This Week in Livable Portland News: 02/21/2022 - 02/28/2022

Last Week

From the Planning Board Meeting on 02/22/2022:

• The planning board considered rezoning Riverton Park (2 Riverton Drive) from R-5 (single family with some less dense multifamily) to R-5a (a special zone for denser development in a surrounding R-5 zone) + B-2 (community business) and modifying the R-5a zone to allow for places of assembly greater than 10,000 square feet to allow for a new 141 unit mixed-use development by the Portland Housing Authority. The planning board seems enthusiastic about the change and it seems likely to be passed.
• Planning board voted unanimously to approve an 8 unit multiplex housing development on an undeveloped R-5 plot on Deering Avenue. Public sentiment at the meeting seemed broadly positive with just a few comments on minor details of the project.
• Planning board voted unanimously to recommend repealing the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District. Public sentiment at the meeting seemed mixed but slightly in favor of repealing.

In the News:

• Governor Mills plans to spend Maine's $100 million budget surplus on transportation improvements (largely on road and bridge maintenance) to avoid the usual bond issue.

  Editorial: Even with this $100 million and an $1.3 Billion in Federal money over five years will still not be enough to address the state's large road maintenance backlog. We have massively overspent on car infrastructure and the ongoing maintenance of our current infrastructure is unsustainable both financially and environmentally. To put the problem into perspective, $1.3 Billion could fund the GP Metro bus system at the 2020 budget level without fares for 106 years. Despite a maintenance backlog with no solution in sight Maine DOT continues to build new roads. We should be having tough, but necessary, conversations about what pieces of car infrastructure we should cut back on to reduce ongoing maintenance costs instead of pushing the issue down the road.

• A grant-funded transit leadership training program is providing education about transit to traditionally underrepresented groups that rely on transit to empower them to provide meaningful feedback and ideas.

Our Activity

• We held our second general meeting where we:
  • Officially confirmed Jeff Sherman as our new secretary. Thank you for volunteering and congratulations!
  • Voted to adopt a stance in support of the council voting to repeal the Munjoy Hill Neighborhood Community Overlay District and are drafting a public comment on the issue.
  • Decided to the use of a new logo and branding
  • Decided to do a promotion at some bus stops with the wait times
  • Decided to start a book club and making a list of books for a shared lending library as well as a books discord channel
  • Discussed continuing work on drafting a charter and research on what legal designation our organization should have
• Added a new calendar page to the website
• Held our first city planning walk starting at 1pm at Monument Square

Next Week

Another busy week for livable portland.

• On Monday (02/28/2022) at 5pm there is a city council meeting. The council will be voting on relevant issues:
  • Approving the Housing and Urban Development Citizen Participation Plan for the City of Portland
  • Setting the Public Hearings on 2022-2026 Housing and Urban Development Five-Year Consolidated Plan, Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Action Plan and Appropriations for Community Development Block Grant Program, HOME Program, and Emergency Solutions Grant Program
  • Converting 5 free spots by 101 York Street to loading and 2 hour spots
  • Adding a height bonus to the India Street Form-Based Zone
• On Tuesday (03/01/2022) at 6pm recode is holding a public forum on changes to the zoning code. The session will focus on: Housing, Climate Change, and Transportation.
• On Tuesday (03/02/2022) at 6pm recode is holding another public forum on changes to the zoning code. The session will focus on: Complete Neighborhoods, the Built Environment, and Economic Development