Advocating for the Bayside Neighborhood in Portland, Maine
Category: Relevant Developments
The Relevant Developments Team monitors and engages with proposed construction projects and planning initiatives that will shape Bayside’s future. The team closely follows major developments including Port Property’s massive 804-unit Bayside Master Development Plan, the proposed 3,300-seat music venue at Myrtle Street and Cumberland Avenue, Avesta’s 48-unit “housing first” project at the former Oxford Street shelter site, and childcare and housing projects throughout the neighborhood. By attending planning board meetings, organizing neighborhood meetings, and encouraging community members to submit public comments, the team ensures that Bayside voices are heard in decisions affecting housing, affordability, infrastructure, and the neighborhood’s evolving character. The team keeps residents informed about timelines, design details, and opportunities to participate in the planning process.
Wednesday afternoon the City of Portland hosted the first of two public feedback forums related to the Midtown Properties in Bayside. Members of the BNA Relevant Developments Team, including team lead Amelia LaBreck, vice-president Rob Sylvain, and treasurer Peter Markoe attended to make sure Bayside voices are heard throughout the process. The city also is soliciting feedback though an online survey, here: Midtown Project Community Survey
The next public forum is scheduled for April 29th at City Hall. (The session’s hours have been extended to accommodate more members of the public, and will now be held from 4pm – 7pm.) For more information visit the City of Portland Website. Click the link below for an overview of the BNA’s position on Midtown, or use the search tool to the right for some historical perspective.
Please take the survey and consider joining us at the next public session. Feel free to contact us with any questions or ideas at developments@baysideportland.org As always, we want to hear from you!
Calling all Baysiders! Now is the time to have our voices heard! In response to demands for public involvement before selling the Midtown Properties in Bayside, The City of Portland announced a comprehensive process for soliciting community input. Click here to access the City of Portland website for more information and to take the community survey
Community members are invited to share their ideas for how these sites should be used at upcoming public meetings and through an online survey. A summary of community feedback will be presented to the Council’s Housing & Economic Development Committee in May. Based on this input and subsequent Council guidance, marketing materials may be developed for further Committee review.
The Bayside Neighborhood Association has been working on this for decades, and was instrumental in producing the landmark New Vision for Bayside in January of 2000 as part of the city’s comprehensive plan. Still relevant today, it’s the centerpiece of the city’s supporting documents on Midtown. At the heart of the plan, as illustrated below, is a sequence of urban-density buildings lining the then-unrealized Bayside Trail, anchored by a central “public open space.” We respectfully request that the city honors that commitment to the public good by reserving a 125′ x 125′ piece of the property (about 1/10th of the total area) for a much needed public recreation area.
Today, we’re asking Baysiders and allies to affirm and amplify the board’s multiple entreaties to the council. Below are copies of the BNA’s official statements. Please feel free to refer to them when filling out the survey and/or writing to your city councillors. We also want to hear your ideas so please reach out to board@baysideportland.org and let us know what you think.
NBT Bank Opens a Branch in Bayside — and Invests in the Neighborhood.
On March 10th, NBT welcomed neighbors and community members to their new location at 191 Marginal Way for a ribbon cutting and branch tour, before continuing the celebration at Rising Tide Brewery. It was a warm, well-attended afternoon — and a nice way to mark the occasion.
We want to say a genuine thank you to NBT Bank for their $2,500 donation to the Bayside Neighborhood Association, made in conjunction with the opening of their new Bayside branch this month.
NBT’s decision to expand to Bayside is something we don’t take for granted. It reflects a belief in this neighborhood — in its residents, its businesses, and its future. And their contribution to the BNA shows that their interest in Bayside goes beyond opening a branch. They want to be part of the community.
That matters to us. The BNA exists to support and strengthen Bayside, and having partners who share that commitment makes that work more possible.
We’re glad NBT is here, and we look forward to what we can do together.
TO: Portland City Council FROM: Bayside Neighborhood Association DATE: February 9, 2026 SUBJECT: Midtown Properties
Dear Mayor and City Councilors,
The Bayside Neighborhood Association respectfully requests that the Council pause any decisions regarding which portions of the Midtown property will be sold. Given the significance of this property to the future of our community and the potential long-term impacts of its development, it is essential that we proceed thoughtfully and with comprehensive public input.
We believe that the lots may need to be sub-divided before going to market, to engender a more diverse set of possible outcomes for this extraordinary piece of land. A delay in the decision-making process would allow for deeper engagement with residents, stakeholders, and urban planning experts to ensure that the choices made for Midtown reflect the best interests of Portland now and for generations to come.
