11/10/26: At Monday night's City Council workshop, NNEPRA and GPCOG presented their cases on the Downeaster station relocation to about 30 residents. City staff recommend against NNEPRA's preferred site on outer St. John Street, between St. John Street and Mercy Hospital, favoring Union Station Plaza instead. GPCOG argues the $60 million would be better spent on buses, Metro facilities, and pedestrian infrastructure — noting 86% of bus riders earn under $50,000, versus 5% of train riders — and flags that the proposed $12 million state match is not committed and about $4 million would go to property acquisition. NNEPRA's position is that the $48 million in federal funding awarded in August is only available for this project. The Council is expected to vote December 21 on whether to support the relocation.
Map and Text Zoning Amendment: Hearts of Pine, LLC, Applicant. The Planning Board will hold a workshop to consider a zoning amendment application to rezone a portion of the parcel at 92 Cassidy Point Drive from Waterfront Port Development zone (WPDZ) to B-5 Urban Commercial zone. The Applicant is also seeking a text amendment to allow “stadiums” as a permitted use in the B-5 zone to facilitate the construction of a stadium. A project and plan summary are available for viewing on the city’s CSS Portal (https://css.portlandmaine.gov/) by referencing Plan Number ZN-003675-2026.
11/3/26 vote, police & fire:
Bond Referendum Question
Shall the City of South Portland incur indebtedness by the issuance of its general obligation bonds in the principal amount of $88,600,000 for a new fire and police station, pursuant to City Council Ordinance #1-26/27 adopted August 4, 2026 entitled "BOND ORDINANCE APPROPRIATING $88,600,000 (PLUS BOND PREMIUM AND INVESTMENT EARNINGS) FOR A NEW FIRE STATION AND POLICE STATION, AND OTHER COSTS RELATED AND ANCILLARY THERETO, AND AUTHORIZING $88,600,000 PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF BONDS TO FINANCE SUCH APPROPRIATION "
Thanks TC, good catch. I checked the planning board link (sheet A20.02), the building is 7 stories (plus an 8th level mechanical space). GPCW now shows 7 stories.
I believe it's 7 stories, not 6. The first level grand room has a mezzanine, so in effect 2 stories. The northern end angles up for another story, and the extreme end of that creates a higher ceiling that could become another story, or mezzanine, but it probably won't. And from the northern end it looks like 8 stories. I have a friend who will be part-time teaching here, so I'll try to work my presence in this winter for some pics.
I checked the project website on 10/24/26, it still says "If funding is awarded by MaineHousing this year, the first phase aims for completion and occupancy in late 2027." Not sure if funding has been awarded - I bumped the completion estimate to 2028.
On 10/6/26: The Hill Arts has submitted an amendment to the Conditional Zoning Agreement (C-58) for 76 Congress Street to allow for modifications to the previously proposed development to provide one 424 seat performance hall with additional meeting space and back of house programming and to remove the expiration date.
Cape Elizabeth Middle School — the district announced an official groundbreaking ceremony for the new middle school: Saturday, Oct 17 at noon, on the CEMS baseball field.
Things are happening! A permit has been granted to Wright Ryan Construction to occupy the sidewalk in correlation with the approved Basement/Sub Basement Demolition Permit at the Time & Temperature Building. This is the beginning of a multi-phase project.
Approved 2023 — construction start TBD; developer's 2024 start targets missed; no new public timeline. The honest status is entitled-and-waiting, not dead — the developer is still spending on design, engineering, and utility filings.
No public construction start or building-permit confirmation found as of September 2026. Developer's stated target: operational for the 2027 hockey season. That target appears to be unrealistic — with no permit or start in hand, 2028 is the believable opening.
The Portland Museum of Art's 4,200-square-foot timber pavilion at 142 Free St. opens at October's First Friday Art Walk, per Mainebiz. The debut brings a mural by Jenna Pirello and a free program of exhibits, workshops, and film screenings. It is a placeholder with a purpose: designed by LEVER Architecture and built by Portland-based Woodhull, the structure is engineered to be deconstructed and relocated once the permanent wing begins.
Good question! The "estimated completion" dates vary from accurate to best guesses. Good catch here, 61 Preble clearly won't be done by 2028. I updated the date, changed it to a new best guess of 2030. Thanks for your comment, feedback is greatly appreciated!
Are they expecting to start this soon or wait until 89 Elm is complete? Since 89 Elm started later 2025 any isn’t expected to be done until next year, I can’t imagine this will be complete for 2028. Can’t wait to see it start going up!
9/4/26 Portland Press Herald:
While the developer and the city say the project has met every legal requirement and is in line with Portland’s broader housing goals, the neighbors and owners of Moran’s Market filed a seven-count civil complaint in an effort to block the project.
All but one count — which claims that the land was improperly rezoned — has already been decided by a judge or dismissed. In March, a Superior Court decision affirmed the planning board’s approval of the project, allowing construction to begin. But the neighborhood group is hopeful that its claim challenging the city’s rezoning of the property could at least send the issue back to city officials.
Meanwhile, construction on the apartment buildings has moved along quickly. Alex Coupe, the developer, said Thursday that one building has been completely framed, and crews are starting on the next one.
In May 2026, Redfern submitted a Minor Site Plan Application to bring fill to the site for the purpose of preloading the existing soils, in preparation for future development of the parcel. The soils being brought onto the site will provide a pre-load for future development, but will also raise grades on site in order to accommodate the future developments requirements within the Coastal Flood Resilience Overlay Zone. The intent is to retain as much fill on site as possible in the final built-out conditions.
The proposed project will significantly increase Yarmouth’s property tax base, becoming one of the the largest taxpayers in the town. Unlike other housing developments, this 55+ community will not put any tax pressure on the town’s #1 expense, education costs. It is a win-win for the town -- increased revenue, no increase in education spending.
Per the PPH: In response to a survey question asking residents to rank how the Midtown area should be prioritized, 62% of respondents chose housing as the number one priority. Recreation and open space ranked second and third, with 16.1% and 9.7%, respectively.
Another question asked residents to choose a “vision” that best matched what they’d like to see there. The largest share, 44%, chose “a mixed-use district where living, working and recreation are equally prioritized.” The next highest result was “an area focused primarily on multifamily housing,” at 31.5%.
Other uses listed were retail and dining, cultural spaces and parking.
A staff memo to councilors said the public feedback indicates “a clear priority” for housing-oriented development on the Midtown properties.
Per Portland Press Herald: The development corporation will apply for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits this fall with the hope of breaking ground in late 2027 or early 2028 and completing the building by 2030.
This is the old Jordans Meat packing site. On May 6, 2010, the building formerly occupied by the company at Franklin Street and Middle Street caught fire.
Portland created a survey, asking folks to prioritize how the Midtown area should be utilized. Midtown survey results:
https://portland.civilspace.io/en/projects/midtown-project/engagement_reports/engagement-results-9d1b
PPH UPDATE 4/1/26: The Hill Arts says it needs to raise $7 million for the theater’s construction this year, or it will be forced to cancel the $18 million project because of expiring city approvals and rising costs. About $11 million has already been raised but the group says it needs to have the total budget in hand before construction can continue.
6/3/26: GreenMars principal Chris Marshall told Mainebiz the seven-story project is sidelined until the city alters its Inclusionary Zoning fee — or if there are available subsidies that could help make the project an affordable build.