Portland, ME - New Construction Continued

The Portland Daily Sun ran an article recently about the Schwartz Building in Congress Square which has been unoccupied and undergoing some sporadic renovations since 2010 due to structural issues. Apparently they are confident of finishing renovations in July of this year. I look forward to seeing this building back in use. Current plan include a restaurant on the first floor as well.
 
As far as the concert venue at Spring Point, great location with amazing views of the Portland skyline, but disappointed it is only a temporary plan. With his wealth, he could turn that property into Maine's version of Meadowbrook and put Greater Portland on the map for summer/fall shows with no need to venture over to New Hampshire or up to Bangor. I am sure the negative spin on building a permanent venue besides noise would be traffic issues due to the location not too accessible from the interstate. Though getting to Meadowbrook is painful!
 
Corey said:
Thanks for the heads up, Portlander. I'm genuinely impressed with the new Rite Aid design as well. Just the fact that they are putting the parking primarily behind the building and building right up to the sidewalk is enough to please me for that location. Whenever I'm around the Walgreens on Marginal Way (usually walking to Trader Joe's) I notice the windows are covered with photos of old-timey Walgreens locations that were in urban environments (in multi-story buildings with no parking lots) and find it disappointing how suburban that particular pharmacy is. The new Rite Aid isn't a beacon of architectural beauty, but it's designers are clearly aware that they are building it within a city.

A few highlights from the planning docs:

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I'm also impressed by the design and siting. The design is fairly conservative, but looks well done for a drugstore. The facade is much nicer, and the entrance much stronger, than you see on most stand-alone retail buildings. The siting, with the store up to the sidewalk and the parking to the site with ample trees, is equally good. I'm starting to see drugstores and other similar buildings sited up to the sidewalk in more towns and cities lately. Whether it's in a dense (or even only moderately dense) neighborhood or a village center, this sort of site design is a huge improvement over the norm. And it's in these settings that drugstores are often one of the biggest buildings, so it makes a big difference. Drugstores and other similar buildings aren't the most exciting projects, but the have a big impact on the surrounding area.

It kills me every time I go past this CVS near my grandmother's house in Manchester; it used to be a grocery store with an apartment above, built up to the street. Since the CVS was built a few years ago, the zoning has been changed to require buildings to be built up to the street; the area would have a much different feel if the siting of the drugstore here was more like the one proposed for Congress St.
 
FrankLloydMike said:
It kills me every time I go past this CVS near my grandmother's house in Manchester; it used to be a grocery store with an apartment above, built up to the street. Since the CVS was built a few years ago, the zoning has been changed to require buildings to be built up to the street; the area would have a much different feel if the siting of the drugstore here was more like the one proposed for Congress St.
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It's similar with the CVS in Westbrook, ME. They put the drive-thru pharmacy on the Main Street side, with the main entrance facing the parking lot behind the building.

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&...=OJp_Mq8KN4RAaxv6nXTrCw&cbp=12,199.53,,0,-0.2

So, instead of this building being a key to reviving the downtown of Westbrook, it only enhances it's position as a drive-thru to Gorham and Standish.
 
It's been revealed that two story structure is a new restaurant from Dana Street (Fore street/street & Company). Harding smith must want to cry
 
Are you talking about the new structure going up on Maine Wharf?
 
Correct, though it has been relaxed some. I am just not sure what "Dana Street" restaurant is relocating there, Street & Company is on Wharf Street? Vignola maybe?
 
No, the guy Dana Street. He owns Street&Company and Fore Street restaurant. Some people might think he'll recreate his Scales restaurant from the public market. Whatever it is it will be seafood based.
 
How funny, I thought you were screwing with me Grittys! Knew his last name was Street but had no clue his first name was Dana. Why he does not have a restaurant on Dana Street is beyond comprehension : )
 
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