Portland allows new waterfront uses
Waterfront zoning changes in Portland will allow more non-marine businesses to locate on the city's major piers and wharves, a move property owners say will bring in more revenue.
The city council voted 7-2 Monday to relax zoning restrictions on part of the waterfront between the Maine State Pier and the International Marine Terminal, according to the Portland Press Herald. The change allows as much as 45% of the space on the first floor of a building in that zone to be rented for non-marine uses. Previously, all first-floor space had to be used for marine purposes. Pier owners must advertise vacancies to fishermen and others in the marine industry first, filling the space with a non-marine business only if the space is not filled after 60 days.
A referendum in the 1980s led Portland to bar non-marine businesses from portions of the waterfront, spurred by a condo development that resulted in fishermen being evicted from Chandler's Wharf. Commercial fishermen are mixed on the new zoning changes. Pier and wharf owners say new tenants like restaurants, offices and retailers will provide needed revenue to support property maintenance and enhance the waterfront, according to the paper.
Go to the article from the Portland Press Herald >>
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