Planning Board Holds Workshops on Winter Street Housing and Cassidy Point Stadium

[17:19] Chair (presiding officer): Welcome to the remote hybrid Planning Board meeting for September 22nd. 6th meeting is being held both remotely via Zoom and in person. For begin, I'll address some housekeeping issues regarding a public comment. Any written comments received prior to this meeting were made available to the board their review. In order to provide public commentary meeting must be provided verbally. Members of the public attending the meeting remotely via phone or computer to not have speaking privileges enabled when joining the meeting. In order to provide public comment, members of the public must indicate their interest in speaking at the appropriate time. If participating in the meeting with a computer, you're going to use the raise hand feature to indicate your interest. This is toggled on and off with the hand icon located at the bottom of your screen. Please ensure if you are logged on to Zoom you are logged into the meeting under your real name not an alias or username so we can call on you properly. If you're listening to this meeting on a telephone or cell phone you can indicate your interest at the right time by pressing star nine. In either case you're called on please wait until the moderator asks you to unmute yourself. Once unmuted you'll state your name and address then you'll have three minutes to provide your comment. At the end of the period your microphone will be muted again. If you experience any problems during the meeting you can email planning at portlandmaine.gov. Staff will try to monitor the email and respond as appropriate. And with that Andrew can we do a roll? Yes Mr. Chair. [18:52] Speaker B (unidentified): Beverly Ulinick here. Austin Smith here. David Self here. Nicholas Bassina here. Eric Den here. [18:58] Chair (presiding officer): Here. Kelsey Robertson. Here. Joseph Zamboni. Here. So we have two workshop items this evening on communication and reports. We have a report of attendance at the August 11th meeting and reports and decisions at the meeting held August 11th. I 26 any edits amendments to those not many of those will be accepted and then we'll move on to new business. So first I did have a [19:28] Speaker C (unidentified): or for the board. Last week, there was this tragic event on Warren Avenue. I'm sure we're all aware of it. There was a teenager child and two hospitalized, and we don't know the full circumstances of it, but it wasn't noted in the newspaper article. There was no sidewalk there. And I know we have a board, we as a board have granted sidewalk waivers. I've agreed with those and they made perfect sense. An applicant at the Riverside Drive but the closest sidewalk, quarter of a mile away, doesn't make sense. But I would like to revisit the idea of having a payment in lieu of, rather than granting the waivers. We do it for street trees. We could do the same thing for sidewalks. Thank you for your patience with this. I've raised it many times before, but I would just like to ask the board to consider it. You know, there is a great deal of emphasis currently in Portland on pedestrian safety. And while this would be very slow and incremental, it would be an action we could take as a board to improve that. So thank you for considering it. And again, thank you for your patience because I brought it up many times. So something that I think we are definitely not [20:42] Planning staff: going to be responsive to, but I think something we're definitely interested in, I would say from a staff perspective as well, it's not a written policy, but it's something that we've been STRONGLY ENCOURAGING NOT CURRENTLY PRESENTING LONGER SO EVEN IF THEY'RE BEFORE THE BOARD OR A LOT OF REVIEWS STAFF HAS CONTROL OVER WE'VE BEEN DENYING THOSE FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW THERE MAY BE INSTANCES WHERE SOME HAVE BEEN GRANTED BUT THAT'S AN INTERNAL POLICY THAT WE'VE SHIFTED ON IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF BUT I THINK THE SUGGESTIONS YOU ALSO RAISE WHEN THERE IS PERHAPS A UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCE AND SIDEWALK ISN'T WARRANTED THAT THERE BE SOME OTHER store of payment over such so it's a good suggestion also and we completely agree thank you kevin appreciate it thank you joe thank you any other board members [21:27] Chair (presiding officer): thanks kevin so i will go to 105 winter street as the applicant planning board is going to consider a major site plan application to find two parcels at 101 and 105 winter street TO FACILITATE THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FIVE UNIT RESIDENTIAL BUILDING UNIT FOUR UNIT RESIDENTIAL BUILDING NINE UNITS WITH 13 STRUCTURE PROJECT SPACES BUT THE PROPERTY WAS SPLIT BETWEEN THE R AND THE BOARD NEVER THE RESIDENTIAL AND THE THREE DOWNTOWN PROJECT PLAN SUMMARY ARE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ON THE CITY'S CSS PORTAL BY REPRESENTING PLAN NUMBER PL-003-623-2056 [22:08] Speaker E (unidentified): six i'll pass it on good [22:26] Planning staff: Evening, Chair Bamboni and members of the board. Tonight we are hosting a planning board workshop that is proposed development at 101 and 105 Winters. The applicant on this project is 105 Winter LLC, represented by the engineering. The subject property has split zoning between R and four residential neighborhood and P3 downtown business, both located in the west end historic district. The applicant is for people to design the parcels at 101 and 105 Winter Street to facilitate the construction of a five-unit building or four-unit building for a total of nine units with 13 structured parking spaces. This application is being referred to the attending mobile compliance with the city of Portland's land use code site plan standard section 13.6. The opt-in will also be required to receive historic preservation approval prior to [23:07] Speaker G (unidentified): obtaining for public the [23:11] Planning staff: subject property is located within the west end and comprising approximately 27,000 square feet in a lot area. The property at 101 Winter Street is the southerly parcel zone to be free downtown business and is partially developed with pedestrian law. The property at 105 Winter Street is a northerly parcel for a residential neighborhood. It is currently developed with a surface parking law and garage. The area immediately surrounding the subject property is primarily residential in nature with neighborhood community uses nearby. As mentioned previously, the subject property has split zoning between the R and four and B3 Three. Staff will be reviewing the proposed development for dimensional standard requirements against the zoning for that portion of the building and mall within. The proposed development involves the merging of 101 and 105 Winter Street lots to facilitate the construction of a multi-family building, five units in Building A, and a four-family building, also referred to as Building B, for a total of nine units. Building A is proposed along the property's Winter Street frontage and would feature a prominent street wall with an auto court to the rear of the building between Buildings A and B. A total of 13 parking spaces are proposed as structured parking within the buildings. This is the proposed building A, as seen from Winter Street. This is the proposed building B, as seen from the courtyard area. The applicant is also proposing improved landscaping throughout the property, including four industry trees, 12 new shrubs along the property frontage, 10 new trees and landscape islands in the courtyard area, and four new trees in the proposed lawn area. It is also important to note here that there are three existing heritage trees on site. The removal of said trees are handled via a permit process, but facilitated through parks, recreation, and facilities, and is outside of this board's purview. However, the board is welcome to provide feedback as it pertains to the preservation of significant natural features as contained in Section 1362 of the Land Use Code. The applicant is coordinating with the City Arborist on the permit process. The outcome of this may result in adjustments to site plan or proposed landscaping. As mentioned in the provided memo, the intent of this workshop is to receive early board forward feedback, and inform staff review of the application. One area applied by staff is the proposed one-way circulation through the site to provide adequate emergency vehicle access without requiring a designated turnaround off-site. To facilitate this one-way circulation design, the applicant is requesting three waivers from technical manual requirements, including the number of driveways, in which the applicant is requesting two curb paths rather than the permitted one, driveway spacing, the applicant is requesting a spacing of 23.5 feet on plan left and 36.92 feet on plan right curve reveal the applicant is requesting a minimum curve reveal of five inches no rent public comment has been submitted to the city at this time. the applicant has held a neighborhood meeting on august 26 20 26 comments from the public centered on street design and furnishings design elements of the proposed buildings disruptions within the right-of-way second street lighting and height [26:09] Haynes Johnston (applicant representative): Thank you, Taylor, and thanks to all for joining us this evening. I'm Haynes Johnston. This is my project. I represent HSM Development, which is the owner of this project. I'm going to do very little speaking today. I'm going to defer mostly to the design team and the development team, but I wanted to give you a brief overview and touch on some of the things Taylor just mentioned. mentioned. It is in fact a nine-unit condo townhouse development on West End at 105 Winter Street on what are currently two wildly underutilized lots on the West End. We've designed it with obviously the historic context in mind but with a modern take on it and the one-way drive aisle is largely designed to facilitate a wounder in the back of the building that will allow for some community development amongst the two or excuse me between the two buildings the project team is acorn engineering is represented by acorn engineering and is the architect of record soren towards the landscape architect and then we've engaged with diversicorp be the construction manager and trc to do any and all environmental assessments on the site [27:15] Speaker B (unidentified): with that i'm going to pass it to kyle with the thank you thanks fear hyle with ahorn engineering happy to be in front of each side to present the projects at 101 105 winter street tahito's taylor and staff for all the excellent work and coordination upstate as well as haynes and taylor have mentioned we're proposing nine units in total split between five units within building a and four units in fact in building b would be a condominium As part of the site design, we would be proposing pretty substantial site improvements to facilitate the development, including all new utilities, water, sewer, stormwater, including water quality treatment and retention to meet the city's requirements. New underground power from the lines across the street, across Winter Street, and new gas services brought into the site. Flipping through, we are in the historic West End neighborhood along Wicker Street, pretty close to the recent Mercy Development Complex, the community of housing of Maine, affordable housing buildings just down the street as well, and into the site a little bit more. This is just a schematic plan, but shows the intent and the design flow one-way circulates through the site, as Taylor mentioned. As part of the request, we are requesting three waivers to facilitate this one-way design. Andrew will talk about our alternative analysis for how we ended up with this design shortly. But generally, we landed at this design because we felt it was the most appropriate and best use of the site. It also allows for emergency vehicular circulation throughout the site while providing the intended building designs. As part of the waivers, the five inch reveal request is really just as the reveal touches the adjacent existing reveal that we're time into the existing reveal all along Winter Street is five inches, which is atypical for the city's standard design, so that's really just as it touches the property line. The new section of sidewalk between the curb cuts would be the full standard seven inch reveal, and then for the two cut two curb cut approach waiver request, this obviously facilitates the one-way access and circulation through the site, and then the separation from driveway to driveway is in character with many of the driveways within the West End as well. [30:06] Planning staff: With that, I will turn it over to Soren to talk about landscaping. [30:10] Speaker B (unidentified): Hey, good afternoon, Soren Denord with Denord Design Studio. I've been working on the landscape design for this project and how to sort of collaborate with the design team to make the building forms and landscape contextual to the neighborhood, and there's a lot that goes into that with a purpose plot coverage circulation that's mentioned and sort of beautification, and so we're trying to create a collective property with that has urban infill with hard hardscape and plant form that kind of give it individuality for each of the 13 different units as well as sort of great uniform streetscape that feels continuous with the rest of Winter Street. So as Taylor mentioned, we have four street trees along the front proposed as honey locust trees, and we're using also supplemented soils to enhance their growths to ensure their maturity. And then in the back, as Haynes was talking about, we have this schooner for a courtyard space that is kind of an about face, which allows the back units to sort of not feel like they're just looking at the backs of the other buildings, and then kind of create community engagement. You can see the hatch patterns that circuit that sort of outlines each one of the gray tones, and that's intended to be pedestrian space that really encourages walkability, since that's how the rear units and access. Industry, there are individual garden spaces in the back units that have sort of elements of privacy and individual patterns. We've been adding 17 mature trees that will be canopy form and hopefully, you know, grow to maturity so that they add to the overall urban ecology of the site, mostly native rampings, and I think that's, I don't know, the majority of the landscape, I'm sure. [32:18] Chair (presiding officer): About how it interfaces with architecture, but sure. Yeah, I'm Andrew Ashi, principal amp studio, and from an architectural perspective, we've approached this project at a scale that's consistent with the historic neighborhood and took cues from the surrounding buildings to inform form, both its massing and its materiality. The building, as has been mentioned by a number of people now, is broken down into two forms, so the front building and the rear building, to further break down the scale and meet the kind of neighboring buildings. At the facade, we've used individually stooped entries, vertically oriented windows, a mansard roof, and dormers. Again, all kind of consistent with the historic context of the West End. The mansard and the dormers were intentionally introduced to help bring down the scale of the three-story building to be more like a two and a half story building, as are some of the neighbors, not all of them, but some. Materially, we are using a brick, a paler brick, a warm pale brick along kind of the front facades, and then some accents of stucco, as well as a standing seam metal roof found throughout the neighborhood, and some at the base where the planters are, which I'll speak more to, but some. Concrete planters and steps with warm wood doors at each entry. I think that's generally it. [33:44] Haynes Johnston (applicant representative): Building perspective can. [33:48] Speaker E (unidentified): You go to the driveway, yeah, and. [33:54] Chair (presiding officer): To speak to the, this might be a little bit to read on that screen, but we did study a number of access points into the site. The one you're looking at here is the single access. This shows the northern access, it could be on the south as well, the same limitations apply. The primary thing, primary challenge here is shown on the right, which is this dead-end condition that's created on the site for emergency vehicle access. So it creates a two-point turn for a fire truck within a very tight space which would limit and potentially reduce the amount of units that can fit on the site. [34:31] Planning staff: Other sort of drawbacks to this are that it creates two-way traffic, reducing the Werner concept in the back. So it would reduce the amount of green space that we have. It would increase traffic across this interior courtyard. [34:46] Chair (presiding officer): I mentioned reducing green space. It would also create a wider curb cut at Winter Street, which would be kind of uncharacteristic to a lot of the driveways that are found throughout the West End. So, you know, typical driveways are a single car, a single drive aisle. So this would create a double drive aisle that's kind of more befitting of a larger development that we're trying to sort of avoid the large development field here. So the two curve