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Well I hope there's enough parking for everyone.  :rolleyes:

Isn't that land a bit too valuable to just make parking lots out of it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

no kidding, parking lots are the biggest and most useless developments. parking garages save so much space, and if designed correclt, add to the flavor of the whole structure. prime real estate land on the banks of the fore river should not go to waste!! oh well, this is portland, afterall.

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The new Mercy location may be surrounded by surface parking for now, but this is only the first phase of construction that will ultimately replace the old hospital site on State St., which has been hampered by its location in a historic, dense neighborhood (the West End). When that happens, not only will a lot of those parking lots be replaced by new hospital buildings, but several blocks in the West End will be opened up for new development.

This project is also getting help from road improvements in the area.

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I read something in the Southern Maine Forcaster today at work involving that guy who proposed those 50+ twin towers for South Portland a few years back. I guess he is getting public support now to build a "village" style townhouse area, a grocery store, and some other retail on the site. I'll keep my eyes peeled for more info.

Edited by CoreyPortlandME
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  • 2 weeks later...

050811westin.jpg

A new rendering of the Westin project on the east waterfront of Portland.

According to today's Press Herald, the Portland planning board unanimously approved a contract zone for the project that would allow greater heights and setbacks for the building. The proposal includes a 230 room hotel and 110 luxury condos.

The project architect designed two l-shaped buildings to preserve pedestrian access, and street-level retail space is included. 324 parking spaces will be underground, although the city's traffic consultant would like to see 360 spaces.

The project isn't asking for any city subsidies, and in fact, the city may ask the developers to contribute to local infrastructure improvements associated with various Ocean Gateway projects. The city also expects $5 million in annual tax benefits from the project, and 150 to 325 permanent jobs. The Jordans Meats plant that closed on this property earlier this year employed 270 people in manufacturing.

This project appears to all to the good: a mixed use development in the city center, another 110 units of housing downtown, and a definite financial benefit for the city. But I'm a little bit concerned about the gentrification of this part of the waterfront. Increasing property values in this area might jeopardize Portland's working waterfront, which is probably the most distinctive and attractive element of this city. If we keep on losing quality manufacturing jobs and water-related businesses on the waterfront in favor of luxury hotels and condos (who will be able to afford to buy these, besides people who spend most of their time elsewhere?), I'm concerned that Portland will lose a substantial part of its soul.

What do you think?

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I've been peeved for a while about the demands that the city places on these projects to provide "free" parking. Parking is never really free, of course: it takes up a lot of valuable space. In spite of this, Portland's traffic engineers continue to demand lots of it, in spite of the problems associated with bringing lots of cars into a downtown area.

Other cities are beginning to make parking lot owners charge the going market rate for their spaces. This is good economics, for one thing: halting the subsidization of parking will result in more efficient provision and distribution of parking spaces. For another thing, if people have to pay to park, they'll drive less, resulting in less congestion and air pollution, and more pedestrian traffic, and a livelier city.

Portland's downtown is extremely walkable. Even on the coldest winter day, one can walk from Longfellow Square all the way to the eastern waterfront with little trouble. So why does this area need so many parking garages?

I think that the best solution would be to build a big off-site garage (or garages) near I-295, with regular and reliable bus shuttle service connecting them to various centers on the peninsula. Keep people mobile, and stop burdening developers and business owners with autocratic (and out-of-date) parking requirements!

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I've been peeved for a while about the demands that the city places on these projects to provide "free" parking. Parking is never really free, of course: it takes up a lot of valuable space. In spite of this, Portland's traffic engineers continue to demand lots of it, in spite of the problems associated with bringing lots of cars into a downtown area.

Other cities are beginning to make parking lot owners charge the going market rate for their spaces. This is good economics, for one thing: halting the subsidization of parking will result in more efficient provision and distribution of parking spaces. For another thing, if people have to pay to park, they'll drive less, resulting in less congestion and air pollution, and more pedestrian traffic, and a livelier city.

Portland's downtown is extremely walkable. Even on the coldest winter day, one can walk from Longfellow Square all the way to the eastern waterfront with little trouble. So why does this area need so many parking garages?

I think that the best solution would be to build a big off-site garage (or garages) near I-295, with regular and reliable bus shuttle service connecting them to various centers on the peninsula. Keep people mobile, and stop burdening developers and business owners with autocratic (and out-of-date) parking requirements!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

good suggestions for the parking garage ideas....but i dont know if what you said about making the trip from LF square to the east end i strue, or even possible. not in the middle of winter anyway. youd have to be a far more brave man than me to attempt a journey like that...ooo, burrr, im getting shivers in 80 degree weather just imagining it...aaahhhh :blink:

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050811westin.jpg

A new rendering of the Westin project on the east waterfront of Portland.

According to today's Press Herald, the Portland planning board unanimously approved a contract zone for the project that would allow greater heights and setbacks for the building. The proposal includes a 230 room hotel and 110 luxury condos.

The project architect designed two l-shaped buildings to preserve pedestrian access, and street-level retail space is included. 324 parking spaces will be underground, although the city's traffic consultant would like to see 360 spaces.

The project isn't asking for any city subsidies, and in fact, the city may ask the developers to contribute to local infrastructure improvements associated with various Ocean Gateway projects. The city also expects $5 million in annual tax benefits from the project, and 150 to 325 permanent jobs. The Jordans Meats plant that closed on this property earlier this year employed 270 people in manufacturing.

