The Portland Planning Board unanimously endorsed a plan by a developer to build a ship maintenance and repair facility on West Commercial Street.Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
New Yard at Canal Landing received the approval to move forward for a facility at 40 West Commercial Street on Tuesday. The proposal was made by Phineas Sprague and Portland Yacht Services as an extension of their Fore Street yard that would serve as a primary repair facility.
"I'm very, very grateful to see this site is being developed with a water-related use," said board Chairwoman Carol Morrissette.
New Yard at Canal Landing will occupy a 22-acre site adjacent to the Casco Bay Bridge and the International Marine Terminal, according to Senior Planner Bill Needelman. He said a boat yard is a permitted use on the site, though conditional approval was needed for sales and storage.
Sprague said Portland Yacht Service will continue maintaining its marina and only move the maintenance and repair work to the West Commercial Street facility. He said he doesn't intend for the West Commercial Street facility to be used as a marina, and the only boats stored on site would be the ones under repair.
Stephen Bushey, of DeLuca Hoffman Associates, said the 22-acre lot will house both existing Unitil infrastructure and the new boat yard. Within the boat yard, he said, there are two primary buildings: the main operational building and the fabric tension maintenance building.
Along with the two main operation buildings, Bushey said, the site will house a small brokerage building, a new ramp close to the bridge, a travel lift basin, a ramp on the westerly end of the property and a series of rehabilitated docks and floats.
Bushey said the primary access to the site will be on the easterly end of the property in a right of way New Yard will share with the Maine Department of Transportation, while Unitil will continue using the access road.
The project received both praise and criticism from Portland residents during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Brackett Street resident Ashley Salisbury said there's concern in the neighborhood about the impact of the development on the view-shed from the hill. She said the buildings proposed are tall and obtrusive and could impact abutting property values.
"Is that appropriate architecture for this neighborhood?" she asked.
Brackett Street resident Meghan Phillips said she's concerned about the visual impact the fabric building will have on the abutting neighborhood. She said it's simply an enormous white building that will be an eyesore to residents.
Morrissette pointed out that since the city lacks design standards in the area of the project, the board has no jurisdiction over the appearance of the buildings in the boat yard.
Board member David Silk said the zoning that governs the waterfront area allows uses that could be much more intrusive than the boat yard and the board has little impact on what can be put there if it conforms with the city's regulations.
Robert Haines said he's pleased to see a waterfront industry develop on West Commercial Street rather than a retail development that would be better suited elsewhere in the city.
Joe Schmader, owner of Gowen Marine, said the New Yard proposal is precisely what the city has wanted to see developed on the western waterfront.
"I think it is greatly needed for Portland," he said, adding it's a great project for the waterfront.
•••
Earlier in the meeting, the board continued its review of a hotel that's being proposed for the corner of Commercial and Maple streets.
JB and Brown Sons are seeking approval to put a new development at 321 Commercial Street, located between Maple and the Baxter Place building. The development would primarily house a 131-room hotel — under the Courtyard by Marriott banner — with a restaurant and 14 residential units.
The development would have 28 parking spaces on site.
Clik here to view.
New Yard at Canal Landing received the approval to move forward for a facility at 40 West Commercial Street on Tuesday. The proposal was made by Phineas Sprague and Portland Yacht Services as an extension of their Fore Street yard that would serve as a primary repair facility.
"I'm very, very grateful to see this site is being developed with a water-related use," said board Chairwoman Carol Morrissette.
New Yard at Canal Landing will occupy a 22-acre site adjacent to the Casco Bay Bridge and the International Marine Terminal, according to Senior Planner Bill Needelman. He said a boat yard is a permitted use on the site, though conditional approval was needed for sales and storage.
Sprague said Portland Yacht Service will continue maintaining its marina and only move the maintenance and repair work to the West Commercial Street facility. He said he doesn't intend for the West Commercial Street facility to be used as a marina, and the only boats stored on site would be the ones under repair.
Stephen Bushey, of DeLuca Hoffman Associates, said the 22-acre lot will house both existing Unitil infrastructure and the new boat yard. Within the boat yard, he said, there are two primary buildings: the main operational building and the fabric tension maintenance building.
Along with the two main operation buildings, Bushey said, the site will house a small brokerage building, a new ramp close to the bridge, a travel lift basin, a ramp on the westerly end of the property and a series of rehabilitated docks and floats.
Bushey said the primary access to the site will be on the easterly end of the property in a right of way New Yard will share with the Maine Department of Transportation, while Unitil will continue using the access road.
The project received both praise and criticism from Portland residents during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Brackett Street resident Ashley Salisbury said there's concern in the neighborhood about the impact of the development on the view-shed from the hill. She said the buildings proposed are tall and obtrusive and could impact abutting property values.
"Is that appropriate architecture for this neighborhood?" she asked.
Brackett Street resident Meghan Phillips said she's concerned about the visual impact the fabric building will have on the abutting neighborhood. She said it's simply an enormous white building that will be an eyesore to residents.
Morrissette pointed out that since the city lacks design standards in the area of the project, the board has no jurisdiction over the appearance of the buildings in the boat yard.
Board member David Silk said the zoning that governs the waterfront area allows uses that could be much more intrusive than the boat yard and the board has little impact on what can be put there if it conforms with the city's regulations.
Robert Haines said he's pleased to see a waterfront industry develop on West Commercial Street rather than a retail development that would be better suited elsewhere in the city.
Joe Schmader, owner of Gowen Marine, said the New Yard proposal is precisely what the city has wanted to see developed on the western waterfront.
"I think it is greatly needed for Portland," he said, adding it's a great project for the waterfront.
•••
Earlier in the meeting, the board continued its review of a hotel that's being proposed for the corner of Commercial and Maple streets.
JB and Brown Sons are seeking approval to put a new development at 321 Commercial Street, located between Maple and the Baxter Place building. The development would primarily house a 131-room hotel — under the Courtyard by Marriott banner — with a restaurant and 14 residential units.
The development would have 28 parking spaces on site.
