This week the South Portland Planning Board was scheduled to hold a public hearing on the new Mill Creek Master Plan, which will then move to the City Council for further discussion during a workshop held at 6:30 p.m. on June 22 at City Hall.

The master plan, which was first released in late February, is designed to transform the Mill Creek area into more of a traditional downtown, with a mix of uses and a “distinct identity.”

The overall vision is for Mill Creek to “evolve into a model for a sustainable urban downtown with a distinct identity as a green and livable place,” the proposed master plan states.

For that to happen Mill Creek must become “a pedestrian-focused neighborhood while retaining its role as a community commercial center,” the document adds.

What this means, according to the master plan, is that the single-story strip malls and large parking lots need to be replaced by multi-story, mixed-use buildings with ground-floor shops and restaurants, along with on-street and centralized public parking.

Specific recommendations to meet these objectives include reconstructing the intersection of Ocean and Broadway to eliminate the right-turn lane, making it easier for pedestrians to cross Broadway and Ocean Street.

The proposed master plan also encourages the development and implementation of a directional signage program throughout Mill Creek and would require new developments to provide pedestrian connections.

Another recommendation of the plan is to “create distinctive gateway treatments” on the Mill Creek side of the Broadway intersections with Waterman Drive, Ocean Street and Cottage Road.

The plan also suggests that the appearance of Mill Creek be improved from the Casco Bay Bridge approach by establishing a landscaped buffer between Erskine and Waterman drives and Broadway.

The proposed new master plan for Mill Creek is part of the implementation process for South Portland’s updated comprehensive plan, which was adopted in 2012.

The comprehensive plan, which is the document used to inform zoning and development decisions, specifically calls for Mill Creek to become a “vibrant” mixed-use district, including commercial, residential, governmental and cultural uses.

Called the “historic heart of the city” the ultimate goal for Mill Creek is to make the area into “a vibrant commercial center” with a more diverse mix of uses that is more pedestrian friendly because this change is seen as essential to achieving the city’s vision for its future.

Earlier this year Planning and Development Director Tex Haeuser said the zoning in Mill Creek hasn’t changed much for the past 50 years and the area is still more of a “post-World War II auto-oriented suburban center” than a traditional downtown.

However, city leaders also acknowledge that, “the evolution of Mill Creek is dependent on property owners and developers. Change will occur only through the cooperation and the joint work of the city and the private sector,” Haeuser said.

To access the proposed Mill Creek Master Plan, go to the city’s website at www.southportland.org, then click on the Comprehensive Plan Committee link, found on the bottom right of the webpage, and then click on the Draft Mill Creek Master Plan.

This image shows how Mill Creek could be redeveloped into a more traditional downtown with multi-story, multi-use buildings. Image courtesy of the Sustain Southern Maine Project