Mainebiz

V O L . X X I X N O. V I M A R C H 2 0 , 2 0 2 3 14 MB: In 2017, the city started marketing the former maintenance garage properties. Was there a massive rush to those properties — or how would you describe the reaction from developers? TW: Of the six properties for sale, we were most interested in two — the con- tiguous 82 Hanover and 52 Hanover, both of which were formerly working garages for Portland's various fleets of vehicles. I think there were maybe 13 different developers vying for the sites. We were fortunate enough to be chosen by the City Council to develop 52 and 82. We promised the City we would move our property management company from Grant Street in Parkside to 82 Hanover and essentially be immersed in the neigh- borhood. We also promised to create 23 condos, eight of which would be afford- able, at our Grant Street site, bringing much needed home ownership to that area. We delivered on all promises. MB: What did you see as the poten- tial for the Bayside neighborhood? TW: During the 1980s, I was a painter and a sheetrocker in Boston and worked mostly in the South End which at the time was rough with a lot of warehouses and dilapidated brownstones. We made them beautiful homes, offices and storefronts. When we saw the garages in West Bayside we knew we could breathe new life into them as I had done in Boston's South End and as we had been doing to many of the 1900-era down- town Portland apartment buildings over the last two decades. MB: How many housing units do you have overall between Maine and North Carolina? TW: Between Portland, Greater Portland and Wilmington, N.C., we own over 2,000 units. MB: With all this housing and the influx of new residents we've seen in Maine, where are your tenants coming from? TW: Historically, 75% of new residents came from Portland and other parts of Maine and 25% came from other states. at has flipped in the last few years. Today, 60% of residents are coming from away, and about 40% are coming from Maine, including Portland. MB: Earlier this year, you submitted a master plan to the city Planning Board that calls for 800 units of housing. How do you envision rolling that out? What impact has the Green New Deal had on your plans? TW: is project is being spearheaded by our CEO, John Laliberte. John is working closely with the city and the neighborhood to deliver 800 units in five phases over the span of 10 years. e first proposed phase consists of two build- ings — a 201-unit affordable housing project and a 120-unit market rate hous- ing project. All buildings in the Master Development Plan include a mixed-use retail element on the ground floor. MB: Is Port Property focused on housing as a driving force? TW: I've never seen housing as a driving force. I always say we're the tail, not the dog. By that I mean we tend to respond to need as opposed to creating need. e smaller and bigger companies call- ing Portland their home — they are the driving force … and we want to make sure they have homes they'll love. MB: From a big picture economic development idea, What else does the Portland area need? TW: I believe Portland is being discovered by the rest of the country as a great place to live and work. While Richard Florida's book 'e Rise of the Creative Class' is nearly 10 years old, it speaks poignantly to what is going on in Portland today, that people are moving to what they consider to be cool and hip places and the jobs are following. Portland is that cool and hip place. And jobs are following. Peter Van Allen, Mainebiz editor, can be r e a ch e d a t p vanal l e n @ m ai n e bi z . b i z a n d @ M a i n e b i z E d i t o r » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 1 2 I've never seen housing as a driving force. I always say we're the tail, not the dog. By that I mean we tend to respond to need as opposed to creating need. The smaller and bigger companies calling Portland their home — they are the driving force … and we want to make sure they have homes they'll love.

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