A major Portland apartment and retail development is facing new hurdles from the city, nearly two months after it was scaled down as part of a settlement with a group suing to stop the project.
The Portland Press Herald reported that the Portland Planning Board has asked for an extended review on the “midtown” project submitted by Federated Cos., a Miami-based real estate company. The review could jeopardize its development.
The developer in October reduced the height of its four proposed buildings in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood from 14 stories to six as a result of an agreement with Keep Portland Livable, a group that had been suing to overturn the city’s approval of the original project. That lawsuit has been stayed until Jan. 16.
Planning Board Chairman Stuart O’Brien said an extended review is now required because the developer is seeking to build the entire project next year, as opposed to following its original plan for a phased development.
Jeff Levine, Portland’s director of planning and urban development, told the newspaper that the Planning Board wants to ensure the project makes a positive architectural statement. He said, “If the developer is willing to make adjustments to their plan, I don’t think it’s a huge hurdle at all.”
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