USM | Portland

markhb said:
The Phase I buildings - the dorms, the lawn and the new student center, essentially those items shown in the first post in this topic - are officially open!
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That's good. What's going on outside the south wall of the dorm? (from what I can see on the webcam) Are they putting in pavers or a cement walkway? Also, are they putting in giant planters, and the cuts into the cement partitions, are those for a set of bleachers? That would make sense as it's a thing now, a place for people to sit and eat and gaze out. One was built in the Seaport District in Boston, near the ICA. Times Square in NYC has one too.
 
USM on the rise... They are moving the little house to a new foundation to make more room for the arts center build. I think the last projected amount for this project was $55 million? I'm expecting something closer to 60 or even more. And all this for an undersized performance space and a place to exhibit "book art".

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Portlander said:
Excellent photos Corey and what a transformation at USM, it's beginning to look like a real college campus!
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Not until you get some protestors with signs and the police stop it all with tear gas! (Lol)
 
Love all the bike parking, but those hanging racks are really suboptimal.
 
Are they building something in front of the parking garage (dirt patch), or did they just re-grade the lawn?
 
DanielPWM19 said:
Are they building something in front of the parking garage (dirt patch), or did they just re-grade the lawn?
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I think that is to be used for a small structure, or according to the master plan. But they are probably going to hold back a bit on building anything else for a while. Enrollment keeps going down though the USM Portland footprint keeps going up!
 
it's marked as having room for a 50,000 sq ft building in the master plan, but in the "later development" phase. (Anchor Sites 1 and 2 were intended for a Professional Graduate Center and the Center for the Arts).

Regarding the Professional Graduate Center, the plan says:
Graduate Center for Professional Studies— A new Graduate Center is anticipated to accommodate and integrate three primary programs: the University of Maine School of Law, a University of Maine MBA Program and possibly the Muskie School of Public Service. It is anticipated that the new facility will be in the range of approximately 160,000 gross square feet with a footprint of approximately 38,000-45,000 gross square feet.
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But now I wonder if the former CIEE building downtown is filling that need without requiring additional construction.
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That master plan is now all messed up due to how new structures have been expanded or positioned (the new parking garage and arts center).
 
Interesting Update ...

USM appears to be selling some of their properties on Chamberlain Street. These are some of the houses they've used for Administrative Offices. Perhaps with the new Student Center and other shifts, they're consolidating these offices more on-campus. In prior years, there had been thought (concern) that USM would raze some of their ancillary buildings (particularly on Bedford). Given the current real estate market, I suppose this would be a good way to raise some capital.

5 Chamberlain MLS #1579119 $579k
11 Chamberlain MLS #1579140 $599k
15 Chamberlain MLS #1579143 $639k
19 Chamberlain MLS #1579111 $629K
205 Deering MLS #1579105 $549K
Almost $3M

Not sure if other properties in this area will become listed as well.
 
DanielPWM19 said:
Interesting Update ...

USM appears to be selling some of their properties on Chamberlain Street. These are some of the houses they've used for Administrative Offices. Perhaps with the new Student Center and other shifts, they're consolidating these offices more on-campus. In prior years, there had been thought (concern) that USM would raze some of their ancillary buildings (particularly on Bedford). Given the current real estate market, I suppose this would be a good way to raise some capital.

5 Chamberlain MLS #1579119 $579k
11 Chamberlain MLS #1579140 $599k
15 Chamberlain MLS #1579143 $639k
19 Chamberlain MLS #1579111 $629K
205 Deering MLS #1579105 $549K
Almost $3M

Not sure if other properties in this area will become listed as well.
Click to expand...
If I had the money, I would buy all of these as fixer uppers. They would then more than double in price in a few years. USM will keep growing (needing more housing), nearby West Bayside will keep growing, and Portland will keep growing.
 
DanielPWM19 said:
Interesting Update ...

USM appears to be selling some of their properties on Chamberlain Street. These are some of the houses they've used for Administrative Offices. Perhaps with the new Student Center and other shifts, they're consolidating these offices more on-campus. In prior years, there had been thought (concern) that USM would raze some of their ancillary buildings (particularly on Bedford). Given the current real estate market, I suppose this would be a good way to raise some capital.

5 Chamberlain MLS #1579119 $579k
11 Chamberlain MLS #1579140 $599k
15 Chamberlain MLS #1579143 $639k
19 Chamberlain MLS #1579111 $629K
205 Deering MLS #1579105 $549K
Almost $3M

Not sure if other properties in this area will become listed as well.
Click to expand...
These properties should be sold as "needs to be relocated" to free up future space if USM is going to get serious about being a true urban university. Next to go - Oakhurst.
 
PlantArch said:
These properties should be sold as "needs to be relocated" to free up future space if USM is going to get serious about being a true urban university. Next to go - Oakhurst.
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I often thought that USM should auction off the buildings on Bedford Street so they could be relocated. There had been talk about "closing" Bedford street to traffic.

With Chamberlain and Washburn Ave's abutting I:295, I could see USM acquiring all of that land to develop and have added visibility. Portland would also do well to reconfigure the "clover-leaf" exits to free up real estate for development. There's a lot of redundancy and wasted space.

I'd personally prefer USM to take over the entire block between Durham Street and Forest Ave (Oakhurst, former PierOne etc) and become boulevard-facing with an anchor building.

I'd also love for USM to expand to the other side of Forest Ave. Perhaps replace the whole Palmer Spring building with housing, then renovate the other two taller buildings into housing or offices. Demolish the Portland Housing Authority building (i know this sounds ironic) for a little pocket park or housing. And develop all of the land/parking lots behind those buildings up to the little league field/Preble Street. I'm aware some of the buildings toward the intersection of Preble/Forest were deemed historic (Forest Gardens, etc). That's fine, but I'm sure any kind of renovations, development, etc would bring in some really great businesses here that students would frequent.

They should also acquire the land behind the Bier Cellar etc between Hannaford.

Now THAT would be a campus.
 
I like that "Envelope mockup" in the second PDF. The building already makes its presence known as you approach near the railroad tracks on Brighton, so I'll be happy to see something other than the concrete walls there now.

The woodwork shown in the performance space reminds me of one of the spaces at Gordon College, where my goddaughter studied music education.
 
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