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.

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.