for folks earning at or below 50% of the median income, and only 2 on-site parking spaces. A similar quality of architecture
I think that what the city needs most right now is transitional housing to get people out of the shelters. Hopefully projects like these will help relieve the overcrowding by giving some of the marginal cases and newer arrivals a fighting chance at getting back on their feet.
PortlandArch
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Housing policy is tricky--low income shouldn't be in the core (which is in theory the most expensive and attractive area of a city), but it shouldn't be in the suburbs either (need to be near services that are accessible), yet it has to be somewhere.
I think if the ten units that are "market rate" in the structure are mixed with 46 that are subsidized, the "market" will be somewhat less attractive than it is city-wide. That's just a guess, though.
As for the Federated Companies proposal, the phase I project includes two residential towers east of Chestnut, one 122 ft tall and the other 158 ft tall. Correct me if I am wrong, but the 158 ft tall building would be the second or third tallest in the city. It would be 12 floors of residential above one floor of commercial, for a total of 13 stories. That phase would have a 700 car parking garage in between the two towers and due to the city's financial contribution toward the garage (grant funded), there are strings attached to completion date (three years or repurchase option). That doesn't mean the project will take three years, but it may. And even then, to build a massive garage and two major residential towers in three years is speedy.
Here are some examples of 160 ft tall buildings (2 ft taller than the Federated proposal). Phase II proposes even taller buildings.
I think if the ten units that are "market rate" in the structure are mixed with 46 that are subsidized, the "market" will be somewhat less attractive than it is city-wide. That's just a guess, though.
As for the Federated Companies proposal, the phase I project includes two residential towers east of Chestnut, one 122 ft tall and the other 158 ft tall. Correct me if I am wrong, but the 158 ft tall building would be the second or third tallest in the city. It would be 12 floors of residential above one floor of commercial, for a total of 13 stories. That phase would have a 700 car parking garage in between the two towers and due to the city's financial contribution toward the garage (grant funded), there are strings attached to completion date (three years or repurchase option). That doesn't mean the project will take three years, but it may. And even then, to build a massive garage and two major residential towers in three years is speedy.
Here are some examples of 160 ft tall buildings (2 ft taller than the Federated proposal). Phase II proposes even taller buildings.
grittys457
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I love the depth that is going to give our skyline.
I hate how it looks so dense in aerials and from 295 it
Just looks like one line of buildings. Like I said on herald website,
The construction phase will make Portland look
Very active and growing
2013 is easily lined up to be the most in process
Construction we or any city under 100-150k people
Has ever had going at once. Thompsons point, bayside,
Cccc, 3 India street projects, Weston, etc
I hate how it looks so dense in aerials and from 295 it
Just looks like one line of buildings. Like I said on herald website,
The construction phase will make Portland look
Very active and growing
2013 is easily lined up to be the most in process
Construction we or any city under 100-150k people
Has ever had going at once. Thompsons point, bayside,
Cccc, 3 India street projects, Weston, etc
P
Patrick
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Don't forget a new 7 story hotel, 5 story west end condo building, possibility of new waterfront or Maine state pier development from the Australians, water view site, pph re/use as hotel, and a major new office building on western commercial street.
P
Patrick
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Here's the proposed phase I of Federated's Bayside project. This is on the east side of the property, behind planet fitness.
And here's phase II.
Here's the whole thing:
Some very slender towers which will create a dramatic new skyline vista. Probably the biggest project downtown has ever seen.
And here's phase II.
Here's the whole thing:
Some very slender towers which will create a dramatic new skyline vista. Probably the biggest project downtown has ever seen.
portlandneedsnewarena
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There is an article in the Bangor Daily News today titled "Developer planning 7-tower project on Portland scrapyards". It shows an architectural rendering of what the area could look like. I think this is the same rendering that was in the PPH a few years back.
Also, in the BDN there is an article that Buck Naked Barbecue is going to be opening at the former Havana South Restaurant location on Wharf Street.
Also, in the BDN there is an article that Buck Naked Barbecue is going to be opening at the former Havana South Restaurant location on Wharf Street.
