PORTLAND — A proposed zoning change in Portland’s toniest neighborhood has city officials and city residents wondering which is more important: preserving a historic landmark or the neighborhood’s residential character?

At issue is the future of the Williston-West Church on Thomas Street in the city’s Western Promenade neighborhood.

Owner Frank Monsour, an Australian businessman, is seeking a zoning change that would allow up to 14 offices in the church’s attached parish house. He said he would lease the offices to his software company, Global Majella Technologies, at above-market rates, and use the extra money to pay for restoring the sanctuary, which would be used as a community hall for performances, weddings and other events.

At a Planning Board meeting Tuesday, residents appeared split on the issue, with those who live closest to the church voicing the strongest opposition.

Planning Board members also appeared divided, with some questioning whether the change from residential to business zoning would be consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan, which calls for protecting the residential nature of neighborhoods like the Western Promenade.

Planning Board member Joe Lewis said he’s tired of developers asking for special exceptions to the city’s zoning ordinance. He said that Monsour, who bought the property last year for $657,000, paid relatively little for a property in the city’s most exclusive neighborhood.

If he gets the zoning change, Monsour vows to make $260,000 in repairs to the sanctuary, including replacing the asphalt roof with a slate one, adding copper gutters and restoring the iron fence and stained-glass windows.

“For this we are supposed to bend over backwards?” Lewis asked.

But some planners said they were optimistic that the proposal could be adjusted to something neighbors could accept.

“I feel strongly that we could do better and get everyone on the same page and be happy,” said board Chairwoman Carol Morrissette, She described the impact of 14 offices on the neighborhood as “benign.”

The Planning Board did not take a vote. It will likely hold another workshop to discuss the proposal before holding a public hearing and making a recommendation to the City Council.

The sanctuary, built in 1877, was designed by Francis Fassett, a prominent architect. In 1904, John Calvin Stevens, Portland’s most famous architect, designed the approximately 11,000-square-foot parish house.

The sanctuary has been largely vacant since last summer when its congregation, Williston-West United Church of Christ, merged with another church and moved services to High Street.

At Tuesday’s meeting in the City Council chambers, so many came to testify that people had to find seats in the balcony.

Some residents, particularly those who live closest to the church, said they were concerned the project would add to neighborhood traffic and create parking problems.

Diane Worthington of Thomas Street said preserving residents’ quality of life is more important that preserving a building.

“Our hope is that the Planning Board in our city will not destroy a wonderful neighborhood for brick and mortar,” she said.

Other neighbors said they would rather see the parish house and sanctuary turned into apartments or condominiums.

Samuel May of Vaughan Street, however, said the zoning change would preserve a historic building. “It’s very important that you get it right and not fold under the demands of neighbors who are afraid of the future,” he said.

Carol Merrill of Spring Street said she moved to the West End in 2006 to experience city life but now finds she is living among people who demand protection from the urban experience. “The neighborhood will survive,” she said. “Without intervention, the church will surely not.”

 

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at: tbell@mainetoday.com

 

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