Portland Company, 58 Fore Street

Formal Finding and Recommendation of the Historic Preservation Board

Following a public hearing and final deliberations, the Historic Preservation Board voted on two motions as follows:

1) The Board voted 6-0 (Sheridan recused) that on the basis of plans, elevations and renderings of the proposed development included in the Master Development Plan for 58 Fore Street and information included in the staff report for the December 7, 2016 public hearing, the Board finds that the proposed Master Development Plan for 58 Fore Street, specifically that portion of the proposed development located within the boundary of the Portland Company Historic District, is in conformance with Portland's Historic Preservation Ordinance standards subject to the removal of the proposed rooftop addition above Building 16, the reduction in scale of the proposed infill construction on the footprint of Building 14 and 15 to a height not to exceed existing building heights, and the provision of an offset separating  Building 16 and new townhouses to the east. 

Additionally, the Board finds that the proposed development adjacent to or within one hundred feet of the Portland Company Historic District will be developed so as to be generally compatible with the major character defining elements of the landmark or portion of the district in the immediate vicinity of the proposed development.

These findings do not preclude the Historic Preservation Board's authority as part of future reviews of Certificate(s) of Appropriateness to require reasonable adjustments in scale, massing or design of proposed additions, alterations, or new construction to comply with ordinance requirements, as identified in the 12/7/16 staff report and as amended during Board discussions.

2) The Historic Preservation Board voted 5-1 ( Sheridan recused, Oldham opposed) to recommend to the Planning Board and City Council that the boundaries of the Portland Company Historic District be amended as shown and described in Bernstein Shur's letter of November 10, 2016. This recommendation is based on the Board's finding that amending the boundaries of the Portland Company Historic District is necessary to fulfill a key objective of the Master Development Plan, that being the relocation of Building 12 to a position abutting the western edge of the 50' public access easement on site. Additionally, the Board finds that the district boundary amendment will create a single contiguous historic district and allow for the relocation of Building 12 to a position where it will continue to have a visual relationship with the other remaining Portland Company historic structures.