Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z F O C U S M I D C O A S T / D OW N E A S T the corner of Vine Street and Waldo Avenue, northwest of U.S. Route 1 and the downtown area. e proposal includes Building A, a new 3,855-square-foot structure for 4 three-bedroom residential apartments near Vine Street; Building B, a new 2,072-square-foot structure for four two-bedroom residential apartments; and Building C, a renovation that's underway of an existing 1,920-square- foot structure, which formerly housed a cannabis business called New World Organics, for two residential apartments. Other elements include a parking lot with seven spaces, grading and drainage improvements, landscape improvements, limited lighting and utilities to serve the two new buildings. Primary access to the two new build- ings would be from Vine Street. e partially developed site has an existing 16,200-square-foot office build- ing fronting Waldo Avenue, called Park Place Suites, existing paved parking areas and exiting entrances off Waldo Avenue and Vine Street. About a half-dozen local residents opposed the project. One said the pro- posal is not an appropriate scale for the neighborhood, but added she was in favor of thoughtful growth. Another expressed concern that the scale of development could increase the number of residents, lights and loss of trees on Vine Street, and said a more modestly scaled building would be better suited for the site. A couple of speakers said Vine Street is a close-knit, single-family, owner- occupied neighborhood and the pro- posal would be out of place. Mike Hurley, a member of the city's housing and property development committee who said he was speaking as a resident, spoke in favor of the develop- ment, saying there's a need for missing middle housing to help bolster the city's economic growth. Hurley said a lot of affordable housing is being built in Belfast and there's also high-end housing. "ose two ends of the spectrum are very well taken care of in Belfast," he said. "What's missing is what's being proposed here. Belfast needs what's called the 'missing middle.'" e board asked the developer to initiate further discussion with neigh- borhood residents. "is is very appropriate for that location," said board member Lewis Baker. "We need housing in the city." Rockport Marine launches yacht three years in making After three years of construction, a midcoast boatbuilder launched a 95-foot, custom-built sailing yacht and began tests of its internal systems, as the final stage toward the owners' plan to cruise the world. e launch took place earlier last month in Rockport Harbor. Rockport Marine built the yacht Ouzel to the specifications of Langan Design Partners, of Newport, R.I., with interior design by Mark Whiteley Design, of Lymington, United Kingdom. e build uses a wood-composite construction technique, which combines an engineered blend of cold-molded wood, carbon fiber, a type of fiberglass called "E-glass" and foam coring. Rhode Island firm MCM Newport led the project on behalf of Ouzel's owners. A yacht like Ouzel would typically be built in Europe, and likely from aluminum or possibly composite, Sam Temple, Rockport Marine's president, told Mainebiz earlier this year. Temple added, "is is our bid to compete in that space." Ouzel's owners bucked the trend and built the yacht on U.S. shores rather than in Europe. "I think there's a sort of com- mon perception that you can't build a boat like this in the United States any longer and I think that when the world sees what we are creating here, they'll realize you can build a world- class superyacht that stands shoul- der to shoulder with the European boats if not even higher right here in Rockport Marine in Rockport, Maine," said Peter Wilson, president of MCM Newport. e project began in late 2021 when MCM Newport approached Langan Design Partners for the design. Rockport Marine started construction in August 2023. e owners are experienced boaters whose previous yacht was a 64-footer from a high-end builder in Finland called Baltic Yachts. Founded in 1962, Rockport Marine specializes in custom wooden boat construction, restoration and design. Powered by a 60-strong crew, the yard stores and maintains a fleet of clas- sic wooden boats and usually has some large restorations and/or new builds in progress. Going into this winter, the yard has a restoration in the shop and several potential new and refit projects. L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t l s c h r e i b e r @ m a i n e b i z . b i z R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y O F B I G B R I D G E V E N T U R E S L L C Highview would subdivide a two-acre Belfast site into eight lots for single-family and multifamily development. [High-end and affordable housing] are very well taken care of in Belfast. What's missing is what's being proposed here. Belfast needs what's called the 'missing middle.' — Mike Hurley Belfast 19 D E C E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 2 5 P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y B I L LY B L A C K From left, Peter Wilson with MCM Newport; Tom Degrémont of Langan Design; Mark Whiteley of Mark Whiteley Design; Sam Temple with Rockport Marine.

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