PortlandArch
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I suspect that, as usual, the debate will be centered on whether too much parking is being required. Probably it is, but at the same time the City has a grant for the garage and is mandating it as a larger approach to economic development in that neighborhood, so it's probably also going to stay in the project. The other debate could be height, but these height limits are pretty close to what the City has adopted after the Bayside Plan in pursuance to that plan, and they have some room for expansion in certain circumstances. If you look at the docs, the company is also asking to close that portion of the lost bisecting trail connection to the bayside trail, which might be a good idea in light of the controversy about increased crime potential that resulted when BayCo (Maine Health) proposed a 9 story or so building in the area in 2007. They also are asking to buy another ten feet or so from the City's bayside trail land. There was an article released a while back where the head of the bayside neighborhood organization said that, as long as the design guidelines are followed for the district, the BNH "can't even spell NIMBY." This would literally double the skyline, but I would be interested in seeing the impact of it given the lower elevation of the site compared to the current downtown. Exciting project!
Developer planning 7-tower project on former Portland scrapyards
This drawing, distributed in a promotional brochure posted on The Federated Companies website, shows a draft version of how the development firm's proposed Maritime Landing project in Portland's Bayside neighborhood might appear when complete.
PORTLAND, Maine — Long-awaited plans for a Bayside neighborhood project would convert an area of former rail- and scrapyard into seven tall towers for housing and retail space.
The plans, to be publicly considered for the first time by the city this week, propose seven towers between 120 feet and 160 feet in height for much as 90,000 square feet of retail space and 600 or more residential units, plus more than 1,000 parking spaces, on the 3.25-acre Bayside parcel.
“Those are big parcels that don’t look good now, and that [project] could be transformative,” said Chris O’Neil, government relations consultant for the Portland Community Chamber. “The injection of that many residents into that neighborhood has to translate into an infusion of economic activity that would be very important.”
About 14 months ago, the city of Portland entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the development firm Federated Companies with an eye toward repurposing the undeveloped former scrapyards along Somerset Street, which in recent years have stood out visually among the housing and new development that has taken place in the area — including the towering InterMed office building and relatively new retailers such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market and Eastern Mountain Sports.
On Wednesday, the City Council’s Housing and Community Development Committee will get its first public look at the plans for the property that resulted from more than a year’s worth of closed negotiations between city officials and their Federated counterparts.
Plans submitted to the committee show that the $38 million Phase I of the Federated project would feature two towers — one 10 stories and one 12 stories high — on opposite sides of a 700-space parking garage. The buildings would house between 160 and 176 residential units, as well as between about 37,000 and 42,000 square feet of retail space. Phase I, which would stand on the eastern side of Chestnut Street, could be completed within three years.
The second phase of what the developer is calling Maritime Landing, on the western side of Chestnut Street, does not have a cost or time table associated with it in committee documents. But current drafts of Phase II feature 340 more parking spaces, another 45,000 to 50,000 square feet of retail space and between 430 and 482 more residential units. The Phase II complex depicted as five towers between eight and 12 stories in height, with the tallest of the buildings standing alone on the far side of the lot and the other four growing from atop a common parking garage structure.
The city is distributing approximately $9 million in federal Department of Housing and Urban Development grant funding dedicated for parking expansion to The Federated Companies, and the firm is agreeing to create at least 40 permanent full-time jobs in the neighborhood with the project, Portland Economic Development Director Greg Mitchell wrote in a memo to the committee.
Mitchell also told committee members that, in order to move forward, the developers will need to seek waivers allowing them to build taller than city ordinances allow in the area — city rules currently cap buildings at 105 or 125 feet, depending on the location within the property in question.
Developer planning 7-tower project on former Portland scrapyards
This drawing, distributed in a promotional brochure posted on The Federated Companies website, shows a draft version of how the development firm's proposed Maritime Landing project in Portland's Bayside neighborhood might appear when complete.
PORTLAND, Maine — Long-awaited plans for a Bayside neighborhood project would convert an area of former rail- and scrapyard into seven tall towers for housing and retail space.
The plans, to be publicly considered for the first time by the city this week, propose seven towers between 120 feet and 160 feet in height for much as 90,000 square feet of retail space and 600 or more residential units, plus more than 1,000 parking spaces, on the 3.25-acre Bayside parcel.
“Those are big parcels that don’t look good now, and that [project] could be transformative,” said Chris O’Neil, government relations consultant for the Portland Community Chamber. “The injection of that many residents into that neighborhood has to translate into an infusion of economic activity that would be very important.”
About 14 months ago, the city of Portland entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the development firm Federated Companies with an eye toward repurposing the undeveloped former scrapyards along Somerset Street, which in recent years have stood out visually among the housing and new development that has taken place in the area — including the towering InterMed office building and relatively new retailers such as Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market and Eastern Mountain Sports.
On Wednesday, the City Council’s Housing and Community Development Committee will get its first public look at the plans for the property that resulted from more than a year’s worth of closed negotiations between city officials and their Federated counterparts.
