Thank you to the Portland City Council for making the lives of folks who live on the peninsula just a tad more uncomfortable and difficult, especially during the coming winter months.

In the council’s wisdom, it has passed R6 zone changes that will increase density in the most dense part of the city; removed on-site parking mandates; and guaranteed that all our gardens will blossom only in the shade.

I do hope the council has a better plan for snowplowing and removal with all of the additional people parking on the street.

The removal of setbacks and the decrease in the minimum lot size from 4,500 square feet to 2,500 square feet will forever change the unique character of Munjoy Hill, and our quality of life will be diminished.

I know the Planning Board was asked if developers requested these changes. The answer was ambiguous at best.

I believe the pieces are being put in place to “upgrade” our neighborhood and gently push out those of us who cannot afford an increase in housing costs. This is the fault of a visionless City Council and Planning Board, whose only economic development plan is to wait for the next big developer.

Those of us who were born here, and those of us who got here as soon as we could, know we live in a special spot in a great city. Unfortunately, in the council’s rush to cash in on new development, it is destroying the very essence of what makes Portland special.

Anne M. Rand

Portland

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