Wednesday’s Portland Press Herald brought some unexpected good news. Florida developer Federated Cos. has redesigned and significantly scaled back its planned apartment project in Portland’s Bayside from 14 stories and 850 units to six stories and 440 units (“Developer agrees to lower high-rises in Portland’s ‘midtown’ project”).

The original proposal, uncritically approved by the city despite significant local opposition, called for four massive 165-foot towers that would have dwarfed Portland’s urban landscape and degraded our community environment.

The current six-story proposal seems much more in tune with Portland’s overall building fabric and seems much more likely to contribute positively not only to addressing our shortage of urban homes, but also to a vibrant, livable downtown community.

This welcome change in course came not as a result of the developer’s voluntary reflection and consideration of community concerns, nor as a result of regulatory guidance from Portland’s city officials (who still express a preference for the gargantuan version). It came about because a group of concerned Portland citizens “put their money where their mouths are” and challenged the city’s approval of the project in court.

Present and future residents and businesses on Portland’s peninsula can be grateful that these individuals held up the red flag and prevented the overly hasty implementation of a project that would have deformed and defaced our city.

We can also be grateful that the developer, rather than engage in a protracted legal battle, sensibly came to terms with the community’s needs and priorities and is now offering us a project that looks a lot more like something we can support and be proud of.

We hope that ongoing thoughtful dialogue among the developer, city officials and members of the community will guide this project to timely construction and completion.

Peter L. Murray

Portland

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