Portland Planning Board recommends rezoning 1220 Brighton Avenue to B4 zone

The Portland Planning Board voted unanimously to recommend that City Council rezone four parcels along Brighton Avenue, including 1220 Brighton Avenue, from the Transit Oriented Development 2 (TOD2) zone to the Commercial Corridor B4 zone. The board also tabled two major site plan applications for 16 Puritan Way and 0 Dalton Street until a June 23 meeting.

Key points

• The board voted 7-0 to recommend rezoning parcels 265A009002, 265A001001, 265A008001, and 265A007001 to the B4 zone.
• Staff and the applicant argued that the current TOD2 zoning is inconsistent with the site's auto-oriented context and that the soil conditions make multi-story development economically unfeasible.
• A public commenter opposed the rezoning, arguing that the City Council's recent decision to designate the area as TOD2 reflected a vision for mixed-use development that should not be reversed.
• Board members discussed the tension between the comprehensive plan's goals for higher density and the practical economic realities of developing the contaminated site.
• The board tabled the major site plan hearings for 16 Puritan Way and 0 Dalton Street to the June 23, 2026 meeting.

Next steps

• The Planning Board will forward its recommendation to the City Council for a final decision on the zoning map amendment.
• The board will revisit the major site plan applications for 16 Puritan Way and 0 Dalton Street at its June 23, 2026 meeting.

Read the full transcript