Roux Institute Campus Development | Portland

Here we go again (Maine Voices in today's PPH). Another provincial minded Mainer warning about how Roux will ruin life in Portland. To paraphrase, as one comment suggests, if it does offer upscale housing, hotels, restaurants, bars, why would others, or non-students, want to stay, live or come here? It's off peninsula and next to busy 295. It's disguised xenophobia. Fear of change. Fear of progress. Roux is simply providing a better environment for its students, of whom are older (over 21). I still don't like this location. They should have built some hi-rises in Bayside. Somehow. Why are we fighting over a school that will help Maine FAR more than hurt it?

Maine Voices: Roux campus risks being a Trojan horse for development
Northeastern University’s Roux Institute needs a permanent home in Portland. Does it need an adjacent hotel, stores, bars and restaurants? I’d argue no.
 
Last edited:
If we look at the fine print, Lives in New England part of the time and Haiti the rest of the time with his family. Now it says he is from Falmouth. Why does it matter to someone in Falmouth what Portland does? I bet he lives on the foreside and has his yacht next to the Bean Plant? Is that why he is so pissed off, I am sorry that Roux is not MIT, Stanford, and Harvard. Northeastern must have crossed a hair for this guy and was not included? All I can hear is this guy pouting because maybe we might have something better than the Ivy schools?
 
lunardinosaur said:
Yikes... venturing into the comments section of the PPH always leaves me feeling like my brain is melting.
Click to expand...
True. Thank God for sensible comments like this...

Untitled 464.jpg
 
For those that don't have a MaineBiz sub, info about the startups can be found here.
 
Jeez... It looks like it's part of the bay. For a school that has yet to have broken ground, a school for the future, why would they want to deal with the imminent effects of rising coastal waters?
 
Got a crazy idea plan. But maybe not so crazy. In light of the location of the new Roux seemingly underwater, and then there's that looming coastal waters rising thing due to imminent ice polar cap ice melting, maybe they do some kind of a deal with Port Property that has bought all that real estate in Bayside? Columbia and NYU or Boston University or Northeastern have no problems thriving in the middle of congested large cities. In fact, it's why they do thrive. Port Property as a name, or brand, is now in the national headlines if it does. It's an ego stroke for them. And now Roux doesn't have to worry about their neighbors telling them what and what not to build. Also, a much, much cheaper build and shorter timeline as the hotels and restaurants and bars they need are nearby. New ones could be built too, without their money, because it's the peninsula, where everyone wants to be. And what new high tech centered school wants to restore an old factory building that sits front and center as the beacon of hope for the future? It doesn't make sense as a metaphor. They should rethink this. They could do a land swap with Port Property, and the latter could then build senior housing (with higher foundations, of course) on the B&M lot along with restoring the old factory building for the immediate neighbors to live in and admire. I'm serious. It's now a win/win. The neighbors would be happy, or happier, and Roux would be happy not having a neighborhood of older people who have no bearing on the future in presence telling them what to do. Plausible?
 
Last edited:
TC_zoid said:
Got a crazy idea plan. But maybe not so crazy. In light of the location of the new Roux seemingly underwater, and then there's that looming coastal waters rising thing due to imminent ice polar cap ice melting, maybe they do some kind of a deal with Port Property that has bought all that real estate in Bayside? Columbia and NYU or Boston University or Northeastern have no problems thriving in the middle of congested large cities. In fact, it's why they do thrive. Port Property as a name, or brand, is now in the national headlines if it does. It's an ego stroke for them. And now Roux doesn't have to worry about their neighbors telling them what and what not to build. Also, a much, much cheaper build and shorter timeline as the hotels and restaurants and bars they need are nearby. New ones could be built too, without their money, because it's the peninsula, where everyone wants to be. And what new high tech centered school wants to restore an old factory building that sits front and center as the beacon of hope for the future? It doesn't make sense as a metaphor. They should rethink this. They could do a land swap with Port Property, and the latter could then build senior housing (with higher foundations, of course) on the B&M lot along with restoring the old factory building for the immediate neighbors to live in and admire. I'm serious. It's now a win/win. The neighbors would be happy, or happier, and Roux would be happy not having a neighborhood of older people who have no bearing on the future in presence telling them what to do. Plausible?
Click to expand...
I had said this earlier - maybe Port Property will do a land swap deal with Roux
 
The basic mistake they are making is not fully understanding that these are not undergrad college students, and so they have different requirements. They are post graduate, so 22 and above, and in many or even most cases, even older than that as its supplemental education for their jobs or business. There is no walking anywhere with Roux. By boat? Doubt it. No one will be walking or biking across busy Tukey's Bridge in the winter. That would be crazy. The middle of Bayside is shaping up to be a real go-to social scene. It's there now. And sometimes you don't want to eat the cafeteria food, and instead opt for Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Roux is supposed to be an "intelligent institution" but here they are failing in understanding that people out of college, or under 40 (or even 50) want to stay, study, and socialize in the middle of a dynamic place with dozens of options. The bean factory area is not that. The opposite.
 