cuts on both ends not only reduces and makes more consistent the size of the drive aisles onto the site, But it also creates more of an ample pathway for pedestrians going to the back of the site to their units or to the shared space in the back. And then a fourth, so those are kind of three main points, but the fourth one is general, like, vehicular access in terms of more or less convenience. So we're on a one-way street. So if you are, can we just go back, sorry, if you're driving along Winter and you go in either the north or south, you're prohibited from circling back to either pick up or drop off at the front of the building. So if you want to return back to the front of the building, you would have to drive around the entire block, which is, without going into too much detail, but Pine Street is also one way in the other direction. So it forces you around a multi-block loop in order to get back to your building. So by introducing the two access point one way now, it eliminates that condition so you can actually circulate around your building where you own your property, not having to go around the entire block. But it also prevents a bottleneck, not a bottleneck, a dead end condition preventing the two point turnaround for the emergency vehicular access. It creates a one-way drive aisle between the buildings, so not only increases green space, but also creates a safer condition with less driving for people who are using the space. Those are the primary points. I'm sure there are more, but yeah. [36:55] Speaker I (unidentified): And that concludes our presentation. [36:57] Speaker B (unidentified): But I'm happy to answer any questions. [37:00] Chair (presiding officer): You've given us a lot of information. I think what we'll do is say if there's any public comment, [37:05] Speaker E (unidentified): we'll get to four questions. [37:07] Speaker I (unidentified): People have their questions. [37:11] Chair (presiding officer): So I assume everyone's here to speak on this petition. If you would like to speak and you're in the room, [37:19] Speaker E (unidentified): just come up to the podium. [37:21] Chair (presiding officer): And if you're online, you would use that raise hand feature to let us know you'd like to speak, not just keep it open a brief time to make sure we don't miss anybody. So one more time, we are here on Winter Street, and if you have a comment in the room, come right up the podium, and if you're online, please reach your hand. Hi, Ian Jacob, 59 State Street. Great project. I have a question regarding the driveway, and I don't know, there's a driveway that isn't active between the two buildings on Winter Street, the two new height Red Firm ones, and it's not really a curb cut, it's sort of a bump, but I guess it's allowable for vehicles. I'm wondering if that was, are you all familiar with what I'm talking about? No, but you can give us your questions and then, okay, the question is if that was considered for the site at all, where actually the driveway, one of the driveways is two-way for the residents, [38:35] Speaker E (unidentified): but could be two-way. [38:37] Chair (presiding officer): I'm just asking if we can minimize the curb cuts, basically. And the curb cut that you see between the two buildings, I'm talking about from New Height, Redfern, it doesn't actually read like a curb cut, but it seems to be allowable for vehicles. So I'm wondering if that was looked at and if that could be done, [38:56] Speaker E (unidentified): because there are quite a few curb cuts on that side of the street on Winter Street, yeah. [39:02] Chair (presiding officer): Thank you. So anybody with questions, we'll take questions, we'll let the city and the applicants [39:08] Speaker E (unidentified): respond, but hello. [39:19] Public commenter: My name is Jennifer De Phillip and I live at 119 Winter Street. We have all lived through a lot of development on Winter Street, and I had the opportunity to sit at the neighborhood meeting for this development, and it is night and day what we have experienced down at New Heights Redfern and everything that we have all gone through in the neighborhood and considerations. And I just want to say that I think that this is a fantastic proposal, and as we sat here, as we sat at the meeting for the neighborhood meeting, there was not one comment of negativity. It was positive. I think that they have addressed historic, they've taken sensitivity to the height of the front of the buildings with the three stories and the setback. They've taken consideration to lighting, which is a huge problem in our neighborhood of developers being allowed to go against our new lighting ordinances. People around us still do not tend to that. They're going to be doing bollard lighting, and I just, this was so impressive compared to what we have lived with down the street at the Mercy campus. And I am under the impression that there's going to be all underground utilities, and you had stressed that they were not digging up the street like the street had been dug up for this new project, which I just want to note that the developer of Redfern New Hype still should be held responsible for repaving Spring Street and Winter Street, and it is atrocious, and I suggest that every single one of you drive up Winter Street and see what we still have to live with from that development. And there was a lot of negativity with that development, including letting us know that it was home first after the fact, that 10% of the homeless people would be living in here. That was after the fact. 30 seconds? 30 seconds. 30 seconds. I just, I'm standing here saying that this was an incredibly impressive project that is proposed. I think the curb cuts are fine. I think the circular, the one-way up winter street. Very impressed with all of the proposals for this project compared to others [42:07] Chair (presiding officer): Well winter street comments in the room online I haven't seen me hands go up online [42:13] Speaker I (unidentified): line. I'll do the last call. [42:18] Chair (presiding officer): Okay. I'm going to close the public portion on Winter Street and open it up to board members for their questions. I think there was a question from [42:28] Speaker C (unidentified): the public about the drive on the previous Red Fern application on Winter Street. And as I remember it, that was a climbable curb for emergency egress only. And that's the reason it has a different appearance. And Peter, I don't know, maybe you worked on that project as well. [42:47] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah, I'm very familiar with that project. Very correct, that is the design intent for that one, it's for emergency vehicles only. Similar that we needed the parada loops connection for fire truck to avoid that larger L shape kind of turnaround for the fire truck, so we provided that loops connection for emergency access vehicles only, which does provide a mountable curb for a large emergency vehicle, but a standard pedestrian-style vehicle would find it difficult actually going down that curve. [43:27] Speaker C (unidentified): Forward questions. So we're on a workshop. I'll add one other question. It was noted, too, in the memo, the Heritage Tree Ordinance, that the whole site plan could be subject to change. I was a little surprised by that, while it is a separate permitting process, it seems as though that should be resolved before you have a site plan in place. And is that the case? Have you made progress on that? Has it been resolved? We feel pretty confident that it is, we've [44:00] Speaker B (unidentified): been in close contact with Mark, City of British, and also done some independent work with Bartlett Tree that evaluate the health countries. There are two that are just severely compromised, sugar maple and white pine, that are being, you know, viable trees that are in the vine. There it is, a tilia american linden, and it's structurally sound, but it is also, I think, in discussion evaluating whether how it will impact overall development, so we're sort of and communication with staff that gives us the fact that we're still get the momentum forward, and especially with the replacement tree plan that we're putting 17 canopy trees that will potentially be able to work for replacement removal. Yeah, and I believe Mark's initial comments were provided as part of the attachments. We did respond to those. It was too late to get everything incorporated ahead of this workshop, shock, but as someone mentioned, we are, or we have substantially changed the landscaping to promote mature and canopy trees as part of the development to address definition. [45:13] Speaker E (unidentified): Thank you. Other [45:19] Chair (presiding officer): questions? Yeah, board members, City, do you feel like you have what we need? [45:34] Speaker I (unidentified): So Tom, Eric will just look at the interface between the driveways and the amount of clearance in terms of visibility. [45:43] Public commenter: Has come [45:45] Speaker E (unidentified): behind on that. [45:47] Speaker I (unidentified): for us to get to do that as part of the [45:49] Speaker E (unidentified): field of duty. Yes, yeah, absolutely. We'll be talking about that during the [45:54] Speaker I (unidentified): You know, you have a little more traffic there than you would from a standard multi-two, three unit house. You're going to have a fair amount more. I think look at this, you're going to have different favors for the driveway portion of the sidewalk that kind of to help people visually identify that there's a driveway exit as opposed to the sidewalk. I saw that and then second was snow removal. We got a courtyard there and trees and you know you have a spot there where you're going to come for snow or you're going to be taking the snow out or. [46:30] Chair (presiding officer): And all the current fees largely but while he's blowing it up we do have a spot where we're. [46:36] Haynes Johnston (applicant representative): Designated for snow and then if it's a really bad but airable chunk and then the dump you're. [46:42] Speaker B (unidentified): Gonna dumpster or what are you gonna do for so back to the snow is correct but just showing you where on the plan we have identified snow storage but in the event of a large storm would have to be chucked off but this corner is where we identified our current snow storage and then for trash removal each unit would have internal bins that would be rolled out either we're still figuring out though it would be a private collection system so whether or not they're actually rolled out free for the. Private collector or they can sort of internally and pick up within that shared wound up area and they just kind of roll it out to their driveway and probably you know it would be individual totes stored within the while you're on the slide can you just point out that the driveways that you're requesting waivers for spacing is the one to the left immediately yeah so this one and then this one this one's actually kind of fenced off right here technically it's a curve cut but I'm So on both. Sides, but as you can see, throughout the rhythm of the West End, this slide doesn't have a great example, but I have lived in the West End in the past for many years, and a lot of driveways are kind of just back to back to back. I also think there's some ambiguity in the technical manual about whether the 50-foot spacing would only apply to driveways serving 10 or more spaces, because for 10 or fewer, [48:26] Chair (presiding officer): Then you just have to carry the cadence of the neighborhood. Right. So, yeah. [48:36] Speaker C (unidentified): I would say, too, I appreciate your explanation on the driveways. It was very sort of thorough, and it convinced me, and so I would support the waivers. I am conscious of the comment of the Winter Street residents. I know you have endured a lot of construction through the years, but I have to say I'm really pleased with the outcome. The length of Winter Street has a combination of condominiums, over 55, affordable housing. It's become a great neighborhood, and I know you had to endure the construction, but the end result is, I think, very positive. [49:11] Speaker G (unidentified): I agree with the initial thoughts on the two-curve cut waiver that seems the pros seem to outweigh the cons initially at least for me okay [49:30] Chair (presiding officer): So just a workshop thanks for being here that's a great presentation lots of great information thank you Taylor appreciate it why don't we take a quick five minute so five minute break so people can reorient it's designed as well yeah and it's 502 so 507 we'll talk about our next show [49:54] Speaker E (unidentified): Thank you very much okay welcome [54:39] Chair (presiding officer): Back everybody we are here for a second workshop on 92 Cassidy drives Mine LLC is the applicant this one would be just like the last one we'll hear from city and the applicant if any preliminary questions we'll get public feedback and then I'll get off the board to discuss so there won't be any votes this evening playing board is going to consider a zoning amendment application to rezone portion of the parcel at 92 Cassidy Point Drive from the waterfront port development zone to B-5 Commercial Zone company is also seeking a text amendment to allow stadiums as a permitted use B-5 zone to facilitate the construction of a stadium, pavilion, and additional commercial buildings. Project and plan summary are available for viewing on the city's CSS portal by referencing plan number ZN-003675-2026 for that I'll hand it off the city [55:46] Planning staff: Thank you chair just before Taylor jumps in I just wanted to kind of set some expectations there's a lot of attention obviously on this application which means there's a lot of people new to this process as the chair mentioned this is a private application this is the first workshop tonight's purpose is really to be informational and level setting so staff's presentation is going to be talking about the applicant's proposal giving some facts in terms of the parcel size the zones etc giving some Early feedback, but I just want to set the precedent that this is the first workshop for a private application. Chair already said there's no votes tonight, and we're happy to take any questions and help clarify, and also seek any of your input in terms of information you may be interested in that might help your decision as we start to get into actually comp plan analysis. [56:31] Speaker I (unidentified): I'll turn to Taylor. You see more than one workshop? I know nothing, but people have raised comments about process and you're talking about process. If you have a sense of it. [56:47] Planning staff: Thank you, Chair Southwood, former Vice Chair. That's why I wanted to set this out. This is the first workshop. There'll be other workshops in the future. This one is, again, to get the facts out and allow the applicant opportunity to present their proposal, get some background context, and then we'll expand on these workshops in the future and get into the offline analysis. [57:10] Chair (presiding officer): I'm just gonna add before you go that folks are new to this. This is a volunteer board of people who live in the city. And we are here to talk to the city, talk to applicants, and hear feedback from folks. Okay. So it's the volunteer panel here. [57:29] Planning staff: Okay. Kevin, I have a question. [57:33] Speaker C (unidentified): Procedure-wise, for a zoning change, it ultimately goes from the planning board to the city council. [57:40] Planning staff: Correct. Glad you asked. Yeah, let's get all these things out before you ask. So in the planning board recommendation, the final authority rests with the city council. So whether the board votes in favor of a zoning change or in opposition to a zoning change, that still goes to the city council and the city council has to find authority to determine [57:57] Speaker I (unidentified): what the change is that's one of the questions having to so with shoreline zoning is there any when i read this i was a dep has to sign off on any changes that are made to shoreline zone [58:13] Planning staff: Yeah, and there's already been contacted and speak to that as we get into it, but DEP has to be involved and right now there's no changes to the actual shoreline zone, but because the underlying and they're involved in that area we have to coordinate similar to the rules [58:26] Chair (presiding officer): And I guess to flush that out further, it's because we're talking about state law and municipal law here, correct? Sorry. [58:37] Speaker C (unidentified): For that, I'll start it right now. [58:41] Planning staff: Good evening, sheriffs and bony members of the board. Tonight we are hosting a workshop for a proposed map amendment for 92 passing points and a proposed text amendment to permitting uses into the B-5 zone. The applicant on this proposed map and text amendment is Harts of Pine LLC, represented by Egghorn Engineering. The subject property involved in this application is 92 Caspi Point Drive, which is currently a Zillow Waterfront Port Development Zone and has portions of the shoreland overlaid zone. The proposed map amendment would rezone a portion of the subject property to the B-5 urban commercial. The proposed text amendment would add stadiums of the permitted use in the B-5. For purposes of this review, the planning board is