Thank you for considering this request and for your continued dedication to our city.
Sincerely, Thomas Blackburn, President Bayside Neighborhood Association
BNA Board of directors: Thomas Blackburn, 14 Hanover Street Robert Sylvain, 167 Falmouth Street Colette Bouchard, 18 Hanover Street Pete Markoe, 47 Hanover Street Susan McCloskey, 25 Parris Street Jim Hall, 47 Cedar Street Betsy Boyd, Portland Downtown
The Harvard Kennedy School of Government is calling all Baysiders to participate in a forum to discuss the impacts of climate change and attendant severe weather events in our community. We want to hear from you, and hope you’ll take time to gather with your neighbors to share our thoughts, concerns, and ideas on how to move forward together.
Please share and post this flyer widely. Here are translated flyers for speakers of other languages:
“Join us for an interactive, in-person community engagement session focused on stormwater, flooding, and climate impacts in Bayside. Over about 90 minutes, residents will work together around a large neighborhood map to identify valued community features, share past experiences with flooding using simple color markers and optional notes, and highlight what kinds of resources or support they have used, or might need, in future events. It’s an opportunity for residents to share their own experiences and contribute to supporting the future of Bayside.”
Team leads met April 7th to discuss communication, shared challenges, resources and goals. A decision was made to reboot the Baysider as an online publication, facilitated by the tech team.
Garden Team — Holly Picotte, lead — Susan McClosky, board liaison
We held the 2025 garden orientation on Saturday, May 3rd with a great turnout. We met several new plot holders and gardeners were exchanging ideas about what they were going to plant in their plots! The water access was discovered to be broken (pex coming from the shelter was snapped), but Stephen, one of our gardeners, volunteered to fix it which he did that day which is fantastic. Water was set to be turned on Monday, 5/5 by Port Property.
Development Developments Team — Amelia LaBreck, lead — Alex Landry, board liaison
The Franklin Street Redesign Project is in early planning stages at the city. Several Development Team members attended an open house to reboot the project at the Rines Auditorium on April 17th. The Live Nation Music Venue has had the question of traffic and parking feasibility is to be examined by the transportation committee. 89 Elm construction is underway, though currently is more of a void in the ground than a structure. 60 Elm has had an enlargement and redesign, being workshopped May 6th. The whole Reveler MDP is undergoing some changes to be announced. 72 Parris held a public meeting at the McGoldrick Center on April 14th which was attended by many BNA members and neighborhood voices.
BNA Citizens’ Trash Brigade — Megan Holt, lead — Rob Sylvain, board liaison
Thanks to all who turned out for another successful spring cleanup on Saturday April 17th. Special thanks to city arborist Mark Reilland for providing compost and mulch for the BNA Tree Team to spread on our new neighborhood trees. Many thanks to the generous Bayside Businesses that donated gift certificates: Leavitt & Sons Deli – Isa Bistro – Wilson County BBQ – Bayside Bowl – Two Fat Cats Bakery – Tally’s Kitchen – Maine Oyster Company
Tuesday April 22 Preble Street hosted another cleanup and BBQ which was attended by BNA board and team members. Just three days after the BNA cleanup, it was noted that trash had already accumulated again.
Saturday May 3rd Portland Parks Conservancy hosted a city-wide cleanup with Megan Holt acting as a hub captain at the Bayside Community Garden. The tree team continued mulching and the garden team met to clean up and prepare the garden for spring. Holly noted that Public works did not pick up the garbage bags the following day, causing a mess on Hall Ct. Jennifer Rogers had noted the same problem after the April 17th cleanup.
Caroline Fernandez from Preble Street has indicated interest in collaborating on monthly cleanups Friday afternoons. Next cleanup is scheduled for Friday
Tech Team — Joey Brunelle, lead — Jim Hall, board liaison
The Baysider newspaper is getting an online reboot. Submissions of news and photos from team leads are needed. Also looking for content from the community including editorials, reviews, events, photos, art, poetry, and prose of all sorts. Thanks to Special Collections Librarian & Archivist Abraham Schechter, the Portland Public Library’s has been digitizing their collection of The Baysider which lives in the Portland Room archive. The public can now access searchable pdf copies of many issues of The Baysider at the Portland Public Library Digital Commons website, and the BNA website.
