Roux Institute tackles neighborhood concerns about proposed campus in Portland

COURTESY / Tsoi Kobus Design A rendering shows the Roux Institute's proposed campus at the former B&M site in Portland.

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By Jessica Hall

Representatives of the Portland-based Roux Institute are meeting Wednesday with residents who have something to say about the institute's 20-year plan to create a campus in East Deering — with classrooms, laboratories, housing, hotels, restaurants and retail.

A proposal for the 13.5-acre site, formerly the manufacturing facility for B&M Baked Beans, has raised concerns about traffic, noise and other disruptions to the residential neighborhood.

But while the institute is open to adjusting aspects of its proposed campus and listening to neighbors’ concerns, the final decision will come from the city of Portland itself, said Chuck Hewett, executive director for the Institute for Digital Engineering and Life Sciences.

IDEALS is the nonprofit that bought the B&M property, and would oversee development of the campus for the Roux Institute, a science and technology research arm of Northeastern University in Boston.

“At the end of the day, the City Council decides what’s allowable, what makes the most sense in their judgment,” Hewett said. “We need the critical mass of educators, researchers, students and having them together on the site is really important. We do need the intellectual mass to have the institute thrive.”

Roux has a three-phase plan to build at least six new buildings on the site.

“We have tweaked building heights. We lowered some building heights and kept the higher buildings next to I-295. The trade-off is trying to optimize for the entire campus,” Hewett said.

“If building heights go down, it reduces the residential units that can be created and that increases traffic to and from the campus. It’s all a balancing act.”

Having housing, a hotel and restaurants on campus also would help reduce traffic by encouraging people to stay on site, he said. Raising the height of the tallest building to more than 200 feet for housing would help preserve the public green space planned on the property. Without the height, the campus would need a more sprawling footprint, and there would be less available open space, Hewett said.

“This is just a monster project and it's way, way out of scale for how we live,” said Portland resident Phil Hoose, who lives on Watson Street near the planned Roux campus.

“We’re not opposed to the project itself. It’s just the size. And they seem to be hard-ball about what they say they have to have to make it work,” said Hoose, who joined with other neighbors to create a group called East Deering Neighbors for Responsible Development.

“They act like they’re in a hurry and it’s time for the adults to enter the room and we should go have an ice cream. They haven’t compromised on any aspect and it’s patronizing.”

IDEALS recently submitted its institutional overlay zone application, which is currently undergoing review by city staff. The application consists of two components, a development plan and a regulatory framework, said Jessica Grondin, director of communications for the city of Portland.

“The Planning Board will hold a series of workshops to discuss IDEALS/Roux Institute's application before holding a public hearing and making a recommendation to the city council. We anticipate the first planning board workshop being held later this year,” Grondin said.

Residents have said they fear shadowed streets from the high buildings, increased traffic, construction chaos from widening streets, and long-term effects on their neighborhood.

“Both from an environmental and aesthetic perspective this seems out of line with what one sees on the Portland skyline. We also question why they need a hotel on the site. With the proximity to Portland and the number of hotels already there, why do we need another hotel?” asked Allison Brown, a resident on nearby Lennox Street.

“Most importantly, we want transparency and recognition that these issues exist and will greatly impact, some adversely, what is largely a quiet part of Portland."

In addition to Wednesday’s roundtable discussion, Roux will host meeting with neighbors in April. The institute previously held a neighborhood meeting last November.

The first phase calls for construction of main offices and a business incubator at the former factory, up to 250 apartments and up to 125,000 square feet of commercial space.

In about 10 years, a laboratory, classroom and office space, additional apartments and commercial space would be added. In 20 years, there would be even more office, residential and commercial space. Ultimately, Roux would accommodate 4,500 students on the site.

Phase 1 of the project will increase traffic by 10%, except on Sherwood and Veranda Streets, which would see more. Phase 2 would bring a total increase in traffic of just under 20%, Hewett said.

Sherwood Street is a small, two-lane street that connects the property to the East Deering and Back Cove neighborhoods. Most traffic would use an already busy intersection at Washington Avenue and Veranda Street.

Traffic can be managed through other means as well, such as subsidizing bus tickets, creating a bicycle path, a potential water shuttle, as well as rental bikes and flex cars, Hewett said.

In 2020, Northeastern University launched the Roux Institute with a donation of $100 million from the Roux Family Foundation, which was established by tech entrepreneur and Lewiston native David Roux and his wife, Barbara.

The institute aims to train workers in Maine and draw talent from around the world to work in areas such as artificial intelligence, life sciences and medical research.

The Roux Institute is currently seeking a project construction manager, but has not selected one yet.