Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 0 F O C U S L O G I S T I C S / T R A N S P O R TAT I O N Public input is key Andrew Clark, regional transportation director at Greater Portland Council of Governments, says the study will help inform the regional Destination 2040 traffic study as well. Even if the road could be widened, it wouldn't necessarily be the best option. "at's not the way we should address these problems anymore," he says. e aim is to optimize traffic safety and ease, accommodate coming devel- opment and climate change issues and maintain the character of the neighbor- hoods nearby, including Ferry Village and Willard Square, the planners say. Public input is a key factor to the study, Clark says. "We have to know people's real expe- rience," he says. "ere's not anything in particular we're hoping to hear, it's just good to hear" from people. Packard, too, says the direction of development on the property PK Realty bought in 2018 also will rely on public input. "We're reaching out into the neighborhoods," she says. "We want to work with people." e developer is in no big rush to put a plan in place. ey've just completed a brownfields assessment and are prepar- ing to apply for funding to clean up a portion of the site. "We're trying to make sure the whole site is cleaned up to the residential level if at all possible," Packard says. Development could include "a bunch of mixed uses." e site is in the shipyard zoning district, which allows commercial enterprises like hotels and restaurants, office uses, as well as light industrial and marine. PK Realty specializes in commer- cial and industrial space, and when the company bought the site, Packard told Mainebiz that the industrial nature, as well as the prime waterfront location, made the property attractive, and rare. ere are a handful of buildings on the mostly empty site, with a dozen businesses, including axe maker Brant & Cochran, Portland Barrel Co., Keeley Crane Service, PODS and Sea Rose Trap Co. Packard says those businesses will stay. Packard says that the focus on enhanced pedestrian and bicycle access along Broadway will fit in the plans to make the development more welcoming to those uses, while keep- ing cars on the periphery. Marine transport to Portland So far, the focus of the study that's got- ten the most attention is ferry service between South Portland and Portland. e study is only looking at the fea- sibility, not specifics. While it may be enticing to envision taking a ferry trip across the harbor to the Portland pen- insula, rather than driving across the Casco Bay Bridge and finding parking, the reality is more complicated. "We're not of the opinion that 'If you build it, they will come,'" says Nevajda. Who "they" are is only one of the ques- tions. Would commuters use it? Tourists? Shoppers? How much would people pay? "We don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot," he says. Clark agrees. "ere's pretty sig- nificant capital involved, in terms of a vessel, real estate, a place to put the boat. [Portland's waterfront] is pretty crowded." If ferry service were to happen, which was how people got across the bay for more than two centuries before the first bridge across was built, it would likely be a smaller boat than the Casco Bay Lines ferries people are used to seeing plow the harbor. Packard says ferry service would also have an impact on development plans, with businesses or services that would complement it or cater to those using it. But she, too, takes a cautious approach. "It's a super romantic idea," that would be a mistake it if no one used it. First, the study e feasibility of ferry service, and what other ideas and action items will come out of the study are in the future. First, the study has to happen. Nevajda says the sidewalks, where they exist are narrow and not in great shape. ere aren't enough crosswalks, particularly in the right places. ere isn't a consistent option for those rid- ing bikes He's most interested in those issues. Working to improve them will help improve quality of life and sustain- ability in the community. "As a planner, that the stuff I know has long-term benefits," he says. Determining what the traffic issues are, how they will change and how the other elements fit in, is the larger issue. And all of that comes with the loom- ing reality of climate change. Portland and South Portland in September released the One Climate Future report, which looks at how the two cities will mitigate, and adapt to, climate change. "at's a huge piece of this," Nevajda says. Rising seal levels, more storms, greater severity of storms, more pests related to warmer weather will all affect how people live and move. "ere are a lot of layers to this, and we need to look at all of them," he says. Maureen Milliken, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at mmilliken @ mainebiz.biz We're reaching out into the neighborhoods. We want to work with people. — Jennifer Packard PK Realty Management M A P / G O O G L E A key stretch of Broadway that city planners are studying for possible traffic- flow changes.

• Cover