Portland Parks Conservancy and city officials will break ground Friday on a 3.5-acre park that they hope will be the first phase of a broader effort to turn the eastern waterfront into public greenspace extending from the Maine State Pier to the new Portland Foreside development.
Now known as Portland Harbor Common, the park at the corner of Commercial and India streets will be built on the former queuing lines for the now-defunct Nova Scotia ferry.
After more than five years of planning and fundraising, the parking lot at the site will transform into a network of walking and biking trails, with trees, native plantings, lawn areas, space for events or food trucks, lighting and more.
“This new park will invite the public to gather by the water to take in the views, to enjoy local food, and to take part in cultural events that will bring us together,” said Ethan Hipple, Portland’s director of parks, recreation, and facilities. “At a time when this area is seeing rapid changes and development, this space will preserve the public’s access to the waterfront for generations to come.”
Planning for the park stems back to at least 2020, when the late Richard Barringer, the first director of the state Bureau of Public Lands and former commissioner of the Department of Conservation, initially pitched the idea.
A city news release this week said the nonprofit Portland Parks Conservancy led a $2.5-million fundraising effort. The city paid Sebago Technics $150,000 to design the park.
The city’s release said additional phases, which are being planned now, will focus on the area east of Ocean Gateway to the Eastern Promenade.
Jack Phillips, executive director of the Portland Parks Conservancy, said the project “transforms a crumbling surface parking lot into a beautiful new park in one of the most prominent and scenic locations in all of Portland.”
The city is weighing names for the park and solicited ideas from the public. A naming committee consisting of city officials is expected to make a recommendation to the city’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee in the coming weeks. The City Council will then need to approve the final selection.
Portland’s Public Art Committee is also commissioning a new installation for the space.
The new park is expected to open by the end of 2026.
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