Tree Team — Avery Kamilla, lead — Susan McClosky, board liaison
The BNA Tree Team has been active this spring working to grow our tree canopy and tend our existing trees. During the annual Spring Cleanup, neighbors mulched all the newly planted trees on Chestnut Street and many of the newly planted trees on the Bayside Trail.
The Tree Team is also working with the Portland Park Rangers to host the annual Tree Hugging event June 7. For the first time, it will be held in the Bayside Neighborhood on the Bayside Trail. At the Tree Hugging event, Portland’s lead Park Ranger and certified forest bathing expert Liz Collado will lead a forest bathing walk and encourage participants to envision the day when the young trees on the trail become mature, heritage trees with wide canopies.
Members of the Tree Team attended the recent Tree Talk given by Portland’s arborist Mark Reiland and hosted by the West End Neighborhood Association. Reiland discussed the new planting requirements that he has initiated for new trees that mandate much larger planting wells and a compost-rich soil. The disappointing news he delivered during the talk was that he does not expect to plant any trees in Bayside or East Bayside this year. Reiland said the reason why is because the city used all the viable planting locations during last year’s tree surge.
Members of the Tree Team also attended the recent Reimagining Franklin Street event hosted by the Planning Department at the Portland Public Library. The event was a chance for the public to offer feedback about what they like and don’t like about the current street. Tree Team members advocated for the need for more trees and parkland.
Tree Team member and Portland Protectors co-founder Avery Yale Kamila talked with city officials about the need to restore Lincoln Park to its original size and further expand it. Of particular concern is preserving the heritage oaks growing in the median between Congress and Middle streets.
The Bayside neighborhood’s only playground, the Stone Street Playground, is slated for a $400,000 upgrade this budget year. However, Reiland is concerned that a major revamp of the playground will kill the park’s trees. The BNA and the Tree Team are awaiting more information about the project. Any day now the cherry trees in the Stone Street Playground will unfurl their pink blooms.
Bayside Business Breakfast Club — Tom Blackburn, lead — Betsy Boyd, board liaison
Gathered on April 30 at Coffee Me Up, hosted by Alba Zakja. Topics included creating a Bayside business map, intra-team communication via whatsapp, mentorship program with ProsperityME, updating the business contact list, outreach to corporate entities, improvement district funding, ads for Baysider, lobbying city hall, promoting good news stories to the media, and delegating action items. Tom Blackburn has stepped up to lead the team. Next meeting will be at Jay York Photography, 58 Wilmot Street on Wednesday, May 28th, 8:30am
Welcome Team — Belinda Vemba, lead — Deb VanHoewyk, board liaison
The Welcome Committee has co-hosted its first event – the Samosa Social! On Thursday, April 3rd, the BNA and the Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center held an afternoon get-together at the IWC at 24 Preble Street in Bayside. The idea was to bring together various organizations, including the BNA, who serve our newly arrived neighbors who come to the IWC to learn English, access workforce and entrepreneurial programs, and navigate their way to citizenship.
Bayside neighbors and immigrants from all over the world made short work of the over 200 samosas donated by Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, along with other halal treats from Portland’s immigrant groceries and restaurants. Music and conversation were the order of the day, along with presentations by representatives from immigrant-serving organizations. Grace Mo-Phillips from Coastal Enterprises, Micky Bondo from In Her Presence, Bright Musuamba and Amen Mibaraka from Prosperity Maine, and Belinda Vemba from the Immigrant Welcome Center, all spoke about how their organizations help the community. City Councillor and Bayside resident Sarah Michniewicz was on hand not only to meet and listen to new neighbors, but also to help serve up samosas to the crowd.
The BNA formed the Welcome Committee to better connect with the various communities who comprise the very diverse population of Bayside – home to immigrants and faith groups, homeowners and renters, social service and education organizations. The Welcome Committee works to unite neighbors in making Bayside a more “welcoming” place. We’re hoping this event is the beginning of many enduring collaborations.
BAYsideBEEs — Deirdre Paul, lead — Rob Sylvain, board liaison
Working on an event calendar for the BNA website, highlighting performing arts and First Friday openings in Bayside. 82 Parris Gallery and Maine Clay Collaborative both had open houses on First Friday in May.
Student Liaison — Michael Marston, lead — Rob Sylvain, board liaison
Michael is working on a 3D model of Bayside, which should be complete by the end of the term. The mural project has been put on hold. John Wensman from Baxter Academy hopes to design a full-year project with a new student next fall.
