The city of Portland is looking to prohibit new restaurants and retail stores on piers along its working waterfront and reduce the area along the water side of Commercial Street where non-water-dependent development can occur. The proposal was presented to the city’s Planning Board in late April, which will make a recommendation to the City Council. The proposal is the product of four months of meetings among city officials, pier owners and commercial fishermen – a stakeholder group that was formed in response to a referendum drive to greatly increase protections within the Waterfront Central Zone, which runs from the Maine State Pier to the International Marine Terminal. Bill Needelman, the city’s waterfront coordinator, said he hopes the proposal can be quickly enacted, before a moratorium on development along the water side of Commercial Street expires on June 15.
Portland harbor. Photo courtesy of Mark Fleming.
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