NR2Portland
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- May 18, 2022
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Nice progress on the medical building. I wish progress on everything else at Rock Row was as quick!
Page 15 of the pdf is a little unusual in that when showing off the “healing gardens” along I-95 (I’m assuming it’s not a respiratory illness someone is trying to overcome) the picture seems to indicate they’re going to reconfigure the Westbrook Arterial and I-95 to intersect at the same grade. I have a hard time believing this or that they’re going to be introducing crosswalks at that intersection but maybe I’m misinterpreting this picture.Follow-up: not only have they updated their website, they have released a new retail brochure (I linked to the landing page on their site, not the PDF itself). Lots of pretty pictures abound!
Speaking of malls, what is the plan for the Maine Mall, if there is any? I visited on a rainy day and it has a decent line-up of stores inside for an aging mall (The IT at Jordan's Furniture is pretty cool), but what is going on with that parking lot and out-parcels?! What a waste of opportunity. The acres of vacant parking lots is like building the church for Easter Sunday. It will never get fully utilized, the pavement is in horrible condition and with no streetscape at entry it gives a poor initial impression of the mall. And the growing vacancies of the surrounding out-parcels is noticeable. I know there have been on-going issues on valuation between the mall owners and South Portland, but have they looked at getting some residential in those parking lots or connected to the mall to generate activity, dining options, and more housing for the region with jobs and possible office right there and off an expanding interstate and next to the airport? I mean you could add a gym, Hannaford's is next door, a small food market (Aldi concept) put in some recreational trails and possible water feature.
Make it the dominant retail center in Northern New England and give it new life? Rock Row could eventually have a nice mix of retail, but I don't think its enough to replace the Maine Mall retail square footage. Is that true?
I think as the Portland region grows it could support 2 of these types of developments. Agree/disagree?
A couple of years ago, I saw something regarding the CDC needing to come up with 10-15000 sq ft locations nationwide for COVID vaccine centers. It struck me that this country is littered with hundreds of empty facilities that would fit the bill precisely: empty Sears stores! And AFAIK Sears owns most of their real estate (including the store at the Mall) so a temporary Spirit Hallowe'en- style lease would have worked admirably,The parking and satellite areas around the mall do need improvements and some substantial residential offerings have been completed recently on the perimeter road that you may have missed during your visit. I personally would like to see one of the local car dealerships think outside the box and convert the former Sears property into a large indoor showroom that is accessible from inside the mall and utilize the shuddered auto center as their own service and maintenance facility. The square footage could accommodate many vehicles and it would be climate controlled throughout the winter and dry and comfortable during rainy days and only a short walk to the food court!
Quarryside is perched on the edge of the massive, 400-foot-deep quarry at Rock Row. Olsson estimated that the event space at Quarryside stretches over 30,000 square feet, and will be able to host 1,000 people. The Quarryside space also includes a beer garden – run by Lone Pine Brewing Company – that can host about 300 people and features a 2,400-square-foot tent with picnic table seating inside.
Quarryside also includes a large stage for live music and a children’s playground. Olsson said the site will be open year-round....