Art Team — Carolyn Megan, lead — Betsy Boyd, board liaison
Still working on idea of painting of utility boxes. Looking for funding sources. Carolyn needs to be away most of May into mid-June and possibly into July. As such, the Art Team needs any new interested members/lead. Email Carolyn with questions and/or if you want more information.
Safe Streets Team — Bowman Brown, lead — Deb VanHoewyk, board liaison
The next meeting is scheduled for May 20 at 6 pm in the Steve Hirshon Community Room at Unity Village 24 Stone Street.Items to be addressed at the next meeting include better lighting; the group will work out how to create a list of all non-operating street lights, as well as key places where lighting could be improved, such as Portland Street – Bowman’s building is 34 Portland Street, and there are definite dark spots there. The Preble Street 295 underpass is another.
In February, the group discussed a “text buddy” system so people could text to get a buddy for walking together in unsafe situations. There were concerns about having personal numbers out there, but it seems as if WhatsApp could take care of the privacy issues. A number of people have already volunteered to participate via WhatsApp.
Pedestrian safety – hotspots are Portland Street, especially at the intersections with Parris and Hanover Streets. This is related to the lack of parking enforcement, which results in people parking every which way, making pedestrian pathways unpredictable.
Bowman distributed for discussion the New York Times article highlighting the increasing problem of Meth as opposed to fentanyl use in our neighborhood.
There was standing room only on January 27th at the Press Hotel where developers explained plans for a 3,300 seat Live-Nation music and entertainment venue. The new construction project proposed for the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Myrtle Street is in the planning board workshop phase, seeking board approval. Several folks in the arts and entertainment industry spoke in opposition to this venue for reasons including its size (trumping many smaller venues), the owner’s alleged history of monopolization tactics, and lack of a current market large enough to support an additional venue of this size. Some residents in Bayside are in favor of the concept and proposed execution of the project with regard to impact on the neighborhood. Others in Bayside expressed concerns over traffic congestion and the lack of adequate parking for residents here that is already a serious issue. Portland’s latest recode deems this project exempt from providing parking on site.
The BNA is committed to being a public clearinghouse of information about developments that affect our neighborhood, amplifying the voices of our neighbors, and facilitating a constructive dialogue to serve the greater good. To that end we’ll be following news and posting updates as this proposal goes through its paces with the planning board. Tell us what you think.
Lots going on in Bayside, and the BNA teams are rising to meet the moment. If you want to join a team, just send an email to any of the groups below, and a team lead will get back to you asap. If you have an idea for a team and want to get it started, we want to hear from you. Let’s do it!
Safe Streets Team Public Safety, Walkability, Infrastructure, Crime prevention
Student Group liason to Baxter Academy and Portland High School
Tech Team Website, Workspace, Social Media, Calendar, Newsletter, etc.
Tenants’ Team Renters’ perspectives are at the forefront of this team’s activity.
Tree Team overseeing planting and maintenance, trails and green spaces
The Tech Team is working on better communication pathways for the general membership, including mailchimp, which will allow us to send targeted email news and allow subscribers to tailor how they receive updates from various teams. We’re also now using google workspace to organize teams into google groups that can share files, calendar events, to-do lists, plus follow and archive conversations by topic within each team and between teams. Setting up the groups in a way that is simple to use but powerful enough to keep track of team tasks and communications, calendar events, shared files and important links has proven to be a challenge, but worthwhile. If you have experience and/or interest in admin tools please consider joining the tech team and helping us out.
Recent News
December’s Safe Streets Meeting was met with a strong response from the community and from the media. Troy Bennett from Bangor Daily News was in attendance and wrote this article about the effort and subsequently WCSH6 Newscenter Maine picked up the story as did WGME CBS13 shown below. The next Safe Streets Team meeting will be Tuesday, February 25th, 6:00pm in the Steve Hirshon Community Room at Unity Village, 24 Stone Street, Portland.
If you missed last month’s BNA Board meeting on zoom, you can view a recording of it here: BNA Board Meeting January 7 2025 See below for details on the next board meeting.
Upcoming Events
Saturday January 25, 11am BNA Citizens’ Trash Brigade Parris Street Block Walk
UPDATE: With the recent snowfall we’re pivoting to salt & sand for sidewalks on Parris Street, which has several spots that need attention. We’ll provide buckets of sand & salt from the city lot, shovels and a few ice choppers. If you have an ice chopper please bring it! We’ll warm up afterward at Wilson BBQ.
