The Portland Planning Board unanimously approved a major development on the city’s eastern waterfront late Tuesday night.
Planners heard a handful of comments – mostly supporting the project – before approving the Level III Site Plan and Subdivision permit for Phase 1 of 58 Fore Street, a mixed-used development that will be built on the site of the former Portland Co. railroad factory.
Portland Foreside Development Company will redevelop the 10-acre site off Fore Street, which will include 442,500 square feet of mixed-used development that will comprise 14 units of housing; more than 110,000 square feet of offices; 49,500 square feet of retail, service and restaurant space; and 17,900 square feet of event space. The development also will feature a parking garage with more than 700 spaces.
Portland Foreside said it hopes to have the spaces occupied by no later than the spring of 2022. The project was first proposed about five years ago, and has undergone a number of meetings with Munjoy Hill residents and various city boards, including the Historic Preservation Commission.
“Even though it is going to bring change, it’s exciting to see something that was envisioned some 20 odd years ago finally coming to fruition,” planning board member David Silk said, referring to Portland’s Comprehensive Plan. “A lot of hard work went into creating such a good project.”
Planning board Chairman Sean Dundon hopes the city and developer can come to terms on future phases of the development and find ways to place utilities underground. That effort could preserve view sheds of Portland Harbor for Munjoy Hill residents.
““I live up the hill on one of those view corridors on St. Lawrence Street and I live for looking at that view of the water coming down the hill, and right now I have a panorama of the whole harbor coming down Fore Street,” said Maggy Wolf, a Munjoy Hill resident who rents an apartment on St. Lawrence Street.
Note: This article updated at about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, the comments made by Maggy Wolf.
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