IDEALS has invested far too much time, effort and money into their Master Plan and institutional zoning for the B&M site...They've done millions of dollars worth of traffic studies, geotechnical and stormwater surveys, community events, buildout timelines, renderings, planning applications.... Starting from scratch at this point could doom the whole venture. For better or worse...they're at the bean factory.
 
Last edited:
Cosakita18 said:
IDEALS has invested far too much time, effort and money into their Master Plan and institutional zoning for the B&M site...They've done millions of dollars worth of traffic studies, geotechnical and stormwater surveys, community events, buildout timelines, renderings, planning applications.... Starting from scratch at this point could doom the whole venture. For better or worse...they're at the bean factory.
Click to expand...

For worse.

Someone send flooded bean factory pictures from the last storm to the money people. I don't think that they will like what they see.
 
With the planned trail connection under the bridge, the bean factory site is like a 10 min walk to stuff in East Bayside, Washington Ave, close to the Eastern Prom, etc. Even shorter if you hop on a bike. I walk that way over the bridge all the time, it's not that far.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GIL
Yes, Roux has spent money, resources, and time on this. I've worked with or around several notable companies with campaigns and from the get-go it's assumed that some will fail, and they do, and they then have to write off millions. It's normal in business to fail in such a grandiose way. It's then how you move forward from there. For Portland, it's somewhat all about the peninsula, or if the users find that rewarding--and they do in this case. It's why the current Roux has been a resounding success. If you look at their social media, the participants are having an immeasurable experience studying and socializing in the area. And face it: Roux students are older (22 and up into their 40s) and will not be content living in a de facto dorm outside the peninsula with de facto dorm food. Building a sufficient number of restaurants and hotels in their immediate area is not going to happen. How can it? It's surrounded by houses, water, and 295. Harvard and MIT and B.U. thrive because of the immediacy of a dynamic Boston. Those schools blend into their surroundings. Half-a-dozen new Roux buildings (and tall) located within close proximity in Bayside would create a unique energy for Portland. The bean site might as well be next to the Maine Mall. It's why WEX left and is thriving from retaining workers and attracting new ones.
 
Last edited:
Cosakita18 said:
IDEALS has invested far too much time, effort and money into their Master Plan and institutional zoning for the B&M site...They've done millions of dollars worth of traffic studies, geotechnical and stormwater surveys, community events, buildout timelines, renderings, planning applications.... Starting from scratch at this point could doom the whole venture. For better or worse...they're at the bean factory.
Click to expand...

Never was a more apt example of the "sunk cost fallacy" than plowing ahead with a proposal for a site that's literally sinking under the rising seas.

Speaking of those traffic studies – they're making a pretty ironic assumption that most people are going to avoid transit to drive to this site – in other words, they're assuming that Portland and Maine at large will not meet their climate goals, and that this site will be underwater even sooner.
 
They could fit two towers to replace the old veteran's clinic buildings. One could be the "dorms" and the other, classroom, research, and a large assembly space. Yes, they would have to be taller, perhaps 25 stories, with a sky bridge to the existing building (and WEX). This area is becoming *over developed with low rise buildings*. It would certainly add some dynamism, not to mention the existing hotels (5) and restaurants and bars and the UofM law school and graduate center, the proposed Maine Broadcasting Center, etc., etc., etc., are within easy walking distance. This now becomes a de facto campus and perhaps rivaling what is experienced in Boston. The bean lot will be underwhelming in many respects. I think I'm going to submit an editorial on this for the PPH. Thoughts?


Untitled 499.jpg
Untitled 500.jpg
 
TC_zoid said:
They could fit two towers to replace the old veteran's clinic buildings. One could be the "dorms" and the other, classroom, research, and a large assembly space. Yes, they would have to be taller, perhaps 25 stories, with a sky bridge to the existing building (and WEX). This area is becoming *over developed with low rise buildings*. It would certainly add some dynamism, not to mention the existing hotels (5) and restaurants and bars and the UofM law school and graduate center, the proposed Maine Broadcasting Center, etc., etc., etc., are within easy walking distance. This now becomes a de facto campus and perhaps rivaling what is experienced in Boston. The bean lot will be underwhelming in many respects. I think I'm going to submit an editorial on this for the PPH. Thoughts?


View attachment 32637View attachment 32638
Click to expand...
...and there's that triangle on the other side of the Sun Life building near Fore St. I know there was a loose plan for that, but maybe that could be worked in if more space is needed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top