Dan Riley, left, of Sebago Technics, speaks at a Portland Planning Board workshop Tuesday night on the proposal for a new music venue that would be partially owned and operated by Live Nation. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

The hottest seat in town on Tuesday was the Portland Planning Board workshop about a proposed concert hall next to Merrill Auditorium.

Mile Marker Investments, a developer based in Scarborough, and Live Nation have applied to build a 3,300-seat venue at the corner of Myrtle Street and Cumberland Avenue.

The planning board did not vote on the project during the meeting but heard public comment for nearly two hours. So many people attended the workshop that City Hall staff had to set up an overflow room to accommodate the crowd that spilled into the hallways.

The speakers included supporters. A restaurant owner said the venue would bring much needed business. The operator of the Francis Hotel and the Longfellow Hotel said concertgoers could boost the city during the cold winter months. Some spoke generally about their excitement for another place to see live music.

A rendering of the proposed Portland Music Hall, a 3,300-seat venue planned for the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Myrtle Street next to Merrill Auditorium. Image courtesy of Leonardo Ruben Merlos

But more people, including a string of local musicians and representatives from other venues, spoke in opposition. Many raised concerns about the lack of parking and other logistical issues, but they also said the global concert giant would crush the local scene and make it even harder for the independent stages to survive.

Brandon Mazer, chair of the planning board, said the members will have at least one more workshop to gather information and ask questions before the project goes to a vote. But he warned that the board must limit its decision to the criteria in city code.

“Unfortunately for some, we do not look at other issues, such as competition or whether the applicant is a national or local company,” Mazer said. “Those are beyond our purview. We don’t set the policy.”

The developers said Portland does not currently have a venue of this size and is missing out on acts who want to come to the city. They emphasized the local roots of the team and its long history in Maine. Ryan Vangel, president of Live Nation New England, said Boston hosted more than 800 performances in venues of this size in the last two years, but fewer than half of those acts also played in Portland.

“There’s a big gap in the live performance market in Portland,” Vangel said.

The Portland Planning Board holds a workshop on the proposal for a new music venue in front of a crowded room Tuesday. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

But opponents say neither the local market nor the city infrastructure can support the proposed venue.

“The sheer scale of this project presents insurmountable challenges, including severe congestion, infrastructure strain and significant economic harm to local businesses,” said Lauren Wayne, president of the State Theatre on Congress Street.

The city code would not require this project to build additional parking, and this proposal does not include any. The developers said they believe the nearby area has enough parking for everyone, and they will also look to Greater Portland Metro and ride share services for solutions.

Martin Lodish of Portland Stage speaks during public comment at a Portland Planning Board workshop on the proposal for a new music venue that would be partially owned and operated by Live Nation. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

They emphasized their experience navigating traffic in busy urban areas, such as the streets around MGM Music Hall at Boston’s Fenway Park. They also pointed out their plans to accommodate tour buses on their site rather than on the street, and they said they are in talks with the city staff to allow buses at Merrill Auditorium to use those off-street spaces as well.

“Our intention is to be a great neighbor,” said Todd Goldenfarb, managing director of Mile Marker Investments.

But members of the public bemoaned the congestion in the surrounding blocks, the hours at the parking garages and the limitations of the local bus system. They questioned whether buses could make the turns depicted in the application on narrow Myrtle Street.

Portland resident Nicole Byrne said the bus system is “broken and inefficient.”

“I cannot use it to attend the many art venues that I go to,” Byrne said. “When events end, the transit support is not there.”

The planning board asked for more information on a host of topics, including transportation and parking, and encouraged people to continue to submit public comment in advance of the next workshop on the topic.

“This was the first time we’ve seen this,” Mazer said. “We’re going to get into more detail.”