The Bayside Neighborhood Association has a long history of advocating for smart development at the city level, and by proactively engaging with developers and urban planners, focusing on our key mission of promoting health, safety, green spaces, diversity, housing, and sustainable development throughout the city. The BNA has successfully set a place at the table for residents and stakeholders to have their voices heard and concerns addressed both at city hall and the statehouse. Below are links to specific projects that the BNA are actively watching, along with some important issues and historical context to consider. If you would like to join our Relevant Developments Team or have an idea or concern you like us to pay attention to, please reach out on the contacts page and let us know.
https://baysideportland.org/news-and-events/port-property-bayside-development-plan/
Posts in Relevant Developments:
Neighborhood Meeting Dec 1st
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.”
PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT:
BNA Development Team shows up for proposed music hall presentation
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.
More information on the project is available on the city of portland website here: https://selfservice.portlandmaine.gov/
Here is a Portland Press Herald article on the project: https://www.pressherald.com/2024/12/20/developers-propose-new-3300-seat-music-venue-in-downtown-portland/
This post will be updated as new information is available.
April 1, 2025 Update: The BNA board approved the following statement regarding the development:
Mid-month Update
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!
- Business Breakfast Club meeting monthly to promote Bayside business collaboration
- Community Garden Team growing the neighborhood since 2001
- Citizens’ Trash Brigade in charge of Fall & Spring cleanups and monthly walk the block brigade
- BAYsideBEEs Volunteer Action Team adding fun to every BNA event
- Development Developments Team following proposals to the city planning board
- Public Art Team creating and promoting visual arts
- 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.
RSVP here to get an invitation: Bayside Breakfast Club Signup
Next BNA Board Meeting: Tuesday, February 4, 2025 6:00pm in the Steve Hirshon Community Room at Unity Village, 24 Stone Street. Open to the public. Please email info@baysideportland.org for more information. Check our community calendar often for updates and more events.
http://www.baysideportland.org
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
Port Property’s Bayside Development Master Plan: Overview
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
• Housing units: 201 affordable and 603 market rate (total 804)*
• 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.
6/14/2023
Last night, June 13, the planning board approved both Port Property’s Bayside Master Development Plan and their proposed major site plan to convert most of 511 Congress Street from office space to housing*. The only conditions on the approval of the Bayside MDP were related to standard department processes such as pre-permit requirements.
The board discussed some of the differences between a master development plan and a site plan, and what can and can’t be changed once a master plan is approved.
It was noted that the footprint and height of the proposed buildings could get smaller but not larger without Port Property seeking a major amendment, and that building designs may change as each phase and sub-phase moves forward.
Other topics:
- Affordable housing segregation Community members voiced concerns about the current plan to segregate all the low income renters into one block-long building at 89 Elm. One planning board member felt the design for 89 Elm was wrong and said she would fight for it to be two buildings.
- Trees In response to concerns about Port Property’s plan to remove and replace almost all of the existing trees in the nine acre project area, the board confirmed that all proposed tree removals must be approved by the Parks and Recreation department.
- Neighborhood residents expressed a hope that Port Property will be responsive to community feedback during the decade-long construction of the project. Though the planning board cannot require a neighborhood advisory panel, they noted the community’s request and suggested to the Port Property team it will be easier to get their future site plan approvals if the community is on board.
A recording of the meeting may be found here. Discussion of the 511 Congress project is first and the Bayside MDP discussion starts at the 2:09 mark. A Portland Press Herald article is here and a News Center Maine report is here.
* Like the 804 proposed Bayside units, the 107 apartments at 511 Congress will consist mostly of 1 BR & studio units with no parking included.
6/6/2023
PUBLIC HEARING & POSSIBLE VOTE ON PORT PROPERTY’S BAYSIDE MASTER DEVELOPMENT PLAN
WHEN: Tuesday June 13, 5:30 PM
WHERE: Via Zoom (go here and click on Agenda to find the meeting link and info on giving public comment)
The Planning Board will take public comment and possibly vote whether to approve Port Property’s proposal to re-develop several blocks of the Bayside neighborhood. The plan calls for 804 apartments in seven buildings from five to ten stories. Twenty-five per cent of the units must be affordable to tenants making up to 60% of the area median income.
As proposed, six buildings are reserved for 603 market rate units & a separate building will contain the 201 affordable units. The plan also proposes ground-floor retail, tenant parking in an off-site garage, open space, and a “woonerf” (shared street). For full details on the plan go here. The most recent documents were uploaded on 6/2/2023.
Share your thoughts by sending comments and questions to planningboard@portlandmaine.gov ASAP so the Planning Board has time to review. Reference Port Property’s Bayside Master Development Plan PL-002315-2022 in the subject line.
You can also speak for up to three minutes at the meeting.
Note – The first item on the agenda for this meeting is a public hearing for another Port Property project (under Tom Watson & Co.) that proposes to convert office space at 511 Congress Street into 107 housing units.
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