This project appears to all to the good: a mixed use development in the city center, another 110 units of housing downtown, and a definite financial benefit for the city. But I'm a little bit concerned about the gentrification of this part of the waterfront. Increasing property values in this area might jeopardize Portland's working waterfront, which is probably the most distinctive and attractive element of this city. If we keep on losing quality manufacturing jobs and water-related businesses on the waterfront in favor of luxury hotels and condos (who will be able to afford to buy these, besides people who spend most of their time elsewhere?), I'm concerned that Portland will lose a substantial part of its soul.

What do you think?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

thanks for the update on the westin. i read todays paper and i guess i must have missed it. i know i am going to be in the minority here, but i dont like portlands working waterfront. i mean it is great and all, but i just cant stand all of the restrictions they have because of it. i think portland would benefit tremendously from having an aquarium down on the water (a real one, and not some research lab like there is now). maines biggest industry is not fishing, but tourism, so i think we should move all of the shipping business and fishing etc to the south portland side, or at least the majority of it, and let portland develop into the ritzy upper class city it is trying to. besides the character that would be lost would not be the character of portland, only one section of portland, that which the tourists associate with maine. the rest of the city is not composed of sailors and lobstermen. it is important to keep that stuff in the area, but i think south portland would be a better place for it now that portland is moving up the ranks from a blue collar industrial town to a yuppie mecca....

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GREAT NEWS! Way to go Westin! It's nice to see a project in Portland getting bigger, not smaller! As for the waterfront....it will always be there and protected.

Pvenne, I think the Waterview is breaking ground this fall.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i agree the waterfront will not move, but i was talkign in terms of my own fantasy portland, for lack of a better word, fantasy sounds a little odd, not exactly the rigth word, but whatever...

and that westin is nice looking, i just hope that it is noticable from the street and doesnt blend in too much...it doesnt quite look 10 stories, and going by the foot it is actually 9.5 stories....i hope it looks taller in real life...

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Well, corey, it looks like they will break ground in august as you said.

please forgive the links, I didnt have it in me to resize any more pics for the day, so the links are easier to view the larger pics.

picture one

picture two ("the site")

picture three

picture four

picture five (house partially demolished in the roof

the motion picture event of the summer ( a roof top being moved by truck off of the waterview site and coincidentally holding up someone interested in that sorta thing (me) in traffic while I happened to have my video cam)

video of the contruction team

Edited by pvenne
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Counting everything major, all in all, that was proposed for portland this year, I come up with the following number for my list of total new floors/stories in development: 77

Lincoln Center Office Complex: 17 floors (shot down).

Waterview Condominiums: 12 floors (its a go).

The Westin Portland: 10 floors (its a go).

Graves Hill: originally two 14 stories, but then scaled back to two 9 sotries -- 18 all in all (they're a go).

Some condo project planned for one of the peninsula churches: 8 floors (still in the planning process).

pearl Place: 8 floors ( its a go).

Maine Medical center Infant Care Unit addition: 4 floors (its a go).

and then all of the new parking garages, whatever is going on the village cafe site, the new condos on congress street (6-8 stories I believee, and they're a go too), and all of the minor development in bayside (3-5 story planned office buildings) have to be counted too, but this is a waste of time. Am I forgetting anything? What a good year it has been for portland (though Lincoln center would have made it perfect).

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havent heard much stir about this one, so in case anyone missed it over the winter:

"...The City Council voted 7-1 to grant a zoning change that would allow Saco developer Diane Doyle to construct 98 condos in two buildings at 802-828 Ocean Ave.

If approved, each nine-story building in the development, known as Graves Hill, would have 49 units..."

Graves Hill Condo Project

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It's great to see that work has begun. I don't know why they are preserving the roof......and not just ripping the old place apart. Whatever works....anyway, I think in one of the forum threads I mentioned something about Graves Hill. I really haven't heard much about it till now. It seems like the project stayed under the Nimby radar. 14 stories would have been nice...but 9 will do. Also, the project that is planned around or near a church is Chesnut Street Lofts, 8 stories.

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It's great to see that work has begun. I don't know why they are preserving the roof......and not just ripping the old place apart. Whatever works....anyway, I think in one of the forum threads I mentioned something about Graves Hill. I really haven't heard much about it till now. It seems like the project stayed under the Nimby radar. 14 stories would have been nice...but 9 will do. Also, the project that is planned around or near a church is Chesnut Street Lofts, 8 stories.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah thats the one i meant, good info.

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There was a big article on the Prsss Herald earlier this week about that house they are moving. I don't know if anyone had posted it or not. The house was there before that last big fire long ago and they are moving it a few streets over because it is condidered historical. I got a picture of the site today too while strolling around the peninsula randomly.

edit- That was indeed THE movie of the summer with half the house barelling down the road.

Edited by CoreyPortlandME
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edit- That was indeed THE movie of the summer with half the house barelling down the road.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

haha yep i was stuck in traffic by coincidence at just the right moment...and I just read an online archived version of the article you were talking about (the reservation of that house sounds pretty extensive).

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  • 4 weeks later...

Here's another proposed for the Bayside neighborhood, at the NW corner of Franklin Art. and Somerset, across from the proposed Whole Foods Market:

fox_Tower_Rendering.jpg

Nice rendering, but I couldn't find out anything about how serious the proposal is, whether it's been permitted, leased, etc. Cardente is listed as the real estate agent.

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