Waterfront Development
Veterans Bridge Redevelopment
Greater Portland Landmarks proposes that the overall concept of the bridge could be a parkway or boulevard inspired by the unique natural environment surrounding it. This vision would then help determine design details and treatments of areas still being developed (landscape elements, surface treatments of selected sections of pedestrian bridge, lighting, etc.) City councilor Dave Marshall has become interested in the project and will ask the City to push for an extension of the time period for stakeholder participation in the Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) process. At issue: the need for an overall vision for the design, quality materials, and a meaningful stakeholder process. Please read Executive Director Hilary Bassett’s position statement on the Veterans Bridge redesign below.
Maine State Pier Redevelopment
The City of Portland hosted a series of public meetings in March and April 2009 to gather input on key issues that relate to the future of the Maine State Pier. The meetings were designed to inform the public on the history, policies and development goals for the pier, gather input from the public on key issues, and convey this information to the City Council.
This community process followed months of contentious debate during 2007 and 2008 over two competing proposals to redevelop the pier. Ultimately, neither developer chose to continue negotiations with the City for the project. In 2007, Greater Portland Landmarks’ Board developed 14 guiding principles to evaluate the proposals for redevelopment of the pier as a highly accessible community resource. Currently, the Maine State Pier Redevelopment project is on hold.
Criteria for Evaluating Proposals to Redevelop the Maine State Pier (GPL board approved March 2007)
- Does the proposed plan create dynamic contemporary architecture?
- Is the proposed architecture compatible with its historic surroundings but distinctly of our own time?
- Are the proposed building designs appropriate to Portland, a small historic seaport with human-scale buildings and street patterns?
- Does the proposal envision selecting the highest quality materials that will enhance the design and endure for years to come?
- Does the proposed plan strive to create a unique sense of place that will delight visitors and feel comfortable to residents?
- Does the plan propose flexible buildings and landscapes that can evolve over time, and can accommodate year-round uses?
- Is the plan responsive to project phasing?
- Does the proposed plan welcome extensive public access to the water, to the site and to the buildings, especially by pedestrians?
- Does the proposed plan create a landscape component that will be as distinctive as the architecture?
- Does the proposed plan establish clear relationships to walking paths, transportation, parking, and other infrastructure?
- Does the proposed plan minimize parking facilities on the waterfront?
- Does the proposed plan integrate Maine State Pier plans with the Eastern Waterfront Master Plan, and the waterfront as a whole?
- Does the proposed plan embrace the use of environmentally-sustainable “green” design practices wherever possible?
- Is there a clear commitment from the proposal sponsor to build what has been promised to the citizens of Portland, at the level of quality shown on the proposed project designs?