evaluating proposed text amendment for consistency with the comprehensive plan to ultimately make a recommendation to city council following the public year. The subject property is located along the western waterfront and is approximately 23 acres in size. The site is currently improved with industrial terminal facilities including warehouse storage, open air, coal pile, and marine related infrastructure. The site is accessed via Cassie Point Drive from West Commercial Street and is in close proximity to the intersection of Four River Parkway and Bedros Memorial Bridge which both provide direct access to 2I-295. As mentioned previously, the subject property is currently zoned WPDZ. The area within close proximity to the subject property spans a variety of different zones. Parcels immediately east of the property are also zoned WPDZ and serve a number of industrial and non-industrial uses. Parcels northeast of the subject property opposite of West Commercial Street are Z5 zones and feature a mix of commercial, office, retail,, industrial, and residential uses. Immediately north of the property is an area zone IMB, industrial moderate impact, and a contract zone which serves the northern light mercy medical campus. A portion of the site also falls within the shoreland overlay zone. There are no proposed changes to the shoreland overlay zone as part of this application. The applicant is proposing to rezone approximately 13.8 acres of the subject property from WPDZ to B5, retaining approximately 9.2 acres on the southern and western edges of WPDC. The area currently mapped WPDZ, including the subject property, encompasses 25 parcels, totaling approximately 96 acres of land. The B5 zone is currently mapped in areas including Toxas Point, West Herschel Street, Martin and Wake, Franklin Street, the River Institute campus, and Martin Point Medical Center. There are several notable use differences between the WPDZ and B5 zones. B5 is a mixed-use zone that is more permissive along a variety of residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial uses, such as those seen at Thompson Point and the Rue Institute. WPDZ, in contrast, supports a much narrower range of uses, historically heavily focused on marine uses and poor development. It is important to note that marine and industrial uses in the B5 are permitted, although the range of marine uses is narrower than that of WPDZ. Both the B5 and WPDZ have relaxed national standards. The B5 encourages urban mixed-use development with Bill 2 at Baxman building link requirements that complements Portland's staff town waterfront. The WPDZ supports marine-specific uses in areas directly connected to Portland's deep dredged channels by encouraging marine and industrial development by allowing 100% water coverage and substantial building link requirements. In addition to the proposed map amendment, the applicant is proposing a text amendment that would add stadiums of the permitted use in the B-5 zone in Table 6C contained in Article 6 as we want to suppose. The existing language in Article 6 permits stadiums in open space zones of the conditionally used whole thing. 78 written public comments have been received by the City prior to this meeting. The applicant held their required neighborhood meeting on August 27, 2026. All public comment and neighborhood meeting materials can be found in the provided packet. This initial workshop is intended to receive early board feedback to help inform staff's review and applicant submission. Staff will continue to work with the applicant team following this workshop and will schedule a second workshop when appropriate. With that, I will pass over to [1:02:50] Speaker E (unidentified): the applicant team for their presentation. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks to [1:03:03] Speaker B (unidentified): The board, welcome to your board. We appreciate your service. I'm Jonathan Colley, I'm a founding partner of Hearts of Pine and my other job as the real estate developer here in Portland. So I've been through this process before this board many times and have been sort of nominated to coordinate this activity for Hearts of Pine. We're here today to talk about our plan for Cassidy Point on the Western Waterfront, creating a new sports and recreation campus anchored by Hearts of Pine Stadium. Our plan completes an environmental cleanup of this long contaminated site through Maine DEP's B-RAP, or Voluntary Response Action Program. We're proposing to create trails and pedestrian connections, opening the site to the public, providing some of the only public access to the western waterfront. Our contract to purchase the property from Sprague Energy includes only the upland portion of the site. Sprague has a separate agreement to sell the pier to a marine user who will keep that portion of the site in waterfront use. So thus, our zoning request does not contemplate or include the pier that will stay in waterfront port industrial zone as will submerge lands that you saw on camera's graphic we expect to have a number of meetings with you the planning board certainly if we get through the zoning and then the site plan process i want to take a moment to introduce our team our architecture team is led by smrt locally here in portland gensler is a national firm who's providing expertise on sports stadium. Soren Denor Design Studio, who I saw at this table a few minutes ago, is our landscape architect. Our engineers are Will Savage sitting next to me, Ahorn Engineering. VHB is our traffic engineer, and you'll certainly hear from them at subsequent meetings. Woodard & Kern is doing all our environmental, including coordination with DEP on the VRAP. SW Kroll is our geotechnical engineer. Our consultants Bernstein Shore and Mary Costigan is sitting at the end of the table. She's our Permanent Counsel, and Corrigid Capital Projects is our Holder's Project Manager. So a very, local team with most of the principals based here in Portland. We also want to give you an introduction to Portland Hearts of Pine, for those of you who might be less familiar with that, I introduce Gabe Hoffman-Johnson, who's the founder and Chief Community Officer of Hearts and really been the visionary figure in the incredibly positive impact that Hearts of Pine have had on the local community. Thanks Jonathan. Hi everybody, I'm Gabe and yeah, maybe a little unconventional. I have some remarks and here we go. I like to start these kinds of things with gratitude, and today's certainly no exception. Yeah, thank you to the planning board for having us here today, for the time, thought, and care that you're putting in this process. Thank you city staff for all the work that has gotten us to this point. I'm incredibly grateful to the people who have believed in this vision over the last seven years. The City of Portland, and particularly the Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Department, who have been such important partners to us. But most importantly, I'm grateful to the people of Portland and the people of Maine. The way that this community has rallied around this club has been nothing short of extraordinary. When I think about how we got here today, talking about the possibility of building a permanent home for Hearts of Pine, it really starts with them. Before I talk about where we're going, I want to talk a little bit about why we're here in the first place. At the most foundational level, I believe in soccer for good. Soccer is the world's game, this incredible global common language that has the ability to transcend race, gender, age, income, culture, politics, geography, all the things that can otherwise divide us. At its best, it creates common ground. And seven years ago, when this was just an idea, that was the opportunity that I saw for Portland, not simply to bring professional soccer to Maine, but to harness the power of the world's game to make a positive difference in the place we call home. That is our why. We are here to contribute. Parts of Pine is a direct manifestation of my desire to do as much good as I possibly can for the city and state that I call home. We're a purpose-driven, community-backed organization. Our mission is to use this club as a platform to contribute to the economic, community, and cultural vitality of Portland and Maine. Over the last two years, I think we've started to see just how powerful that can be. We've seen thousands of people gather from different backgrounds standing shoulder to shoulder at Fitzpatrick Stadium. We've heard from people who didn't care about soccer or even sports before hearts but who have found community here. We've heard from young families who enjoy a fun safe place to take their children who high-five their idols and realize the possibility of their own dreams. We've heard from new Mainers who tell us this club has helped them feel like they belong. And we've tried to take that same sense of purpose beyond match day at East End Community School and now Talbot our after-school programming uses soccer to build social emotional skills teach leadership teamwork self-regulation and conflict resolution at king middle school our recent work with the dine fc gave students an opportunity to tell their own stories through soccer and creative expression ultimately creating something that was worn by professional players representing their own city we see it at kennedy park where we've been proud supporters of the soccer community there from the very beginning the birthplace of kennedy Park FC, which removes the cost barrier to competitive soccer by providing training, competition, and mentorship, and where Kennedy Park Pickup Soccer has become a genuine community institution built around inclusion and social connection, bringing together people across generations, cultures, nationalities, religions, and backgrounds who otherwise might never meet and giving them a place to belong. We see it in everyone who feels a connection to our club. Our community ticketing program provides 1,400 free tickets this season through each of the Portland Public Schools, the Portland Housing Authority, the City's Office of Economic Opportunity, and other community organizations, creating access for people and families who otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience a arts match. Because if we're going to call ourselves a community's club, the community has to be able to be there. To me, that's equity in a very tangible form. It's making sure that this thing we're building doesn't just belong to the people who can afford a ticket. It belongs to Portland. That's what Soccer for Good means to us. It means using this global game as a tool to create authentic connections, opportunities, and belonging right here in Portland. We're here to contribute to the local economy as well. Supporting local isn't a marketing slogan for us. It's simply how we've built this organization. Organization. It's our local food vendors, our local breweries, the artists and designers we work with, our partners, the businesses and people we hire, the people we collaborate with. It's in the stories that we tell. It's a critical filter for each and every decision that we make. And on Match Day, we want Portland to show up in the stadium because when this club succeeds, we want that success to circulate through the community around us. Now all of this has led to something that I don't think any of us could have fully predicted. Maine has showed up for us, 6,000 plus fans clapping in unison to start every match, 38 games, 38 sellouts, more than 2,400,000 tickets sold, and today over 8,000 people are waiting for an opportunity to become part of the season ticket members. Then we announced we're bringing a women's team to Portland. We had 5000 season ticket deposits available. They were gone in less than an hour. Think about what that says. Before that team has played a game or we've announced a roster, thousands of Mainers have raised their hands and said, we want to be a part of this. What an extraordinary statement about the appetite for community in this city and about the opportunity to build a the women's sport here in a way that is ambitious, equitable, and worthy of the women and girls who will inherit it. And something else has happened along the way. The rest of the country has started paying attention to Portland. We've been called the buzziest new team in American soccer. We've been called a phenomenon and a grassroots club changing American soccer. We've been called a hub, a beacon, and a gathering place where thousands of strangers feel like family. Way. Our story has traveled across the country and the world. Our jerseys went to all 50 states and more than 30 countries in our first season alone. And what's meaningful to me isn't that people are paying attention to Hearts of Pine. It's what they're paying attention to. They're paying attention to Portland, to Maine, to our culture, our creativity, our joy, our people, our sense of place, and our beautiful expression of community. We're taking the world's game and using it to tell Portland's story to an entirely new national and global audience. And that brings us to Cassidy Point, because we've reached a point where this community we've built has outgrown our current home. That's a wonderful problem, but it's also a responsibility. Permanent home isn't about building something bigger for the sake of being bigger. It's about creating the infrastructure that allows us to contribute more. Our capacity problem isn't simply preventing us from selling more tickets. It's limiting our ability to provide access to more of our community. And Cassidy Point presents an extraordinary opportunity to do that in a way that aligns with the future Portland has already articulated for itself. A more connected Portland, creating new public access to the western waterfront and a place where people from across this community can gather. A more sustainable Portland for mediating a former industrial site, eliminating the coal pile, taking a private gated peninsula, and creating public trails, green space, and access to water. A more equitable Portland, creating opportunities for people, different backgrounds, to participate in the world's game, and expanding the platform we're building for women's soccer. And a more dynamic Portland, creating economic activity, supporting local businesses, attracting visitors, and continuing to introduce an entirely new audience to this city. But when I think about Cassidy Point, I don't think about it as a stadium. I think about it as a physical manifestation of our why. Seven years ago, professional soccer in Portland was just a dream. today it's a community one that has grown faster reached further and meant more to people than i could have ever imagined and through all that our purpose remains the same use the power of soft to help build a better portland and a better main cassidy point represents the opportunity to do that at a scale worthy of the community that has built this club thank you i'm not going to be nearly as eloquent, but I'm going to get into some of that. We began looking hard at a new stadium about a year ago. Gabe mentioned some of the reasons, but I'm going to summarize and repeat them. First and foremost, we want to welcome and include more fans to our match days. We currently have over 4,000 season ticket holders and another 8,400 people on our season ticket waiting list. And we also want space for single game tickets to welcome new supporters. Gabe mentioned we plan to evolve our women's team from pre-professional to professional over time, going from roughly seven to roughly 20 women's matches per year, which would require additional stadium dates at Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is first and foremost home of the Portland High School Athletic Department, and so existing conflicts and restrictions at Fitzy would make it extremely difficult to grow our women's team. We'll need to control our calendar to get those additional women's dates. We have a field width issue at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Our field at Fitzpatrick data is about 64 and a half yards wide. A regulation professional soccer field is 70 yards wide. We have a short-term waiver from our league to play for the near future, but long-term, we need to have a compliant field, and to do that, Fitzpatrick Stadium would require us to relocate the track, which is probably a non-starter. And finally, where we don't control the stadium, Hearts of Pine has to set up and break down its tents, banners, field boards, catering setups, and more before and after every single match. So think about the labor that takes. There's an army of people that show up five hours before a match, put the stadium together. They stay for two hours after the match and pay it apart. Not particularly sustainable. As we began the search for a new stadium during the fall of 2025, we looked at potential sites in and around Portland, although always had a strong bias for a site on Portland's peninsula that would allow for multimodal transportation and was geographically central to our plan base, all of which would allow us to drastically reduce our collecting carbon footprint versus suburban alternatives. We also feel like the city of Portland is key to HART's identity and that the urban energy is key to the match day experience. In all, we identified more than a dozen possible sites, though these sites were not