Portland, ME - New Construction Continued

And I guess he had second highest I'd on time & temp building

Look at the fortune he paid just to redo canal plaza with all that granite
 
Kind of wish he would have won the bid on the T&T Building because he would have done a first class renovation. I'm hopeful the new owner will do the same, you don't spend $9+ million and neglect your investment. The last time I talked to Tim, he was considering condos on the upper floors and hospitality on the lower. Would definitely add some serious pop to the skyline from the harbor if built even if it ends up being decreased in height to 12-16 stories!
 
Portlander said:
even if it ends up being decreased in height to 12-16 stories!
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That's my thinking on this - bid for 20 stories and when the NIMBYs lose their minds over unsubstantiated wind concerns and tall buildings potentially eating people, go for something in the 12-16 story range.
 
Dr. StrangeHat said:
That's my thinking on this - bid for 20 stories and when the NIMBYs lose their minds over unsubstantiated wind concerns and tall buildings potentially eating people, go for something in the 12-16 story range.
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This 20 story thing being a problem is silly. Franklin Towers is 17 stories high on the west side (16 on the east, of course). It is residential, so floor heights are smaller than office buildings. The Soley building will be condos and a hotel, a kind of mini, or one-third height of the 61 story Four Seasons going up in Boston's Back Bay now. This combination works well as full time residents have the services of a 24/7 hotel. The truth is the building will only be slightly taller than Franklin Towers. Of course, I can see the PPH article now. "Mainers aghast at the Manhattanization of Portland," The fact that we are even talking about this is embarrassing, really. It's why I now live and work in NYC. People don't get wigged out over something like this and there is no racism here (there are no "American black" people in Portland). However, I love going back home to Portland for the weekends -- Blyth & Burrows my fave. One day I'll retire in Portland, but only if the residents can get over an absolute freak-out of a 20 story building being built (an indicator of a much larger problem).
 
My main curiosity with this potential development still revolves around the lot size. By my measurements via Goggle Earth, a building with a similar footprint of One Monument Square will barely fit in the in the allotted space. So it will need to basically equal to the sides of One Canal Plaza but only around 2/3rds of it's width.

This could allow for extra wide sidewalk access on three sides of the structure and driveway width on the Fore Street side which I guess would serve as the main entrance. Not sure how you design a turn around with check in/valet/loading space to accomplish the needs of a building of this size. Maybe Fox Court can be redesigned as a one way road by removing the few parking spots on the left side. Would levels be added to the garage that he recently renovated with solar panels to accommodate the needs of hotel guests/condo owners?

The other interesting issue is that the base and main entrance of the structure (potentially Maine's tallest) would not be very visible from the street and kind of hidden by the garage and the backside of Exchange Street buildings. If it is built out at 20 floors the tower will be very noticeable from 295. You can barely make out the rooftop of One Canal Plaza from the interstate now due to the peninsula's downward slope towards the waterfront.
 
Well it will connect with garage so it sure if he want to build over it or add a facade like ocean gateway one
 
When this tower was initially reported on I recall Soley saying it'd have to be primarily residential to be financially feasible. With the massive amounts of condos being built in town and others in the pipeline I wonder if his thinking has changed.

I was over on India Street today and walked over to the Shipyard site, which is quickly being demolished. I wonder if the Marriott Residence Inn will suffer at all from the construction going on all around it. I imagine there are no more water views on the Fore Street side. That said, they'll probably benefit from the proximity of WEX and VFC business travel.

Also saw that the Verdante Condos site work is underway over by the Food Co-op.
 
Makes sense to start the condos on the 8th floor so that they have views of the ocean and points north and south. The first 7 floors would be the hotel with its 24/7 features. This configuration, hotel on bottom and condos in middle and top, is popular in tall luxury buildings in cities across the U.S. now. However, in Japan, or Tokyo, a 50 story building might have the hotel on the top with office at the bottom and middle. The views from that hotel lobby are stunning (Royal Park Shiodome). This is starting to happen in some U.S. buildings now. Makes sense, checking in with the lobby bar and giant windows. Boston has one like this (not as tall though) on the drawing board for Back Bay. Still confused as can be why Portland does not have a building on the waterfront with a harbor view on top. The Hyatt should of done that, going up one floor higher.
 
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^ Maybe because the Westin's "Top of the East" serves that purpose and has name recognition that goes back decades. But I agree that a another rooftop lounge/restaurant a little closer to the water would be a nice addition to downtown.
 
Couple recent photos to share...

The new streetwall along Thames Street:

Tp1c69G.jpg


Parris Terraces in Bayside

C11q4Eo.jpg
 
Max said:
Moving forward and perhaps taking a few twists and turns. Several mockups of a proposed first office building towards the bottom of this historic preservation board document:

https://portlandme.civicclerk.com/web/UserControls/DocPreview.aspx?p=1&aoid=182
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Yes, nice to see something happening and unfortunate the much better proposal with Jim Brady is dead. My concern would be for the area dynamic, the long 4 story office building, which adds to the long 4/3 story WEX building, that it will, in effect, create substantial low energy around it, appearing and performing like an office park. What makes Portland's waterfront so dynamic is lots of people and places, 24/7. As we know about office parks, once 6pm rolls around, a ghost town, for the most part. If the office space was made taller, 20-25 stories, and thinner, the public space below would function better, as long as the buildings were interesting to look at (not "ugly" like most in Portland describe anything new that is built). Imagine all NYC office space laid out in 4 story buildings. It would stretch to Tacoma.
 
^ I don't think that the original proposal is dead by any means; this 4-story office building was always part of that plan. See:

https://www.portlandforeside.com/blocks/

There PB application here still references the original master development plan approved by the planning board when Brady was involved; and that plan is still what's being marketed by commercial brokers. This looks to me like it's just the first phase of the buildout.
 
cneal said:
^ I don't think that the original proposal is dead by any means; this 4-story office building was always part of that plan. See:

https://www.portlandforeside.com/blocks/

There PB application here still references the original master development plan approved by the planning board when Brady was involved; and that plan is still what's being marketed by commercial brokers. This looks to me like it's just the first phase of the buildout.
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Without Brady, who had the vision, experience, and connections (outside Maine), not likely this will amount to anything near its original scope, which was estimated to be at $400 million. Not happening.
 
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Fills up that parking lot on Commercial Street and will give downtown Portland 14 hotels once the Loft and Home 2 projects get completed. Noticed the other buildings in the drawing also, could be more announcements down the road. Am glad to see that end of the waterfront getting some love, wonder when the Rufus Deering site is going to break ground? They better get going before the fisherman anti development group goes to court in an attempt to halt everything on both sides of the street!
 
Portlander said:
Fills up that parking lot on Commercial Street and will give downtown Portland 14 hotels once the Loft and Home 2 projects get completed. Noticed the other buildings in the drawing also, could be more announcements down the road. Am glad to see that end of the waterfront getting some love, wonder when the Rufus Deering site is going to break ground? They better get going before the fisherman anti development group goes to court in an attempt to halt everything on both sides of the street!
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I also noticed those buildings mocked up behind this proposed hotel on Center Street. My guess it was more of an artistic flourish rather than insight into any future development, but it was interesting nonetheless.

The Hobson's Landing team is definitely going full steam ahead with marketing. They've got a front page ad each Sunday in the Real Estate section, and I noticed they've done some updates to their website:

http://www.hobsonslanding.com/
 
Lets get some shovels and wheelbarrows on the site and start digging the foundation for them Max!
 
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