Boys and Girls Club: The Boys & Girls Club of Southern Maine has submitted a Major Site Plan application for the construction of a two-story addition on the corner of Cumberland Avenue and Cedar Street in Portland. The new space will incorporate an educational programming space for teens, including a three-bay garage for vocational training, and a new outdoor play area. The site current contains two 19th century structures, both of which have been altered many times and retain little historic fabric, integrity, or sense of place. While losing buildings that have been a part of our communities for generations is always a loss, GPL believes that the many benefits the new youth spaces provide to the community are valuable. We believe that the design and materials of the new structure are appropriate for the context, which is directly across the street from the Congress Street Historic District but not within the boundaries. GPL will continue to engage in ongoing conversations with Councilor Michniewicz and other property owners in Bayside to pursue preservation options for the neighborhood to ensure the character and history of the neighborhood is protected as Bayside continues to grow and evolve.
Historic Tax Credit Call to Action: GPL is partnering with Maine Preservation to advocate for L.D. 435, legislation that will improve the existing Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit and make preservation project viable across the state. The proposed changes would make the credit more accessible to smaller commercial building projects and would create a new tax credit for eligible homeowners. Reach out to the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee and Senate and House leadership now and ask them to fund these critical improvements to Maine’s HRTC program. More information, talking points, and legislator contacts can be found here.
Foreside: GPL has engaged with the proposed Portland Foreside development on the waterfront for many years as the project evolved and the historic industrial buildings on the site were designated as a local historic district. Though the approval for the redevelopment of the historic district has lapsed with the city’s Historic Preservation office, the owner has received a minimum maintenance order from the City to better secure the structures in the meantime. We have recently learned that the developer is pursuing onsite energy generation, which would change the approved Master Site Plan and should be reevaluated by the Planning Board. There are several concerning impacts a cogeneration system, which includes 114’ stacks, could have on the historic resources. We are encouraging the City to thoroughly analyze those impacts with the developer and with the various neighborhood stakeholders who could be impacted by this change.
Thank you to Senator King: GPL asks that you join us in thanking Senator Angus King in his recent advocacy regarding the Trump administration’s efforts to whitewash American history. In a March 11 speech on the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), Rankling Member of the Senate National Parks Subcommittee, spoke with refreshing candor about the importance of telling the full, often difficult story of our nation’s history. The speech came after a letter King sent to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requesting information pertaining to Executive Orders that direct the Department to remove or alter properties that present American history in a negative light. We encourage you to watch or read his full speech and send the Senator a note to thank him for his bold advocacy on this issue.