necessarily for sale or available, and in most cases, we found that they were not otherwise feasible. The locations included sites in and around the main mall, the abandoned Sable Oaks Golf Course in South Portland, decommissioned oil tank farms in South Portland, and even a farm in Westbrook. In Portland, we initially evaluated sites including the top of the Old Port parking lot, just a block from here, which was neither long enough for a soccer field nor available for sale. People have asked us about the city-owned Midtown sites, which are not nearly wide enough for a soccer field. The city-owned site on the Ford River Parkway, also not big enough and we understand likely slated for another use. We even thought about the MDOT I-295 interchange in Libby Town, which might one day be reconfigured, freeing up available land. In previous years, even before entering into a lease at Fitzpatrick Stadium, Gabe and I met with the owners of each of Thompson's Point, Scarborough Downs, and Rock Row, none of which could provide adequate dimensions or infrastructure to support a soccer stadium. So after an exhaustive search, Cassidy Point was the only site on Peninsula, and really the only site in Portland, that met the basic standards for viability. Big enough for a soccer stadium, available for sale or lease, and had parking and transit infrastructure nearby. In Cassidy Point we've identified a site that offers walkability to the west end where many of our supporters live, is on a GP metro transit line, and has existing nearby parking infrastructure. Keep in mind that to build a stadium in the suburbs or even off Peninsula Portland we would need the roughly seven acres for the stadium but also an additional 20 to 25 acres for a sea of asphalt parking. That's not what we want to do. The environmental case for an in-town stadium is extremely compelling with significant reduction in per capita carbon emissions. A final thought, Cassidy Point is not particularly viable for housing, given both the environmental considerations, but also because it's directly in the flight path, roughly 800 meters short of the runway. So it gets extremely loud down at Cassidy Point. This is a significant project for Portland and that's a consequential request for you, the planning board. It deserves meaningful conversation and robust public input. And so we're committed to that transparent public process with engagement well beyond the requirements of the ordinance. As an example, we've also held a number of public meetings beyond those required. And at this point, we've spoken with various stakeholders, and from our discussions, we've heard really two primary areas of concern, although there may be others. The first is parking and traffic. And though parking and traffic is typically not reviewed with zoning amendments addressed in the site plan part of the process, we understand that this project at large is significant enough that review might need to be different to address the concerns of the public, the planning board, and the city councilors. We've hired VHB engineers, and they're well underway on an extremely comprehensive traffic study. VHB has been present at recent parts of pine matches surveying our fans. As an example, we've learned that at two of our recent matches, 81 percent of our fans arrive at this Patrick Stadium by private car, with an average of 2.7 passengers per car. This means that 90 percent of our 19 percent of our fans arrive by walking, biking, or transit. We'll be leaning heavily into strategies to increase this percentage, and in particular, we see a significant opportunity to increase the percentage of fans that arrive by transit at Cassidy Point. We'll invite Jen Conley from VHB Traffic Engineers to present to you at our next workshop to describe the framework for the parking and traffic analysis that we're doing. Next. The second, I'm sorry, we've had preliminary discussions with owners of nearby garages and surface lock within walking distance to Cassidy Point. Included in these parking options include the VA clinic on West Commercial Street and the nearby Mercy Hospital overflow lot. Together with other nearby sites, there are more than 2,000 nearby parking spots in private lots that have peak demand during business hours Monday to Friday, but have minimal demand when we play our matches on nights and weekends. And again, we look forward to talking more about this at our next workshop. Next slide, please. The second area of concern, which is perhaps more pertinent to the zoning amendments, is the question of the industrial waterfront. This is an important issue and will undoubtedly be a respectful debate related to the role of waterfront industrial uses as Maine's economy transitions from heritage industries to future opportunities. We've had respectful meetings with the Maine Port Authority, the Waterfront Alliance, and others, and we'll continue these discussions throughout the process. We've commissioned Camoin Associates, an economic development consulting firm, to conduct an analysis of economic activity in the port and to land inventory of waterfront parcels around the port, including on the South Portland side. Camoin is planning to speak with key port stakeholders, including the Maine Port Authority, Ameskip, the largest cargo operator in Portland, labor unions, and others. Des Moines is well respected, having conducted similar studies around our port in the past. We expect to submit the study to the public and, of course, to the planning board for your consideration prior to a public hearing on this matter, and we'll likely have an interim update at our next workshop. The current owner of the Cassidy Point Terminal Sprague Energy has submitted a public comment describing in detail the commercial history of the site. And while this is their story and not ours, it's relevant to the discussion, so I'll summarize the letter. From the 1940s to the 1970s, this was mostly an oil terminal tank farm with limited vessel access. The tanks that you see in the image to the left were likely abandoned during the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, an important figure named P.D. Merrill took over the then-defunct terminal and repositioned it to serve Maine's then-thriving forest products industry, mostly pulp, paper, and newsprint. PD also offloaded and stored coal for the same pulp and paper mills. To facilitate this business, PD Merrill dredged an area of coastal flats, built the current dock in 1982, and added several rub buildings, which are semi-permanent warehouses for storage. At one point, PD also had a line of business exporting Maine's scrap metal, which was shipped primarily to ports in Turkey. At its peak in the 1980s and 90s, the terminal employed roughly 40 full-time workers and another 20 or so part-time workers. But in 2005, P.D. Merrill, seeking a buyer who could make the necessary capital investments in the terminal, sold his business to Sprague Energy, and his family trust sold this land to Sprague several years later. Around 2010, these businesses all started long and steady declines. Maine's pulp and paper industry was unable to compete with South American mills with cheaper power and cheaper labor. The digitization of newspapers effectively ended the newsprint business, and structural changes in the scrap metal industry eliminated that business as well, but that was moved to the port south of Austin. By 2020, only several employees remained at the terminal with limited activity, mostly related to coal offloading and storage. And according to Sprague, the city council banning the coal storage with the final blow for the terminal. And today, Sprague has no full-time workers left at the terminal. While two of the remaining rub buildings are leased short-term to Amescap for dry storage, the pier and these rub buildings are at the end of their useful life and would require massive investment to continue operating an industrial business at Cassidy Point. And with little to no commercial demand for these assets, neither the public nor private sector is going to make these investments, rendering Cassidy Point non-productive and effectively obsolete. At this point, the terminal hasn't even seen material new investment in over 40 years. You've heard that the city council has already weighed in on this specific parcel, and this is an important consideration. It's presumably quite unusual circumstance where this board is reviewing zoning amendments when the sitting city council has already made determinations on permitted or prohibited uses related to the site. You know that last August, the city council, in response to overwhelming input from the west end neighbors, health and wellness advocates, and local and national environmental groups, unanimously voted to prohibit coal storage at Cassidy Point. With this vote, the city council set a strong signal that it was time to consider a new, more progressive future for the site. The council action effectively banned the last remaining commercially viable waterfront industrial use and cause Sprague to seek a new owner and a new vision for Cassin Point. So it's no coincidence that the only site in Portland that is suitable and available for a soccer stadium is currently zoned Waterfront Port Development Zone. It is precisely because the site is zoned only for waterfront industrial use that the property is currently non-productive or otherwise encumbered and thus available for sale. Our proposal would make this site productive again for the local economy, for the people of Portland, bringing a different type of economic vitality and new community energy to the west end of Portland. The sports and recreation campus with public trails and waterfront access represents a far more progressive and optimistic and healthier future, one that allows for the environmental cleanup that the highly contaminated site desperately needs and that its neighbors deserve. So I turn it over to Will Savage of Acorn Engineering, who will address the specific zoning requests and also its consistency with the comprehensive plan. [1:26:26] Planning staff: Thank you, Jonathan. Thank you, Gabe. Members of the board, my name is Will Savage with Acorn Engineering. You're with me today is Pete Heil, also from Acorn Engineering. And so, you know, what you see here is the plan structure from Portland's Plan 2030. The Comprehensive Plan is a guide to decision making in our community for the next 10 plus years. It defines key concepts for who we are as a community and sets the standards by which future planning policy efforts will be measured. The standard is not that the zoning be consistent with the comprehensive plan, but not in alignment with every single piece. When you look at the plan structure, think of it as a wheel. And on the outer ends of the wheel, you've got the future land use section, which is organized around six key principles. pulse. You have One Portland, spreading the benefits and challenges of sustainable growth fairly across the community. You have Priority Nodes and Corridors, which identifies key corridors for additional planning and investment. Priority Corridors can also serve as an additional mixed use, higher density growth to take advantage of the transit benefits and services that are well designed. We are on one of those corridors. Complete Neighborhoods, improving livability while retaining the key characteristics that make neighborhoods unique. Personally, there's nothing more special than arriving to a game and the bizarre-like feel when you're walking through the streets to that game and the sense of neighborhood and community. To reinforce the center, recognizing that the Portland Peninsula remains a predominant locus of arts and culture, economic and civic health. Support our waterfront. Identifying that the waterfront is a resource central to the identity, economy, ecology, and recreational life of Portland. To connect the chain, connecting and strengthening our open space and transportation networks. So diving in a little bit further into the economy, and I'm taking, I will cite sections directly from Portland's plan 2030. So value and nurture Portland-based businesses. One example that you've heard is the Heart's continued dedication to food trucks, which, as noted in a recent July 21st Press Herald article, was not the norm for large sports stadiums. Additionally, by the use of these local food producers, it's not only good for the local economy, but it's also good for the environment. To invest in, attract, and retain human capital to support a growing economy. The Economic Impact Study commissioned by the City of Portland estimated that 16.5 million in economic impact across Maine during the Hearth's inaugural first season. Great economic prosperity by growing Portland's employment base. The Economic Impact Study once again estimated that 145 jobs across the state were created in the first year of play. Plan for institutional growth. Promote the orderly expansion of institutional uses, including cultural institutions, which are central to workforce development, employment, and the health of the local and regional economies. Ensure that the growth of Portland's cultural institutions is integrated into Portland's urban fabric through the use of high-quality design, management of impacts, community partnerships, and innovative planning. Moving on to the environment. As known for generations, Cassidy Point has served as the industrial waterfront with coal storage. The site is largely impervious right up to the shoreline. The existing site has little to no water quality measures in place, and the storm water just directly flows and discharges into the Fort River. It should be noted that the Fort River Estuary is considered an urban impaired water body by the Maine DEP. So listed within the comprehensive plan talks at great length about improving water quality, especially in sensitive shore land overlay zones as noted. To minimize impacts to the city's waterways by reducing combined sewer overflows and implementing stormwater best management practices. For those on the board who know me, that'll be my favorite part, should we be able to move forward with a future site plan, will be talking about the stormwater management practices for the site to incorporate low impact development techniques as part of recode and part of the city's technical manual update there is a robust lib low impact development techniques that will be required for this site support reduction in pervious areas and implementation of green infrastructure the proposed Development will significantly improve the amount of green space especially adjacent to the Fort River providing exciting opportunities for water quality best management practices and the low impact development techniques. It will also include riparian restoration and trees and plantings along the shoreline and might sound funny but it'll also include plantings for pollinators and planting for native species. Of course this site will also be elevated to plan for the future sea level rise in accordance with the coastal flood resiliency overlay. Given the historical usage of this site, the site will be eligible for groundfield redevelopment and the Maine DDP Voluntary Response Assurance Program, or VRAP. Moving on to the waterfront, we are looking to seek to balance a working waterfront while balancing non-marine uses and public access. The waterfront use has a hierarchy, water-dependent, marine-related and compatible non-marine uses. We are not proposing any changes to the zoning or the water-dependent uses on the 600-foot pier or the existing 3,000 square feet of existing marine-related building space. To reinforce the waterfront as a key component of Portland's economic health, balancing traditional and emerging industries with tourism and recreation. That's really a key piece in the comp plan. To promote passive and active recreational access to the waterfront, expand waterfront access to the public where possible and appropriate. Again, all this is listed in the comprehensive plan. To explore the potential for greater recreational access to and from the Four River. This specifically mentions access to the Four River in the waterfront section of the comprehensive plan. Moving on to recreation and open space. To ensure equity, pursue opportunities in collaboration with partners to create new open spaces in areas that are currently underserved. Pursue opportunities for new and enhanced walking and biking trails as a means of filling existing gaps and investigate paper streets, vacant lands, medians, and other overlooked areas for potential park linkages, trails, and other improvements to the urban landscape. Connect the waterfront. Encourage physical and visual access to Portland's waterfront, including the Forum River as a blueway network, an extension of public space for local and regional recreation and transportation needs. And this is all in the recreational open space section. To connect the chain, prioritize open space acquisition program toward creating linkages where there are gaps in the network, western waterfront and the Florida River. Lastly, on facilities and services, to pursue public-private partnerships to fund needed projects and services. Well, I guess lastly, with transportation, to promote multimodal accessibility, enabling residents and visitors of all ages and abilities to participate fully in the social and economic life of the community. To