The company that wants to develop a mixed-use complex on the city’s eastern waterfront presented its final set of plans to the Planning Board on Tuesday, but the presentation fell short of expectations, leaving many neighbors hungry for more details.

Several people who spoke at a hearing that followed the workshop presentation said plans for the project, which would be built on the site of the Portland Co. complex on Fore Street, don’t contain enough details about the types of commercial and residential uses. They also questioned the dimensions of the buildings, including their height, and the impact those buildings could have on the neighborhood’s most valuable resource – panoramic views of Portland harbor and the Casco Bay islands.

The developer, CPB2 LLC of Portland, said the level of detail Munjoy Hill residents are demanding is not available yet and won’t be until the city rezones the Fore Street property. All that CPB2 has promised so far is that none of the proposed buildings will rise higher than 35 feet above Fore Street.

“A project of this scale and magnitude is most certainly going to be built in phases,” said Jim Brady, one of CPB2’s owners. Brady said the build-out could take between 10 and 15 years to complete. “It is critical for us to get the underlying zoning in place. We need to gain the land use rights so that we have flexibility to develop the site as the market forces change.”

Tuesday’s meeting represented the first step in the rezoning process. The majority of Planning Board members indicated they will vote to support rezoning the site from a Waterfront Special Use Zone – which allows water-related uses only – to a B-6 Eastern Waterfront Mixed Zone and a B-6 Eastern Waterfront Port Zone. The current zoning designation does not permit residential uses, an option that Brady said his development team wants to be able to consider.

Stuart O’Brien, chairman of the Planning Board, said the board will host another public hearing – he did not set a date – before voting on the zone change. The board’s decision will come in the form of a recommendation to the Portland City Council.

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Many of the people who spoke Tuesday night said they are concerned about the impact the project will have on their water views, a cherished privilege of those who live on Munjoy Hill and the Eastern Promenade. However, many others said it’s a good thing that the Portland Co. site will be developed.

For years, the brick buildings that occupied the 10-acre site have served as warehouses, boat storage units, and a marina. The property is also home to the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad, the annual Portland Flower Show, and abuts the Eastern Promenade Trail, a popular walking, running and bicycle path. Brady revealed Tuesday night that his ownership group has been in talks with Portland Trails about the possibility of moving that path closer to the ocean’s edge.

“I’m very reticent to give up the views that I’ve enjoyed for so many years,” said Waterville Street resident Mike Connolly. “What is it that makes Portland unique? It is exactly this type of thing we are talking about, panoramic views of the ocean.”

Planning Board member Timothy Dean said he heard residents loud and clear – that they are concerned about the potential for “walls” of buildings blocking neighbors from the water.

“That’s a valid point that we need to consider,” Dean said.

“What is the obligation of the city in this matter, to keep the site exactly as it is now?” asked Planning Board member Bill Hall. “That is the big question. The fact is, that it is going to change.”

Phineas Sprague, the longtime owner of the Portland Co. complex, spoke at the hearing. He called the property “truly important” and urged the city to approve the zone change. Sprague praised CBP2 as a developer that will be sensitive to the needs of the Munjoy Hill community.

“I care an awful about this property and I’d hate to see it not become a future landmark,” Sprague said.


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