Plans submitted to the committee show that the $38 million Phase I of the Federated project would feature two towers — one 10 stories and one 12 stories high — on opposite sides of a 700-space parking garage. The buildings would house between 160 and 176 residential units, as well as between about 37,000 and 42,000 square feet of retail space. Phase I, which would stand on the eastern side of Chestnut Street, could be completed within three years.
The second phase of what the developer is calling Maritime Landing, on the western side of Chestnut Street, does not have a cost or time table associated with it in committee documents. But current drafts of Phase II feature 340 more parking spaces, another 45,000 to 50,000 square feet of retail space and between 430 and 482 more residential units. The Phase II complex depicted as five towers between eight and 12 stories in height, with the tallest of the buildings standing alone on the far side of the lot and the other four growing from atop a common parking garage structure.
The city is distributing approximately $9 million in federal Department of Housing and Urban Development grant funding dedicated for parking expansion to The Federated Companies, and the firm is agreeing to create at least 40 permanent full-time jobs in the neighborhood with the project, Portland Economic Development Director Greg Mitchell wrote in a memo to the committee.
Mitchell also told committee members that, in order to move forward, the developers will need to seek waivers allowing them to build taller than city ordinances allow in the area — city rules currently cap buildings at 105 or 125 feet, depending on the location within the property in question.
I cant wait to see a detailed rendering highlighting the design of the towers. It is very exciting, and will increase the urban fabric of portland tenfold.
I wonder what retail will end up there....It may be a while away, but this could create some cool shopping options in the neighborhood.
I wonder what retail will end up there....It may be a while away, but this could create some cool shopping options in the neighborhood.
Seanflynn78
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Wow, Portland is becoming the hottest and most trendy place to work, live, and build in New England with maybe the exception of Boston's seaport district. Not familiar with the Bayside neighborhood, but I hear it is under developed. Has anyone heard any news on the Thompson Point arena plans? Seems that project has lost steam. Hopefully all these proposals get built. Def. add to the urban fabric of Portland.
grittys457
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" I wonder what retail will end up there....It may be a while away, but this could create some cool shopping options in the neighborhood. "
I mentioned it before but a few sources told me the anchor retail for the project is a Dave and Busters. Those are gigantic, a Chuck E Cheese for adults. I'm not into chains but this is exactly what the city needs. Something a little more fun than cozy restaurants and irish pubs.
The good thing about all the retail is that you know none of it will be tourist stores selling lobster t-shirts and crap. Everything down there should be useful. I'd love to see a bookstore, a Starbucks(sorry but Patrick knows that's my vice for chains), and some eateries. I'd love it to be like the squares in Cambridge where you got everything you need right there.
Oh and the first example PortlandArch added is ideal. I wanna see a building that looks residential and modern, not another guess if it's an office tower or condo building.
ON a side note, the cranes are digging up the entrance at the CCCC. Construction is in full swing.
I mentioned it before but a few sources told me the anchor retail for the project is a Dave and Busters. Those are gigantic, a Chuck E Cheese for adults. I'm not into chains but this is exactly what the city needs. Something a little more fun than cozy restaurants and irish pubs.
The good thing about all the retail is that you know none of it will be tourist stores selling lobster t-shirts and crap. Everything down there should be useful. I'd love to see a bookstore, a Starbucks(sorry but Patrick knows that's my vice for chains), and some eateries. I'd love it to be like the squares in Cambridge where you got everything you need right there.
Oh and the first example PortlandArch added is ideal. I wanna see a building that looks residential and modern, not another guess if it's an office tower or condo building.
ON a side note, the cranes are digging up the entrance at the CCCC. Construction is in full swing.
grittys457
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"Has anyone heard any news on the Thompson Point arena plans? Seems that project has lost steam."
They put so much time into it and they have deep deep pockets. Jennings didn't quit his Red Claws position to focus on Thompson's if he didn't think it would get done. I'd like to hear something from it soon though.
Patrick, is there an actual design rendering of Phase I getting shown to the board tomorrow or just that old picture and the massings?
And yes the Seaport in Boston is awesome. Take my kid down to the Children's Museum all the time. Love that whole area.
They put so much time into it and they have deep deep pockets. Jennings didn't quit his Red Claws position to focus on Thompson's if he didn't think it would get done. I'd like to hear something from it soon though.
Patrick, is there an actual design rendering of Phase I getting shown to the board tomorrow or just that old picture and the massings?
And yes the Seaport in Boston is awesome. Take my kid down to the Children's Museum all the time. Love that whole area.