manage parking strategically, enhance the pedestrian realm, expand bicycle facilities, and manage transportation demand. As Gabe's earlier presentation provides, how the zoning amendment would provide compatibility with the six elements of the vision statement. Equitable, sustainable, dynamic, secure, authentic, and connected. Moving on. Here you can see the existing zoning map. So as mentioned, you can see on the map here the location of the existing coal pile. You've got Asia West to the northeast of the coal pile. You've got the new makerspace and artist studios in the middle of the Cassidy Point loop. That was actually permitted by ACORN back in 2019. You also have the dotted line that you can see within the Fort River. So that demarks the deep water channel. And then the brown area to the west of this site is largely all tidal flats at that location. [Speaker C (unidentified): The waterfront fort] development zone aims to support the ongoing success of the fort by regulating the development of land directly connected to the dredged deep water channel of the Fort River and the portland harbor. So moving on here to the proposed zoning map, so b5 to provide areas on or proximate to the waterfront downtown in the peninsula for a mixture of uses including marine industrial commercial and a broad range of residential options is encouraged. The b5 is characterized by larger undeveloped slots with great potential for dense cluster or urban mixed-use development in existing developments. The waterfront development port zone would remain along the entire shoreline, as you can see within this map, including the dredged deepwater channel. The zone would also extend upwind, so it's not just following the shoreline, but it's also extending upwind 10 feet from the highest astronomical tide, the half-line. And this is a similar condition to what you would see in the waterfront central zone. That 10-foot offset mimics the waterfront central zone that way. So moving on to the vicinity zoning map here. So as you can see in pink is the B5. So we really see this running inland of and proximate to the waterfront along Commercial Street. You see the chain of the ping running down commercial street until what we have proposed on Cassidy Point. You know and one of my one of my favorite phrases in the comp plan is how we will foster accessible linkages between where we live, work, shop, and play in the community. I can't think of a better use than the Hearts when it when it comes to that. Moving on to the waterfront and existing public open spaces. And so these are existing public open spaces that are only on the waterfront. So moving clockwise, you have Batco Park, you have the Eastern Prom, you have the Amethyst Park, you have Moontide Park and Bellevue Park. And then we have nothing as you move further west. We're looking to fill that gap. And we see a real desire and need, as previously mentioned, and that's been cited multiple times in the comprehensive plan to provide that public open space along the Port River. Here's just a couple of renderings. Here you can see the existing pier with the buildings to remain. You can see, you know, very minimal parking and the stadium along the left. You've already seen this rendering where there's the proposed public easement and park like atmosphere along the four river. Moving on to the site plan that was submitted, so we are proposing 9,000 to 11,000 capacity stadium. They're proposing a indoor athletic complex and rump building six, which is the yellow building in the bottom right corner, and then in the upper right corner we have a proposed commercial building. So on site we have approximately 200 parking spaces with additional parking spaces off-site in all walkable locations. The proposed property line would follow the highest astronomical tide. The rub buildings three and five would remain on the pier and access would remain to the pier from Cassidy Point. We are proposing public access around the perimeter of the entire site that will that will be controlled by the Hearts and along the western shoreline will be that park-like setting. I think it's exciting that if you circumnavigate the site it's about 2,800 linear feet or about half a mile. So, you know, run it six times and you'll get your three miles in that way. I want to be very clear that there are no proposed changes to the CSX line that currently serves the Port Authority. So, finally, so Portland's plan emphasizes creating a vibrant, dynamic, and sustainable city that balances economic vitality with an active waterfront usage. usage. Repurposing the WPDZ, zoned at Cassidy Point to B5, unlocks an underutilized waterfront area to be developed into a cultural institution that will attract regional investment, enhance public waterfront access, and expand high-quality public gathering spaces. It will allow for locally owned and managed community-minded organizations to grow and thrive within the City of Portland. In summary, this map changes consistent with and promotes the vision of the Comprehensive Plan. And that concludes our presentation. [1:41:23] Chair (presiding officer): Thank you for a comprehensive presentation. I know it won't be the last. So what we will do, I think, unless there's a procedural preliminary question, is public comment. So just like last time, it will start in the room, and you'll come up to the podium. We'll have someone tell you 're getting close to time, and then after, we will go online. I can see that somebody's already got their hands up, but we will go online after the room. Yes, so a lot of people have submitted written comments. I think they said 78 so we have had those and we have gone through them you know if everybody wants to testify we're going to be here a long time so just keep that in mind it's fine to say I support adult support we don't have a problem with that and this is not the last time we will be here so those of you that are in the room just come right up to the podium. My [1:42:41] Planning staff: name is Lauren Austin and I live on John Joy Hill and I'm a community coordinator at East Bend Community School where I've been fortunate to work closely with the pilot program of Portland Soccer Project, an impact program under the Harker Pine Foundation over the past year and a half. We feel incredibly fortunate to have this program positively shaping our students into not only stronger soccer players but more importantly stronger people. My son Zion was a part of the program since the very beginning and as his mother I can personally attest to the positive impact Portland Soccer Project has had on his life and his growing passion for soccer. As a staff member at the school I've witnessed the sportsmanship and teamwork these players have developed through Portland Soccer Project in what used to be tense and overly competitive soccer games during recess. As a soccer coach in the area, I can clearly see the results of the hours these students have dedicated to improving their skills and strengthening their integrity as athletes. As a mother in the neighborhood, I regularly see these students confidently joining older players on the football court in Kenley Park. The rewards these students have gained from Portland Soccer Project are endless and a positive impact on our school community and beyond is truly palpable. My commitment to supporting Hearts of Pine's dedication to youth soccer in Portland is steadfast and continually growing. In addition to serving as a community coordinator, I'm also an artist and recently created heart-themed earrings designed to appeal to Hearts fans, while also serving as a Hearts for Good Forever Fundraiser for the Hearts of Pine Foundation, supporting the Courtless Soccer Project. These earrings are online in the merch stand at 50 and in a resale place. I share this to emphasize how deeply I want to help ensure that Portland Soccer Project and Heart Supply as a whole remain supported for years to come and that I'm committed to contributing in any way that I can. I highlight my passion for Portland Soccer Project because I truly feel and believe that Heart Supplying is committed to supporting and enriching our community in any way that it can with a ripple effect from its vast reach. Heart Supplying has offered hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of tickets free of charge to community partners and members of our community who might not otherwise have had a chance yet to attend a game. Soccer balls, t-shirts, stickers, and more have been given to people throughout Portland and beyond. Free community events and watch parties add to the connections that weave the community into the extended family of Hearts of Pine. The generosity of this organization is steady and admirable. Having a permanent home stadium for this community is important to everyone who has already supported Hearts of Pine and for future fans who have yet to feel the magic. I have biked many a Hearts game with my son and his friends and we look forward to continuing such adventures on our way to the new stadium in the future. Cheers to the Hearts of Pine for impacting so many lives in such a meaningful and lasting way. [1:45:38] Speaker E (unidentified): Thank you for your time and considers. Thank you for being me. Oh, my name is [1:45:46] Speaker I (unidentified): John Donovan, Portland resident, and I have been in the seafood business for the better part of 50 years, working on the waterfront. I've seen it all. The condos came, they got stopped. It's been an adventure, but I also should mention that a season ticket holder would have been from day one and haven't missed a game. So when I heard about the new stadium, I realized I had kind of like two horses in this race. On the one hand, new stadium, yay. On the other hand, this is a working waterfront issue and I knew there would be some pushback. So I listened to a lot of verbal conversations on both sides, people that I know on the waterfront, people that I know at the Hearts, and decided that I know, and I also listen to a lot of the keyboard warriors on social media, but I decided to do my due diligence. I was very familiar with Cassidy Point as I am the entire waterfront, like I said, 50 years, and I used to keep a boat in a little marina down there at Cassidy Point years and years ago, and I walked down, took a little walk around, and more importantly I got in my boat and went up the river, which I've done a lot of times, but this time with a new perspective of looking at what this may look like. And all of that said and done, 100% I'm for the stadium. I think it'll be a great addition to that area, which hasn't changed in four years in my eyes. And that's what I've got to say. I'll keep you [1:47:27] Speaker E (unidentified): for sure thank you thank you chair [1:47:38] Bill Needleman (public commenter): Benzoni, Ms. Aboni, members of the planning board, members of the planning staff, former colleagues, I'm Bill Needleman. I was the waterfront coordinator until for the city Portland until last year. Previous to that I spent 14 years in this Culver seat senior planner for the city, working a lot of the time on waterfront issues. I do come in opposition to the rezoning as a person who's fully supportive of the Hearts. I think it is important to correct the record to a certain extent. Cassidy Point is not a former industrial facility, is an active industrial facility, underutilized but active. All these comments are, some of these comments, my letter that I hope that you've seen in the packet, and I'll try not to just reiterate to read. But I think that this board needs to think very carefully about the comprehensive plan and its intent and the documents that lay behind it. Because active displacement, the displacement of an active marine use by non-marine use was the definition of incompatible. So words like compatible non-marine use are critical to understanding the policies that the city has as supported for 40 years. Appropriate public access means public access that is appropriate to the context, that context is industrial marine use. These are the only areas that the waterfront can expand. As the presentation showed, Cassidy Point has had not just one life, it has had many lives. But it has been concentrated on the movement of goods in and out of the Port of Port. And it is the movement of those goods that has given it value. None of that value would have existed without public investment, federal investment in the Dredge Channel. Millions and millions of dollars to keep these facilities viable into the future. A drawbridge instead of a fixed reach so that ships can get on here. Far more expensive to operate, far more expensive to build. The entire design of the Cassidy Point area is one premise on getting trucks in, trains in, so that they can interface with the ships. 30 seconds. One operator is not the entire story, And we have been patient in the past in allowing new opportunities to come in that utilize the unique and irreplaceable attributes of connected intermodal transportation, where large-scale goods and services can come in by water. And I'll say that when one thinks about everything that's come through Cassidy Point over the decades, the hundred years and service along, if all that came by truck, what would be the impact and what might be the positive impact moving forward if I had a new operator for that site with this or another industry and I look forward to speaking with the board at future BX. Thank you. Thank you for being here. [1:51:15] Planning staff: Good evening. My name is Lauren Caffey, and I live on Neal Street. I'm speaking in support of the Zoning Math and Text Amendments that would open Portland's arms to the hearts of high and high capacity points. I've read and understand Portland's plan 2030, and I believe this amendment strongly aligns with every aspect of the vision statement. Under dynamic sustainable and authentic in the 2030 vision, Portland committed itself to welcoming new residents, making vibrant art and cultural life central to its identity, and balancing its historic fabric with the best of new designs for the future. Maine's population is aging and the state needs to attract people who want to stay, raise their kids here, and one day see their grandkids here. Sports are a crucial piece of that puzzle and a proactive approach to sustainable development at a site that is begging for a new life. The Hearts are not just a professional soccer team. They are firmly committed to growing the game and providing opportunity for all ages in Maine. People near and far notice that, have noticed that, and will continue to notice that. This amendment would assist in their ability to continue this growth and subsequently open the waterfront to the public, connect more people to an authentic part of Maine's history, and give new welcoming life to the west entrance of our city. Under connected and equitable in the vision Portland committed itself to fostering accessible linkages between where we live work shop and play and to providing meaningful access the natural world and recreation as a central part of community health the stadium at Cassie Point makes that commitment a reality. What stands out to me most and to so many others is the heart's focus on inclusive community. It is rare to find a group so willing to work for the common good. They're thinking beyond just soccer. They're thinking about social and physical connections between people. By providing a place for people of all backgrounds to gather on the peninsula, they're increasing people's connection within and to the city, to the state of Maine, and to one another. That has immense effects across multiple different sectors of public and private life. We've all seen this unfold. I'll never forget the rain delay at a Hearts game a few weeks ago. While we waited for the all clear, groups upon groups of people walked into nearby restaurants and stores, stood on the street and chatted, and met strangers who were also advanced. It was a perfect display of how 22 players in a ball can bring people together, make streets safer, and benefit public health and the local economy. And it's what French sociologist Emile Durkheim would call collective effervescence, a shared feeling of energy harmony and connection that happens when people gather for a common purpose. That was just one moment of many moments the Hearts have fostered and hopefully one of many more to come to Portland. This proposal doesn't just fit the vision it or Portland created for itself, it puts that vision into practice. Because of this I urge the board to recommend [1:54:15] Speaker E (unidentified): approval of the zoning map. Thank you. Good evening. [1:54:30] Planning staff: My name is Jill Perry and I own a small design studio here in Portland. I wanted to voice my support for the proposed Hearts of Pine Stadium. There are a lot of reasons to support this project but I want to speak from my personal perspective which is that Hearts of Pine has made a real and in my experience unparalleled commitment to Portland's creative community. They hire artists and designers to create posters, merchandise, branding and other work for the club, and the thing is, they don't have to. They could do much of that work in-house. They could use the same designer every time. Instead, they continually make the choice to bring in different local artists and designers into what they're building. I've been lucky enough to be one of