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V O L . X X I I N O. I I I F E B R UA R Y 8 , 2 0 1 6 12 P ortland's hot — a city where life is good, a place where people want to live, work and play. at's backed up by several southern Maine forecasts at the Maine Real Estate & Development Association's annual conference last month showing the city's real estate metrics in 2015 to be exceptionally strong: downtown Class A vacancies at 4.52%, the low- est in seven years; retail, 3.6% vacancy rate compared to 12.6% nationally; multi-unit residential, 1,134 new apart- ments in the pipeline and 269 units under construction. And it certainly doesn't hurt that Portland regularly gets mentioned in national "top city" rankings for its abundance of award-winning restaurants, as a great place to raise a family and for having a lively arts scene that's appealing to empty nesters and millennials. But two high-profi le projects — the $85 million Midtown mixed-use complex in the Bayside area and the proposed redevelopment of the historic Portland Co. complex at 58 Fore St. — respectively triggered a court challenge and a citywide referendum by resi- dents objecting to their scale and impact. Although neither derailment eff ort succeeded, there's ample evi- dence Portland is experiencing some growing pains as architects, developers, municipal offi cials and residents struggle to fi nd common ground on the city's growth challenges and potential solutions. "How we change matters, lack of trust will defeat us," architect Patrick Costin, who founded Canal 5 Greater Portland National 0% 3% 6% 9% 12% 15% 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 Class A Class B 0% 3% 6% 9% 12% 15% 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% Stamford, CT Atlanta, GA Kansas City, MO Seattle, WA Pittsburgh, PA Portland, OR San Francisco, CA 5.9% 10.5% 11.5% 12% 14.6% 17.3% 18.2% R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / D E S I G N F O C U S connectivity point design & installation / ME-NH-MA / 866-782-0200 / connectivitypoint.com network cabling / audio visual / security / wireless / telephone Connectivity Point is a Maine-owned company, specializing in the infrastructure for voice, data, video, and security applications. Our local technicians assist customers from Bangor to Boston and our global partner network expands our reach, which means we'll keep you connected no matter where your offi ces are. Get to know us at connectivitypoint.com We're like I.T. guys. With tools. design & installation / ME-NH-MA / 866-782-0200 / connectivitypoint.com network cabling / audio visual / security / wireless / telephone Connectivity Point is a Maine-owned company, specializing in the infrastructure for voice, Connectivity Point is a Maine-owned company, specializing in the infrastructure for voice, Our local technicians assist customers from Bangor to Boston and our global partner network expands our reach, which means we'll keep you connected no matter where your offi ces are. We're like I.T. guys. With tools. Retail vacancy rate, greater Portland vs. national S O U R C E : CBRE | The Boulos Company Downtown Portland office vacancy rates S O U R C E : Cardente Real Estate Selected national office vacancy rates, Q4 2015 S O U R C E : CBRE | The Boulos Company b y j a m e s m c c a r t h y High-profile projects spark public debate over city's accelerating 'growth' Portland's growing pains