Mainebiz

O N T H E R E C O R D V O L . X X X I I N O. X I I I J U N E 1 5 , 2 0 2 6 26 B Y R E N E E C O R D E S B Y R E N E E C O R D E S ainebiz: Can the city do anything to attract potential tenants to the large space on Congress Street formerly occupied by Renys? Mark Dion: e city is limited in what it can do, because economic development looks at the Congress Square as a parcel in and of itself. ere's also a persistent issue about the unhoused, drug use and the adverse perceptions that come from that. For a Realtor, it's a tough call [but] I don't think it's as bad as people think. We made progress in the last six months in clarifying what's appropriate in the Congress Street corridor, but I could see where they're going to get questions from possible tenants. MB: The new 'art installations' in empty storefronts are basically posters. How is that solving the vacancy problem? MD: I didn't vote for that — though at the time we were told they would be more tangible and more sig- nificant than a poster and that that would somehow lend itself to an alternative consideration as potential tenant. I don't think that's the case. e most difficult challenge is resolv- ing the sense of diminished pub- lic safety in the neighborhood and chronic deterioration of the space. e Portland Downtown district with its Ambassador program has done yeoman's work in recapturing and reinstituting spaces that we can feel better about. at environment is conducive to potential tenants mak- ing a decision about entering a space or not — posters for sure don't do it. One of the programs we did initiate, which doesn't get a lot of publicity, is that we provide low-interest loans for rehabilitating storefronts. ose send a very concrete signal about the value of the space. MB: Given the resistance to the proposed live music venue, how do you keep that developer — or others — from bypassing Portland for Westbrook? MD: e business community, when looking at municipal government, needs to view a body that provides consistent and predictable policy decisions. And I think the music hall question at its core was our ability or lack of ability to respond to the idea that the applicant had in fact satis- fied all existing standards, policy and ordinance. And the question for the Council, and the majority rejected this premise, is that we're not in the busi- ness of deciding who we like and who we don't like. We should be agnostic on that question. I told some of the proponents of what would become the majority decision, it shouldn't matter to us if it's a McDonald's or a Burger King or a Costco; it's whether or not the applicant can satisfy the expecta- tions expressed in the standards, and the music hall proponents have done that. And they've taken steps even further to try to create an environ- ment of being a good corporate citizen with their proposed initiatives around reducing the cost of parking as well as providing ongoing funding of related arts activities in the city as a way to say we can spread among all of us some of the positive consequences of the hall being in the city. MB: What message does the situation send to other developers? MD: If I was a developer, it's got to create some anxious math in my mind. e amount of time, energy and funds that are necessary to take an idea from concept all the way through the planning process, get an approval and then wonder if the Council's going to change the expectations mid-stream or claw back what had been understood to have been granted by right has a sig- nificant chilling effect. A developer would pause and consider whether or not their vison could be real- ized more reliably in an adjoining community. MB: In Bayside, what do you see as the best use for the empty Midtown properties? MD: e more mixed the bet- ter. When I look at Bayside, I see Deering Center writ larger. I want mixed economic tenants, first-floor retail, community space and green space that matters. MB: You've talked creating spaces for people to create things. What do you mean? MD: ere's nothing wrong with saying we are a white-collar service center, but our sustainability as a city requires that some things are made here. at's why I've argued for the new frontier for that activ- ity to be the harbor. I believe in the blue economy and that there's lot of creativity arising to meet the chal- lenge of manufacturing, processing and cultivation. Portland Mayor Mark Dion says he's concerned that mixed messages from the City Council about a proposed concert venue could have a "chilling" effect on development. M From tackling downtown vacancies and safety concerns to the ongoing debate over a proposed concert hall, Portland Mayor Mark Dion has arguably one of the toughest municipal jobs in Maine. Mainebiz sat down with the former sheriff in his office at City Hall for a 45-minute interview that covered a lot of ground. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R

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