those people. As a small business owner, I can tell you that matters. Yes, it's paid work, and I can talk about the economic impact that they're having on the community in this way, among many others. But on a larger level, it's an opportunity to do meaningful, visible work in the community where I live. And every time Hearts chooses a local artist, designer, vendor or small business, a little more of what they're building belongs to Portland. I've seen another side of that commitment through my husband, who works at King Middle School. Hearts recently worked with King students through Design FC to create an actual Hearts jersey. Think about what that means for a middle school kid. Something you help design isn't sitting in a classroom wall. Professional soccer players are wearing it, and next year Portland kids will have something else, a women's team. I can't overstate how meaningful I think it is for little girls and little boys in Maine to grow up going to a stadium in their own city and watching women play this game, not as a special event, not as something they have to travel somewhere else to see, just as part of what professional sports looks like in their hometown. And that's why I think where the stadium is matters. Parts isn't just a soccer team that happens to play in Portland. In less than two seasons, they've become an integral part of the community, through local artists and businesses, through their foundation, through programs with Portland kids, and through the relationships they've built throughout the city. Keeping them in Portland also matters for accessibility. A stadium in the city means families and kids who may not have a car or an easy way to get somewhere outside Portland still have a realistic opportunity to be a part of this thing, and that is important. The stadium gives Hearts room to grow, and for so many local small businesses to grow with them. But just as importantly, it allows something that has become genuinely rooted in Portland to stay rooted here. 30 seconds. I hope you'll give them the opportunity to keep growing with the city that helped make them fair. Thank you. [1:57:17] Public commenter: Hi, I'm a property owner and a resident in Portland, Maine, and I'm coming here in support of, I know that a lot has been written, in fact, my husband, Sean Dunn, wrote an email sort of citing the various standards and parts of the recode that would support this amendment. So I'm not going to go through that, because I don't know if it's very well said. It's not my expertise. What I thought I would just talk about, once again, is sort of the experience that I've had going to the games, being at the games, and coming home from the games. I, full disclosure, I'm a neighbor of Gabe's, I'm not lying here, but I am also an architect and I've worked in Portland for a very long time, and I'm also a builder. I work at Vibrarian Construction. And so what I see going to the games, once again, is that incredible sense of community of people getting together, walking to the game, we just walk down and over the hill to the game every single time. Every single time being at the games you're seeing people from all over Portland and from away who from other places you may not see regularly you get to see on a much more regular basis this way, but then also walking home and all of a sudden you're seeing all these people still up into Portland and I see as an architect and someone who works with the developers oh how much money do they have in their pocket and what are they bringing into Portland to have dinner that night or to just you know walk past our stores so to me there's an incredible opportunity here of you know harnessing looking at even more people creating that community in the soccer field, but then what happens when they as they are coming and leaving and what is the opportunity going up and down St. John's Street they're walking in that way what's the opportunity as they're walking in along Commercial Street so I really I mean that's just one small potential benefit and impact of this stadium, but I do think that it's you know everything that's been said today as so far as this evening is very positive and important part of this I just wanted to say that as a resident someone who's attended these games I just sort of felt that impact and felt the flow of how it works it's it's very powerful and we don't want to lose it I want to see it get [1:59:28] Chair (presiding officer): harnessed and work even more for us thank you thank you for being here thank you to Sean for [1:59:34] Speaker I (unidentified): Good evening. [1:59:44] Sean Mahoney (public commenter): My name is Sean Mahoney. I work for the Conservation Law Foundation. My office is just down the street. And I had three things I wanted to add to what you've already heard from me. The first is my organization was involved with helping the residents and neighbors in the area with moving forward to try and find an alternative to the coal pile that had been there for years. It did pose a public health risk. And those group of citizens had a referendum ready to go. But in presenting it to the city council and the city council, NANOS decided not to have it go to the ballot, but instead to adopt it. The second thing I would say is that I'm an environmental attorney and I've been involved in a lot of brownfield projects. I should also have said from the beginning, I'm also a city stakeholder, and I'm in the supporter section, so I look at it still very often. But as an environmental attorney who's worked on brownfield projects in the past, but this is one of the most exciting community oriented brownfields projects that I've ever seen professionally or personally. I'm particularly excited about how this provides public access and to the waterfront at that end of commercial strategies. We don't have that. The last thing I'd say is just as I was coming back to name the day crossing the bridge over made me start thinking about what's West Commercial Street look like today. I've been running on West Commercial Street for almost 30 years. Today when you come across that bridge you see Mercy Hospital, Barwood Foods, and Cassidy Point. And then you see Portland Yacht Services, you see Iron Skip, of course there's always Becky's, GMRI, and then the commercial here. It's an amazing stretch and what a way to welcome and enter the city of Portland and to add a great soccer stadium to that mix I think that really speaks to what Portland is today and what I'd like to do so thank you thank you [2:02:00] Planning staff: Good evening thank you for the opportunity to speak my name is Carly I'm a resident of the west end a dear good union and halyard supporter group member and a season ticket holder for both the hearts of pine men and women's team and I know this isn't the venue but if anyone from the front office wants to come with a name I'm all yours I also grew up playing soccer here in Maine and it's been so meaningful to watch the hearts of pine become part of the fabric of the city that I call home I Support the Cassidy Point stadium project and the amendments before you that would allow it to move forward. Well, the Hearts is a soccer club of Maine. Portland is its home, and I think that distinction is important. The Hearts have become so much more than what happens for 90 minutes on the pitch. They've created a place where strangers become friends, where we celebrate one another, sing and dance alongside one another, and where there's a genuine spirit of generosity and belonging. For me, Hearts is also very much a family affair. My sisters and parents are season ticket holders, and my niece and nephew have become huge fans as well. And so three generations of my family come together here in Portland to cheer, and Portland is not just where the games happen, but it's where the club lives. I've had conversations with Captain Mikey Lopez while he's walking his dog in the neighborhood. I've yelled up the Hearts to Ollie Wright in the Old Port, and I've chatted with Coach in the team store while he was buying merch for his mom. To me, those interactions reflect something really unique about this club, that the people who make it special are woven into the life of the city. I hope you'll support the Cassie Point project and the amendments that would make it possible to keep Hearts here in Portland, where this community has taken root. Keeping Hearts in Portland matters because this is where families have built traditions around match day, where friendships have formed, and where a club has become something larger than soccer. Keeping Hearts in Portland matters because there's something really powerful about having a place where the next generation of Maine kids can look toward the field and see something that feels like it belongs to them, too. Thank you for your consideration, and up the Hearts. [2:03:57] Speaker E (unidentified): Thank you very much [2:04:06] Public commenter: for offering the opportunity to speak. [2:04:11] Planning staff: Speak, thank you. My name is Brian Downey. I live in Falmouth, but I work in the Port of [2:04:17] Public commenter: Portland, and I am opposed to a rezoning and casting point. There's no question Hearts of Time is great for the community, great for the city, and I appreciate everybody that they're doing, you know, and I thought the gave your presentation was spot on, so it's really not about that at all. No question that they had a place in Portland. I just wish it wasn't in Chastity. So the context, I'm a retired Coast Guard officer. My last unit was here in the Port of Portland as the Deputy Secretary of Command. And so we were responsible for all operations in Maine and New Hampshire, including safety, security, and thermal protection of the Port of Portland. So I'm pretty familiar with the port, shipping, and all of that. [2:05:20] Speaker B (unidentified): I'm since retired. I've been retired for quite a while. [2:05:23] Public commenter: Well, in my post-post-guard career, I still work in the Marine community. I'm a consultant. I do regulatory consulting for shipping companies and that sort of thing. And so as a regulatory consultant, I go right into the regulations, and I recognize that we're here to discuss a change in zoning, in but it i just couldn't get over the fact that the code the land use code emphasizes the economic and assessment of the waterfront port development zone and its importance to the city and the region and you know i won't go through and read every you know site that i found but it was pretty clear to me that code section 10 of the code was written in a way that zone for continued maritime use i've attended a couple of briefings i've heard spray you know i understand the situation economically financially whatever that's one operator you know it's one operator so i mean to me it's very clear that you know after reading the code that Cassie Point is clearly protected from non-marine development. Again, I understand. That's why we're here to discuss changing that. But I think changing it could be short-sighted. Again, I support parts of mine. I'm a sports fan. I brought my kids to all kinds of games. But I just feel that if we change our zoning, that's gonna we're gonna lose a vital piece of the waterfront community that is rapidly decreasing and that we're never going to get it back so really i'm just here as a private citizen i have no connection you know clients or anything like that connected with the site or anything like that it's just me as a learning professional trying to keep the port important so thank you [2:07:38] Speaker E (unidentified): very much thank you thank you for your service so [2:07:53] Chair (presiding officer): again ian state street i should just stitch glasses so i can read my reminder notes here i might be one of the only ones here who has never been to a game with that in mind though i do still support this zoning change and text amendment even in light of the comments specifically mr needleman so i don't envy be the chore in front of you because you really have to balance a working waterfront with a stadium that isn't active all year long unlike the working waterfront i have a question which is Basically, I think for the applicant, which Jonathan mentioned, is the economic study of the waterfront. And I hope that is available to you before the next workshop or the third workshop, because you really have to balance what is the impact of the working waterfront as it is currently zoned, Cassidy Point, and the proposed new zoning of a stadium, which hopefully I will go to. Like I said, I do support this. However, that site's not going to be active all year. And I don't think the applicant so far has made a strong case for how it's going to be active the rest of the year. I mean, there's no games in January. There's no games in February. You know what the waterfront is like at those times. What is going to happen there? So it's really this is even though I support this, it is just a push. And I know these are going to be questions you have as a planning board. But it's also to push that applicant, what happens the rest of the time when there are no games? You know, is this going to be active? Shipping, I don't think, is as affected, unless it's really spring or nor'easter, by the seasons. Things still get delivered in January, February, August. Games are not played in January. So how's that going to look? And I think that is really important to keep in mind when you look at the selling and then [2:10:09] Speaker E (unidentified): Exchange so thank you Yeah, [2:10:21] Planning staff: Good evening. My name is Michael Bork. I live at 137 noise Street here in Portland. I also serve as the president CEO of the mimic group based in Portland. And I guess the way I come at this. I'm also a season to go over. We'll say I can currently walk for the games. I so certainly hope I will be able to in future as well but I come at this, I, in my career served as the president of the, I think maybe the only person in the state of the president of the Portland chamber, the greater Portland chamber, and now the main state chamber. And one of the things that's very clear to me about our economy in Maine is that it's dynamic, that it's changing all the time. And we've had to, as in many places in the state, come up with creative new uses for pieces of land that were once a mill along the river or maybe once a port break ball port in Portland. So I think having an open mind about that is important as we think about the benefits to our economy. This keeps open a dock, a landing area, and a dock. And also I think we have to think about, you know, Bill did mention that Sprague is only one operator. However, pretty sure work if there was a viable operation they would have sold it to somebody who did, or they would [2:11:35] Speaker E (unidentified): have developed it themselves. So thank you. Don't [2:11:44] Speaker I (unidentified): be shy. My name is Michael Collins. I live in [2:11:50] Haynes Johnston (applicant representative): Portland in Libbytown. I'm not a ticket holder, number 1100 on the waiting list. Anyway, so we didn't buy student tickets. We are a tried and true soccer family, and more exactly a women's soccer family. My daughter played four years varsity at Portland High, you know, played P1 at UMass Lowell. And the idea of having the women's team and now having a home for the women's and the men's team just thinks that will enrich our community so much. We've already seen what the game day experience was bad. Like, that alone, after my first match, it's like, okay, we're going to get on those waiting lists. [2:12:33] Planning staff: We'll see where we can go. [2:12:35] Haynes Johnston (applicant representative): And I think everybody who's gone, whether they're a fan or not, [2:12:38] Speaker B (unidentified): took my 83-year-old mom to a game. [2:12:42] Haynes Johnston (applicant representative): Soccer's not really her thing. Loved it. And I think being able to find a place that's more permanent for the Hearts is something that will help make that experience even better. And as I said, my daughter played, well, I have one daughter who played soccer and ran track there, so I've sat in those seats probably more than any season ticket holder has, unless they also had a kid in Portland, as well as my second daughter, my other older daughter, also playing field hockey there. And not only, I mean, we're talking about the working waterfront, so we're also thinking, look at it from a point where the Hearts are moving out of kids. And my daughter, she wrote a note that's in the packet, I assume. And as she said, she's always thought of Bitsy as a high school facility. It is a home of the Portland Bulldogs. And for that to go back to its intended use for the Bulldogs, as well as community and youth programming, will open up more recreation activity opportunities. Because as a kid who's gone through soccer, having field access is a big issue, and where and where that might come, and I think having both, having this new opportunity here at Cassidy Point, will not only open up for more field time throughout the year, it'll also hopefully add some more field time throughout the year, give opportunities for you and other community members to use it as well, beyond just the Hearts and whatever the women's team. Like, it's all. 30 seconds, thank you. [2:14:22] Speaker E (unidentified): Thanks for being here. Good [2:14:34] Planning staff: evening, board members. My name is Sam Tracy. I live in East Bayside, also a part season ticket holder for women's team. I urge you to support this amendment. Its Hearts have served as a economic engine for the city of Portland and state of Nana large. And as folks from the club have brought up, that Hearts have definitely outgrown the city-owned Tim Patrick Stadium, as there are 8,000 people on the wait list to even get in for a match. So I urge you to support this amendment and give Hearts a forever home for the near and long-term future. More. [2:15:22] Chair (presiding officer): So folks online, I'm not seeing any more folks stand up in a row. Last call. And this is not the last workshop, so if you're online or in the room, you'll have more [2:15:35] Speaker E (unidentified): opportunities. I [2:15:38] Planning staff: wasn't sure I was going to talk. Good evening, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. My name is Harriet Train. I'm a marine scientist, working waterfront advocate, member of the Portland Propeller Club, which has already submitted written comments for this proposal, but I'm here tonight speaking for myself and from my own experiences. I've grown up on Casco Bay and around Portland Harbor, and spent the last two years of my professional career as a deputy harbor master here in the harbor, and most of my professional career has been tied to the waterfront and harbor in one way or another. I've seen firsthand how many different uses the working waterfront has and how we can work together, and I want to be clear, I'm not anti Hearts of Pine. I'm excited about what the team has brought to Portland. My concern is the proposed those zoning changes, and what permanently converting this piece of working waterfront could mean for the future. Portland has been a working port for generations. The Cumberland and Oxford canals connected Portland Harbor through this area in the Port River to the interior of Maine beginning back in 1830. Since then, the industry and cargo moving through the waterfront have changed, but the importance of the port has not. Merrill's Terminal is a good example of that evolution. It's handled different types of cargo over the years, including forest products, coal, salt, scrap metal, and more. More recently, it's been used for bulk materials, including road salt. That history matters because it's the value of the marine terminal isn't necessarily what it's handling today. The cargo will change, the companies will change, markets will change. What is much harder to replace is the infrastructure that makes these uses possible. possible. Waterfront access, upland space, rail connections, storage, and the ability to move cargo between ships, trucks, and rail. Once that capacity is converted over to another use, we can't simply recreate it when we need it again. I also want to talk about the public access. I support making more of Portland's waterfront access in public, but if the other part of this pier is going to remain an active commercial marine facility the surrounding space has to be safe for that use and the more that we increase public access there the more we're setting up potential for a disaster and catastrophe and I've seen firsthand how close regular reuse in this harbor is it's concerning to think that we might be making it more public access for smaller vessels if we're going to have large vessels still there I believe that Portland can support hearts of pine and public waterfront access with a strong working port we don't need to choose one or the other but I think if we keep the precedent of rezoning pieces for working waterfront whenever another use comes along and whenever we see something not being used enough at that point you're not going to have Portland hard supply Portland's just going to be a name you're just going to have parts of life [2:18:27] Speaker E (unidentified): Thank you [2:18:30] Chair (presiding officer): We have a couple of new folks in the room please come right up to the podium [2:18:42] Public commenter: Chairman, members of the board. My name is Jack Humaneck. I am a law chairman. I represent, I'm a representative of the International Law Chairman's Association in New England. Representing our organization here, which has been here since 1880 as an organized local union. Not maybe one of the oldest in the state now I think. 146 years and I would suspect that Cassidy Point has been in maritime use for 146 years. So a lot of things come and go, but the location and being important, it's managed to survive and I'm sure it will continue to. Let me say that, and by the way, I was a member of this board at one time, a planning board, quite a while ago. And one of the things I want to focus on here is one a lot of the people, the business is Sprague and I don't know the hearts of Pines but I have talked to Jack Coy on the phone and my daughter and my grandson are season ticket holders and stuff like that but the issue here isn't really about soccer, I mean it is in terms of community issue but it's a land use issue. And there's a much bigger context to this than just one company or one use. And, you know, Hearts of Pine, to me, has been very successful in a spot that is not on the water. I'm sure that there are many, spots that could probably be duplicated. But you can't bring the ship into Gorham. And you can't bring it inland. Land. It needs water. And you can't just have a facility that has a pier without any backup land because it's like having an airport with a landing strip but no terminal. So that idea of having just a pier of maritime use is inoperable as a maritime facility because there's no backup land, there's no terminal. So 30 seconds, yes, one more thing I'd like to, because I had a lot to say, so I'm going to try to keep it short, but one of the things is that the process here I think needs to be expanded. One of the reasons is in the 1990s we set up a committee, the city council, planning board, to rezone the Portland waterfront, looking at it from this point to that, and a plan, and that plan included a committee of about 30 people, stakeholders, elected officials, and board officials, councils, counselors, and stuff like that. It was an extensive process. It took about three years to get through. And that was a- That's time, Jeff. Yeah. [2:21:46] Chair (presiding officer): And feel free to email more comments on that. [2:21:51] Public commenter: But I just want to just, if I can wrap up real quickly. But that process was long involved, and the process that it came up with and the plan has been highly successful. Changing that use on that particular property allows no expansion for the existing successful water tank maritime businesses that are there, and it actually can threaten their future existence. I don't say that lightly, and that's why I'm here. It's very, serious to us to lose the businesses that we've gotten down there. But if they don't have a place to grow and you don't have land and reserve, you're not going to have a port. [2:22:30] Speaker E (unidentified): Thank you for being here. [2:22:33] Chair (presiding officer): I hate cutting people off, so please just try your best. Hi, [2:22:48] Planning staff: my name is Chelsea Pattengill. I'm a South Portland resident, but I am also the executive director for the Maine Port Authority. In 1929, the Maine legislation created the Port of Portland Port Authority. This would go on to become the main port authority, tasked with following the state's three-port strategy, which was created in the 1970s, and designed to preserve Maine's coastal resources and encourage industrial port development in the seawater. Portland's comprehensive plan cites the 1992 Waterfront Alliance report as a foundational document that has informed current waterfront land use policy and has laid the framework for Portland's waterfront resurgence. Subsequent studies and city planning have continued over the decades, leading the city to commit to a local goal of recognizing and reinforcing the respective roles of the eastern, central, and western waterfronts. And I give you that history to point out that for almost 100 years, the state of Maine and the city of Portland have been committed to the working waterfront and preserving poor capabilities. You are now being asked to consider abandoning those protections and rezone a parcel of industrial deep draft waterfront to construct a stadium for a team that has existed in this community for two years. If time doesn't speak to you, perhaps economics will. In 2025, the Port of Portland conducted roughly $3.8 billion in trade, and a recent news release from the mayor's office attributes an annual economic impact of $16.5 million to the hardback. The cover letter to this application describes Cassidy Point as a facility that is currently underutilized, but waterfront facilities underutilized or in disrepair are no stranger to this city, and the International Marine Terminal exemplifies the Comprehensive Plan's goals to maintain and modernize infrastructure while reinforcing water for and transport of goods. City waterfront zoning protected a derelict international ferry terminal from being refocused for non-marine activities and resulted in being its only container terminal offering weekly transatlantic service to Europe. This was achieved through over $120 million in state and federal funding since 2009. It would not have been possible without Upland Space to support cargo operations. operations. Based on numbers given at neighborhood meetings, this land at Cassidy Point would be used at a stadium for 11% of the year. It is unknown what the remaining 89% would be, but the heart of Pine's website lists potentially hotels, restaurants, and they have also mentioned entertainment in neighborhood meetings. I would ask the planning board to keep this history in mind when reviewing any proposed zone changes and consider that 91% of the respondents for the comprehensive plan supporting continued protections for Portland's waterfront. Please consider the precedent this type of zone change would set for Portland's water. [2:25:30] Chair (presiding officer): Thank you for being here. [2:25:39] Speaker B (unidentified): I'm Kevin Scholl, President, Parts of the Pine. There's been a couple comments here talking about what are we doing the rest of the year. So I thought I'd just add a little bit of commentary on that. I mean we employ hundreds of people to put on the games at Fitzpatrick and we have jobs too so I just want to like put that into context like there are people working there that will be people working at Cassidy Point and we're going to want to keep that place busy and vibrant also and so I think most important use all year round is not any specific economic use at all it's this recreation we're talking about it's the gathering point he probably wouldn't say this himself but you know he drives over to South Portland to walk his dog you know he lives the west end because there's no easy access to the water for the nice walk that he wants to do as he goes and finds it elsewhere. Which is kind of crazy to me when you look at that map and there's not that recreational access. There's not that point on the western side of the peninsula. And so for us to be able to give people that access and maybe it's a spot to eat a burger or have a beer also. Maybe it's a spot to walk the dog. Maybe it's a place to jog around. I'm not going to be jogging. I might be drinking a beer. But the accessibility to that site, I think, is for everyone, and I think it's less about what are we doing, what are we selling, what's happening, and it's more about that community use. But we will have 20 men's games, 20 women's games. We'll have a venue that we can offer for uses for a state championship or for community festivals or for other things. We have a little bit of commercial space that we may or may not want to find another partner for. It won't be a hotel or anything like that, but open to ideas on how to keep that area vibrant and to be a place that some of the folks along the working waterfront can go and make use of that as well. So, you know, I think for us, it's important that this site is vibrant all year round. It's important that there's things going on there. It's important that, you know, our employees are going to be there in an office space, whether they're kicking the soccer ball every day, whether we're putting on youth clinics in the indoor facility, whether we're just, you know, working in an office. You know, there's going to be people there. There's going to be activity. And we're going to make sure that economic activity continues. You know, you look at it today, there's three salt shipments a year. There's, you know, a coal shipment, a little bit of dry storage. Which we're going to actually have a lot more activity there than is there now. I grant the possibility that there could be things in the future, but we've got a plan. We've got an idea of what we're going to do now, and we're excited to bring it out to Portland. [2:28:32] Public commenter: Good evening, again. My name is Cyrus Hagee. I live at 15 Clifford Street up in the West End. I've spent most of my life on a commercial street. I started here on the Portland Planning Board in 1990. I served on the working waterfront committee that the manager put together just a few years ago to stop a hotel from being built on the waterfront. I served on the Eastern Waterfront Master Planning Committee. I, believe it or not, was president of the board of Casco Bay Alliance. I've been on the water my whole life. Matter of fact, I struck a deal. We had a baby girl and I got a boat. And that was 46 years ago. Go. What I want to say is I've watched the working waterfront slowly slip away piece by piece. And then we stopped it. It's like hen's teeth. It's very rare. You lose it, you don't get it back. And so I ask you in your determinations, and while I did play soccer in high school, I love Hearts of Pine. You really need to look at the issue of, do you want to give up a piece to the working waterfront period and if you do fine but that's the crux of this whole debate is are we going to maintain a working waterfront that we've worked on for 50 years [2:29:52] Speaker E (unidentified): and let it go that's your decision thank you thank you for being here good [2:30:03] Chair (presiding officer): evening [2:30:10] Public commenter: My name is Alejandra I am from Westbrook I'm a big Hard Supply fan so I am and supported this. I'm not a season ticket holder at the men's play. I'm a season ticket holder at the women's. And I grew up in a small town, Vermont, and I played basketball from the time I was three years old to college. The community and the sense of family, the heart, the mind, brain, you can't find that anywhere. You know, my kid is being trained by one of them. We're really good friends with Ollie Wright. You know, I see Gabe anywhere on the street. Give him a hug, say hi. I really encourage you guys to support this. If you're not in the funnest community and there's and lots of kids, especially boys and little girls now, that need these room huddles. We're always out in the community, always wanting to help out. Good evening. Jeff Dorey. I am the president of the Portland Longshoremen's Association. I didn't write anything down. I didn't plan on speaking tonight, but I love what these guys are bringing to town, but I love what we do in town as well. In the last 10 years, we've changed a lot on the waterfront. We're growing. Things are good. We need the space. Change in this zone at this time is the wrong thing to do. I think if it stayed in the zone that it's at, you'd see some maritime industry plans be developed. We've had a hard time acquiring the land and I believe that will be happening in the future if this stays available. My fear is if this is changed that you're going to see the waterfront as it is now demise. Eyes so this is your future and our future what we do to Commercial Street in the decision of this so thank you all for what you do but I'd love to see the waterfront protect [2:32:03] Speaker E (unidentified): Thanks for being here looks [2:32:09] Chair (presiding officer): In the room, going once, going twice. Okay, so let me, let me do like a short four or five minute break so people can stretch their legs and we'll move online. So if you're online, please use the raise hand feature. Make sure that you have your name so that we can call on you online. We'll move to online comments. I want to thank everybody for respectful dialogue. You know, we can get into point counterpoint, that's totally fine. We want to hear that. I appreciate everyone being respectful. So we'll says 6 45 Let's come back at 6 50 and we'll do folks online with their hand up. So we are back and you might be hearing some background noise, but I'm hoping people in the room take their seat and remain quiet so that folks online don't hear noise. So if you are online, I do see one hand up. What you do is you use the raise hand function at the bottom of the screen and it'll automatically put you in line and going to pass it off. So we get started. [2:39:10] Planning staff: Dave, you should be all set to unmute. [2:39:14] Dave Whitting (public commenter): Can you folks hear me okay? We can. Great. Thank you. Well, thanks for the opportunity to speak. My name is Dave Whitting. I'm a resident of Great Diamond Island, which is part of the city of Portland. I do think