Portland jetport pitches parking expansion plan for city, state review

The Portland International Jetport has scaled back its plan to expand long-term surface parking near a Stroudwater neighborhood to ensure the $8 million project moves forward as soon as possible, but residents near Maine’s largest airport might not be satisfied with the amended proposal.

That’s because jetport officials say the wooded area near the neighborhood – which residents railed against including in the parking project – is zoned for Airport Business use and could be developed in the future. There’s also lingering concern about wetlands in the area and how the project has been handled overall.

For now, however, the jetport has submitted plans to city and state agencies for a 684-space parking area meant to address mounting demand for long-term parking. The new lot would be built near the existing parking garage on several parcels south of Jetport Boulevard. The plans show no parking north of the boulevard or adjacent to homes on Cobb Avenue.

“We didn’t want to hold up the project any longer,” said Paul Bradbury, airport director. “We’re working on what’s most critical, because we need more long-term parking now. We have to keep this project moving.”

The Portland Planning Board will review the proposal in the coming weeks, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will review it in the coming months, Bradbury said. The jetport will host a public meeting on the parking proposal in advance of the planning board’s review, he said.

The Portland City Council also must vote on the jetport’s plan to spend $8 million from its $39 million unrestricted cash fund balance. If all goes well, construction could start as soon as this fall, Bradbury said.

Jetport officials attribute increased demand for long-term parking to a post-pandemic shift in travel habits, including longer trips that increased long-term parking times by 9% overall last year. Passengers who have grown used to working remotely are more likely to mix business with pleasure when they take a trip, and long weekend escapes have evolved into whole weeks away.

The parking proposal would redevelop several existing parking lots and open areas across 13 acres, increasing the jetport’s long-term parking from 3,223 to 3,505 spaces, for a net increase of 282 spaces, Bradbury said. The parking project would augment long-term parking already available in and near the parking garage and in the shuttle-served Pink Lot off outer Congress Street.

One of the existing parking areas that would be redeveloped is the so-called cellphone lot, a short-term parking area where family members, friends and Uber or Lift drivers wait for imminent arrivals. Previous plans for the parking project called for moving the cellphone lot to the wooded area north of Jetport Boulevard.

“I agree with Stroudwater neighbors who said we didn’t need 100 spaces for the cellphone lot,” Bradbury said. “(But) the expectation is (the area north of the boulevard) will be developed at some point.”

SITE FOR CELLPHONE LOT TBD

Bradbury said he has yet to figure out where cellphone lot users will park in the future. The jetport’s project description states that it will result in 4.5 acres of new developed area and 2.85 acres of new paved area. A city planner’s description of the project states that it will clear 4.25 acres of forested land.

Lack of certainty around the parking project remains a concern for some residents, including members of the Stroudwater Neighborhood Association.

“Everything is a loss,” Carter Waldren said of the parking project, stressing that spoke for himself. “Are we supposed to feel that (dropping the cellphone lot for now) is enough?”

Critics of previous versions of the project said it would expose residents to more airport noise, destroy wooded wetlands and undermine the city’s efforts to promote sustainable development. Waldren still has concerns about the environmental impact of jetport expansion and the way residents have been treated so far.

“There are some issues and we’re going to try to work with regulatory agencies to address them,” Waldren said. “Maybe somebody at some point will take the neighbors into consideration.”