OP: We’re coming together for a short pickup party targeting Preble Street in particular, focusing on bits and butts that get overlooked during the Spring & Fall cleanup, and also to get eyes on the street to take stock of the pedestrian experience, flag infrastructure concerns, and to get to know each other. Afterward we’re planning to gather at Wilson BBQ to warm up, wind down, and plan for next month’s block walk. We’ll meet at 72 Parris Street and walk together. Trash bags and gloves provided.
Monday January 27, 6:00pm Portland Music Hall Presentation Composing Room @ Press Hotel 119 Exchange St, Portland, ME
The BNA Development Developments Team invites Baysiders to attend a public presentation by Portland Performance Ventures, LLC on their proposal for a 3,300-seat Live Nation music venue at the site of the old Press Herald printing press building across Myrtle Street from the Merrill Auditorium in Bayside. More information on the project is available on the city of portland website here: https://selfservice.portlandmaine.gov/
Wednesday January 29, 8:30am Bayside Business Breakfast Club Isa Bistro, 79 Portland St. Portland, ME
The Bayside Neighborhood Association is starting 2025 with a renewed commitment to connecting with diverse stakeholders and providing opportunities for community members to come together in pursuit of shared goals. To that end, we’re excited to present the first of what will be monthly events specifically for Bayside business owners to meet in an informal setting to meet, chat, and plan a better future for all Baysiders.
Mission Statement: “The Bayside Neighborhood Association (BNA) empowers the Bayside community by building meaningful partnerships that promote health, safety, green spaces, diversity, housing, and sustainable development for all who live, work, and play in this unique urban neighborhood.”
We need your help! Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the BNA, a 501c(3) non-profit organization. Contact Jim Hall, treasurer for more information at jim@baysideportland.org
Send your comments regarding the development to planningboard@portlandmaine.gov; send questions to zpowell@portlandmaine.gov, and let District 1 Councilor Anna Trevorrow know your thoughts – atrevorrow@portlandmaine.gov Updated plan details may be found here on the City portal.
Fast Facts:
• Implementation is proposed to occur in five phases. See Master Phasing Plan attachment here.
• Area of development: 13 parcels, 7 blocks, 7 new buildings
• New ground floor retail space: 28,500 sf; existing commercial space: 175,000 sf
• Number of units per building: 59 – 201
• Parking space requirements: 39 – 94 per building.
• Number of stories: 5 – 10 (three are 10 stories)
• Heights: 55′ to 105′
• Six of the seven buildings would span the entire length of the block
More Details
• Phase 1A calls for the construction of 201 units of affordable housing (on Elm Street between Oxford and Lancaster). New housing developments must rent 25% of the units as affordable housing. Port Property is proposing to build all 201 affordable units in one large block-long building.
• A woonerf/”linear park” is proposed on a public street (Lancaster Street from Elm to Preble), akin to the area of Lancaster between the restaurants at 82 Hanover Street and Port Property’s new apartment building under construction at 52 Hanover.
• No public green space is proposed beyond a small patch on the woonerf. NOTE: None of the areas marked in green on the map are public green spaces or parks, except for a portion of the Bayside Trail. Much of that area is privately owned and comprised of dirt lots intended to eventually be developed. The area northeast of Chestnut Street is owned by the City and is the likely future site of a parking garage.
*UPDATE 3/6/2023* While there is a requirement for “open space” there’s no stipulation that it be “green.”
*UPDATE 6/6/2023* Open space has been proposed which would include a large grassed oval.
• It’s unclear what would happen to the existing historic structures on lots where buildings are proposed. In the below architectural rendering they do not appear to be integrated into the concept design (the Two Fat Cats building on Lancaster; the north-west side of Oxford Street from Elm to Preble, etc).
*UPDATE 3/6/2023*Subsequent documents confirm that the Two Fat Cats building and all of the buildings on the north side of Oxford from Elm to Preble are slated to be demolished.
• No development is currently proposed in the area zoned R6 (from Chestnut to the midpoint between Cedar and Elm and from Lancaster to Oxford), which includes the Bayside Community Garden (run by the BNA), Oxford Street Shelter building, and eight private single family and multi-unit homes.* However:
– The Oxford Street Shelter building at 203 Oxford Street could potentially be demolished to create a construction staging area. This building dates to 1900 and was originally a two-family home.
– Port Property has said they intend to eventually build where the community garden now sits. Bayside is the only neighborhood without a permanent community garden supported by the City. There is no other open, accessible green space for blocks.
*UPDATE 3/6/2023* Subsequent documents confirm plans to develop parcels through the R6 zone surrounding existing single family and small multi-family homes.
