Portland readies waterfront park to capture city’s ‘magic’

The first phase of the city of Portland’s new waterfront park, under construction along northern Commercial Street since April, is on track to open in October. The initial piece of First Light Commons is being built on a 3.5-acre portion of a former parking lot near the Ocean Gateway, and will include a central greenspace, walking and biking trails, benches, 40 shade trees and other native plantings, an informal stage for performances and dedicated spaces for food trucks and arts vendors. There will be close to 125 parking spaces. The $2.5 million project has been managed by Wilmington, Mass.-based MacKay Construction. Sebago Technics, headquartered in South Portland, handled design and engineering. Federal funding secured by U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, in 2024, provided $2.1 million for the project, and $400,000 in private donations was raised by the Portland Parks Conservancy. The city spent $100,000 in capital improvement funds for the initial design. Public art, events Ethan Hipple, Portland’s director of parks, recreation and facilities told Mainebiz that several pieces of public art will be installed in the park, including some donated by artist David Evans Shaw, in time for a grand opening celebration planned for spring 2027. The centerpiece will be a bronze statue by Maine Wabanaki artist Gabriel Frey, depicting a Native American fisherman. Hipple said the work will honor the fact that "this was the first place on the Portland peninsula settled by indigenous people, before the Europeans came.” Phase 2 needs additional funding When completed, the full park will expand to the northern side of Ocean Gateway to include the small Amethyst and Moontide Parks; a total of nearly six acres. Hipple said Amethyst Park was built in 2020 near SailMaine’s teaching center. “It was a temporary popup park; we didn’t have a lot of resources, but it’s very popular and busy," Hipple said. Moontide Park is a parcel where an old pier once existed; many of the rotting pilings remain and the land is largely submerged except at low tide. Significant seawall restoration will be needed, along with fill. The budget for this second phase of First Light Commons is not yet firm but could approach $15 million, Hipple said. Plans for this extended section call for a promenade, more seating, enhanced pedestrian and bike trails and fishing areas. “There are stripers here,” Hipple noted. The full park will be available to host music and a range of events, including weddings. “We don’t want to overdo it, people live near the park,” Hipple said. “But the key to a successful park is activation. We want the park to be alive.” This section of Portland has seen significant development over the past decade, with the addition of numerous large office buildings, condominiums, hotels and retail spaces. “That’s all great for Portland; we want to see that growth for the city,” Hipple said. “But what we wanted to do with the park was to create a space where people can get directly to the water. It’s part of the magic of this city.”