we have real data showing the positive impact that this team has already had on the city. As Gabe shared, the economic activity, the connections it builds, the community impact, the way it fits into Portland's 2030 vision, I believe the Heart's track record should weigh on any decision as it relates to Cassidy Point. For me, it basically comes down to the simple question of, has portland benefited from having hearts of pine on the peninsula i think that's the simple question here if the answer for you is yes then i think it's a simple decision to support this rezoning of cassidy point i will say i think we all feel strongly about the working waterfront i certainly do i also think we need to be careful not to conflate this property with our shared desire to preserve the working waterfront we're not displacing lobstermen or loons here right like the pier's not going away the hearts are transforming an underutilized industrial brownfield site that is tied to dying industries i would totally bet on new park space and actual access to that waterfront over a pile of coal any day. So I support the stadium at this location. I think it's a great decision, and thank you for letting me speak. [2:41:08] Speaker B (unidentified): Alec, you should be all set to unmute. [2:41:13] Speaker C (unidentified): Hello. I'm Alec Yeagerman. I was formerly the planning division director for many years in Portland, and I was deeply involved in the waterfront planning process. Process. I work closely with Bill Needleman, and I support everything that he said, and I can't probably say it as articulately as he did. But I worked with Bill on creating the waterfront zoning that's in place today. The arguments about the economics of development always support mixed use, which is why we have zoning in place to protect land and water for marine industry, particularly. Hearts of Pine is wonderful, but it is not a marine use, and it doesn't belong on the [2:41:54] Chair (presiding officer): waterfront and I thank you for your consideration. Thank you. I do not see other hands up, so folks online, please put up your hands if you wish to speak again. I've already said this evening we are planning on having multiple workshops for this. If you're not ready to speak this evening, the last chance to speak to the planning board, going once, going twice. I want to toggle, if you're on a phone, it will raise your hand if you press star nine. Okay. I'm going to close the public portion for our workshop tonight. I think we expect to have another workshop in the coming months. Thank you, Taylor. Thank you to the applicant, and I'll open it up to the board members for thoughts, feedback, questions. [2:43:02] Speaker I (unidentified): So we're ultimately just making a recommendation to the city council, and that they'll, they'll do what they want, and it's probably good it's in their hands, you know. But I always look at it as whatever we vote, whatever is it, what's helpful to the council is what's in the packet for information. If they can disregard it or use it, whatever. But I think part of our job is to help them, you know, give them more information, as much information as possible, and I think the applicants done a very good job of with their team of gathering information in terms of how this makes sense in their view of the world, and it's a perfectly permissible view. But one of the things that, you know, I would, I've been around a while on this with Mr. Needleman and I've referred to the working waterfront, the meetings that happen, I was part of all that and this and that. But what I don't remember is that, you know, when you go from the Casco Bay Bridge down to, you know, the 295 bridge, and you look at that, what I don't know what's referred to with deep birthing capabilities. I don't know what the right buzzwords were, but when I read some of the comments, they talk about bulk and break bulk facility, deep draft facility. I'd like to get a little more handle on what's the length of that resource, in a sense, and how much of this is a percentage of that resource, in a sense. So I have some sense. And what does that mean? When we say deep berth and bulk and whatever it is, what does that mean? I mean, I know there was a coal pile and I assume ships came unloaded, but it would be helpful to get a better handle on that for me anyway. So I know what the terminology is. You know, when you go on to 295, ships can't get under that bridge. So, you know, you're not looking at Thompson's Point or anything. You know, that's the kind of the area where there's deep berthing. I'd like to get some sense of what we've done with the harbor for dredging over the years and whether how much of that dredging that's been done relative to making sure that the de-birthing facilities can be accessed. You know, that's kind of, you know, the Portland pays for that, contributes to that. I'd like to know what's been, what's happened in the last 20 years with the railroad extension down to the whole storage facility. I know there was some utility there was some easements traded off in order to make sure that it was that line was upgraded and what extent does this site have particular access to the railroad line, as opposed to it just abutting it. I know when cast when the redesign happened of that intersection with 295 and the bridge and cascading point that light was that whole intersection was redone in part because of the truckings that were coming and going from that facility. I'd like to know a little bit more about that kind of what infrastructure was put in place to accommodate the types of trucks that were coming and going from there. I think it just be helpful just have that, I mean to me that's not a, it's just information that's kind of what if we kind of put in as we the city has put in terms of infrastructure development in this area and so that 'd be helpful and i guess the other thing for me is the paradigm's been presented that well they're going to preserve the dock or the pier the analogy has been made that doesn't really do much good because you need the offloading area adjacent to the pier in order to preserve this type of activity that's associated with the pier and i guess i guess it'd be helpful to get some help on that. I know the applicant said that Spray may have under contract the sale of the pier to somebody else. I don't know if that's Finn Sprague, whether Finn's going to buy it to augment his boating shop, or is it somebody who has a plan that they're going to have something off-site where they can store wind blades if there's ever. Right now, we're in a kind of a dark age in terms of green energy development. That may change in two years. We may get back in a direction where there's more work done in terms of things where you need places to offload blades and equipment technology like that. I guess I got to know how real is it that the bifurcation of the, if not as much as one can, how much of the bifurcation of the pier is or is not fatal to the viability of this frontage being continued to be used as a deep water access and offloading and unloading. Those are to me that things would be helpful, like maybe whether it's helpful to the council I don't know, but I'd like to be able to have that for the council so when they look at this they'll get that they'll get that kind of information. But they're going to have to make a decision here. I mean it's a there's a it's a decision and you might think that really is given what they did with for the live they'll do what they want to do regardless of our recommendation. I think the goal is just to get them good information and see what they want to do. It's a very exciting extremely exciting I mean adaptive reuse I mean it's beautiful but I you know there's a there's a huge history of Portland with the waterfront and it can't That can't be my mind readily pushed aside. I mean, if there's a decision made by those who make the decision to end that at this location, I think they really need to understand, is it really going to be dead? Is there a viability with this, you know? And what does it mean for impact with people who have jobs associated with those types of industry? Because then they need to weigh that against all the things that you bring that are great to bring to the community, and mindful that Portland keeps evolving and changing, you know, that's that's what we do. Anyways, I'll be quiet. [2:49:43] Speaker C (unidentified): I think I have a question for the applicant, too. In addition to the zone change there, the text amendment, and correct me if I'm wrong, but currently in our land use ordinance, V5, there's no provision for a stadium, correct? Did you consider a conditional use rather than a permitted use? And I say that because a facility of this size, the conditional use has a higher level of scrutiny, you know, noise, sound for neighbors, light pollution, traffic flow, and so forth. It just seems like that would be a more beneficial process than just the condition, I mean, just the permitted use. I'll probably expand a little bit more, [2:50:25] Public commenter: but what we've talked to staff about is, you know, how in the code, you have the land use chart, and then the very right column refers you to different subject subsections of the code, and one of those subsections is performance standards. So the idea is to have a performance standard section for stadiums, and it's a conditional use in that it would have to meet the conditions set forth in the performance standard, but it's not conditional use in the sense that it would have to meet additional new standards because it kind of doesn't like this process and site plan process. It's going to kind of get us to those standards, so this way that the performance standards are solid. It would be things like noise, it would be things like minimum acreage, and I think Kevin was talking about that's your sort of, it's a great topic. I think he was looking for feedback from this board as to what the performance standards would be, and that's like [2:51:25] Planning staff: Section 6.4. Yeah, we put a very short paragraph in the packet for this meeting just to say that it was very small. The applicant just prefers the stadiums in the V5. It's not currently permitted, and quite honestly, even to Rica, we didn't look at stadiums right now like this. They're out as the parks. So regardless of this application, this is actually a good some ways cleanup item, and we strongly believe that if stadiums are added to the V5, there should be, as Mary mentioned, supplemental standards. Performance kind of standard, you would have minimum lot size so you can kind of rule out any sites. There would be lighting standards specific to stadiums, so not mixing residential lighting standards or standards for another type of use with the stadium, which is very specific. Noise standards as well, and we were going to look at a couple other things. So that was one thing we just wanted to send to the board. It's glad that you picked up on that, and we would agree that it should be. I'm sorry, I missed that. No, he's [2:52:22] Speaker B (unidentified): very small, but I guess the recreational zone that's not just public land, so that could be private property, and so why isn't it a rezone to the OS? So yeah, it's actually something that we [2:52:34] Planning staff: looked at post record most of the land that is zoned recreational open space i 'll get back to you on this in terms of it's 100 or 99 is all publicly owned land i am not aware of many locations and I will come back and give you the actual number but I think that was an area that stadiums right now are concentrated in public parkland and is there any just one change yeah [2:53:03] Speaker G (unidentified): I'll echo David. I had the same question on how feasible actually using that retained deep water dock for marine uses, and some clarity on that, because there was conflicting comments on if it's actually going to be usable or not. I don't know how clear we can get at this point. Aren't enough, but that would be helpful. And then, and it probably was in the information, but I just want to clarify, as part of the contract for purchasing the property, will you be assisting Sprague like financially in the remediation and coal cleanup, or is that happened before? Yeah. [2:53:40] Speaker B (unidentified): So they will own removal of the coal pile and then we own essentially the DEP V-rap so they owe it to the site without a coal pile, and we take it from there. With respect to the pier, since a couple people brought it up, the intention is it's not going to be a bulk cargo pier anymore. It will be used by a marine user for berthing. There should be an announcement on that in the coming days, but the intention is that this is not going to be a break-bulk cargo terminal anymore. [2:54:17] Speaker I (unidentified): I had a couple more things. We don't have contract zoning anymore. It's gone. No, we do. So with this trade off, I call this a really big trade off. I would hate to see the rezone happen and the stadium not be built and then the land be used for marijuana dispensary or all the other things that are listed under B5 because there's plenty of places in the city for those B5 uses to be located. And, you know, this is a unique, really unique situation. And, you know, we always have applicants come with proposals. And sometimes, you know, Thompson's Point was going to be a Boston Celtic arena and a medical facility, orthopedic facility. When we first approved it, that was going to be an arena, 5,000 people with a, you know, and it morphed and morphed and morphed into something that is great. But it's not to denigrate or suggest the proposal, but to me, you know, a contract zone, you have a little bit more control over things. I mean, if we're going to be talking about outdoor concerts, at how many concerts, what kind of, like at Thompson's Point, whenever there's a concert, there's a police presence as part of the conditions of approval when traffic coming off of 295, they're required to have traffic. To me a lot of things that are done to ameliorate just ameliorate the conflicts and you know there was sidewalks built the applicant had to build sidewalks on the other side of what was the poor river that didn't have a sidewalk because we wanted to make sure people get there so I know I just I'm old school I remember the days of contracts and I didn't really like it that much but in some ways this to me I just really would I would recommend to the council that if they do it they're in favor of The rezone they look at a contract zone because the all these other uses in the B5 to have them fall into this site if for some reason this doesn't fly, I mean what financing or whatever, you know, you don't know what happens, and that's just an observation. And then the only other question I had for the applicant on the, you gave a screenshot of public access. I think along the Four River, across from Mercy, there's a beautiful trail. At least I rode my bike there this weekend. And there's benches that look out into the Four River Sanctuary. And I would make that a green area on your, you had an aerial about or a visual about where there's public access to the shore. You had the Eastern Prom. You had along 295 by Toopee Bridge. But clearly, to my mind, along the Four River Parkway, on the other side of the parkway, there's a beautiful trail and there are benches there that are, I've ridden my bike there a lot this summer, and it's beautiful. And so I don't know whether that may be helpful to add that in there. So there is on the western side of the city, there is public access to the shore. Or between 295 and, well, 295 and then the bridge going off of West Commercial Street. That's all public access. [2:57:55] Speaker C (unidentified): To that point, David, would that path have a public easement associated with it, or would it be private property? [2:58:01] Speaker B (unidentified): Most likely we would do some type of public easement. We've met with Portland Trails, and we'll continue having conversations with them. We're very, interested in potential trail connectivity to the Fort Worth Parkway Trail. There's an underpass there. We've got to get over a railroad. But we're evaluating all of these things to really sort of add to the trail connectivity in West End, California. Does [2:58:28] Speaker I (unidentified): the city still have a waterfront development coordinator? [2:58:31] Planning staff: The city does, yes. [2:58:33] Speaker I (unidentified): And can you tell me who that person is? [2:58:36] Planning staff: Heather, she's with the Economic Development Department, and she's been moved into this application, and we expect her to probably future planning for this. [2:58:44] Speaker I (unidentified): Okay. But we'll hear from Heather, yeah. [2:58:53] Chair (presiding officer): Sounds like we're winding down. Final questions. That's been a long one. I made a list. It sounded like everything got kicked off of it. So, Taylor, you feel like you got what [Speaker E (unidentified): you need? City?] African? You're hearing what you need to hear from the city? Okay. We're not having hearing, so we don't have to close. We can just say thanks, everybody, for being for being here. Thank you for folks waiting online. Appreciate the really respectful dialogue. We just need a lot of information. So please keep it coming. [2:59:34] Speaker B (unidentified): Thank you. Thank you.