🔒Portland sells Technology Park lot for incubator space

Portland City Council approved the sale of the second of seven lots in the Portland Technology Park for the development of an incubator space. Carassas Holdings LLC, based in Portland, negotiated a price of $200,000 for the 3.5-acre lot, which was originally listed at $400,000. The site is on Rand Road. Some City Council members objected to the price, but Greg Watson, city director of Housing and Urban Development, said that since the 26-acre park was built in 2016, the city has sold just one lot, to Patrons Oxford Insurance Co. Watson added that activating the site would generate revenue for the city, new jobs, tax revenue and "a host of other benefits.” Several residents who called into Monday night's council meeting, which was held via Zoom, suggested the lot should be used to create housing. Watson explained that a federal grant used to bring infrastructure into the park restricts housing construction there for another three years.

City Council was divided

Council voted to approve the sale 5-4 (Council members April Fournier, Wesley Pelletier, Anna Bullett and Regina Phillips were opposed). “This is just a portion of the land, just 3.5 acres, not the whole site, and we could possibly build housing there in the future. Building a tech center here could open up exciting opportunities," said Kate Sykes, who represents District 5, who voted for the sale. Wesley Pelletier, who represents District 2, objected to the sale price. “We need to be raising revenue, but this is an insane deal," Pelletier said. ”I think we can wait on this. It’s not time sensitive; there’s no need to sell now.” The sale was recommended for approval to council by the Housing and Economic Development Committee, which endorsed the proposal at its meeting on Feb. 3.