This parcel of land off Hope Avenue in Portland’s North Deering neighborhood was once slated for a condo development that neighbors criticized. Now that project has fallen through, and the Portland Land Bank Commission is moving to fund a bid for the land this week that would see it become part of the Presumpscot River Preserve. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
A large piece of land near the Presumpscot River Preserve has sat empty for years. Save for a couple of trails, the parcel is green and untouched. Members of the Portland Land Bank Commission are hoping it will stay that way.
On Wednesday, the commission unanimously recommended spending up to $400,000 to help the nonprofit Trust for Public Land make an offer on the 13.3-acre parcel off Hope Avenue. One commissioner, Michael Schrameyer, recused himself from the vote citing a conflict of interest.
The land is being auctioned after a plan to build 54 housing units fell through. The commission has $494,000 in reserves and the allocation could be a large percentage of its budget. Those funds come from 0.5% of the total Capital Improvement Budget each year, which amounts to about $50,000 or $60,000 per year. The commission can roll those funds over year to year and save for larger land purchases.
Representatives from the Trust for Public Land plan to place a bid at the auction Friday at 11 a.m. If successful, the land will eventually be handed over to the city as part of the Presumpscot River Preserve.
It’s unclear whether any other groups or developers are interested in buying the land.
Plans to build nine duplexes and 12 triplexes on the land fell through this spring after the Portland Planning Board tabled the developer’s application. City staff said developer Mark McClure had not paid fines he incurred for removing or damaging trees without a permit. (The city requires applicants to settle outstanding debts before pursuing new permits.)
McClure also failed to pay about $100,000 in consulting fees for the property and defaulted on loans, according to legal filings, sending the property into foreclosure. He eventually dropped out of the project after his business partner, city officials and community members voiced concerns about his financial standing and ability to carry out the work. Peter Bouchard, who sold the land to McClure, told the Press Herald in March that he had taken over the project.
The proposed development was controversial from the start, with neighbors and conservationists expressing concerns about the impact that building condos on the property would have on the neighboring Presumpscot River Preserve, including the possibility of an increased risk of landslides.
“It was a pretty inappropriate place for development in that it couldn’t really meet regulations, but really it’s not a safe place for housing or development at all because it has unstable soil. It just makes development risky,” said Jon Kachmar, who chairs the commission and is the executive director of Portland Trails.
Plans to build nine duplexes and 12 triplexes on this land off Hope Avenue in Portland’s North Deering neighborhood fell through this spring after the Portland Planning Board tabled the developer’s application. The 13.3-acre parcel of land is going up for auction Friday morning. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)
NOT A SURE THING
Even though the Land Bank Commission has recommended allocating up to $400,000 for the bid, it is contingent on approval from the Portland City Council. It’s unclear when the item will come before the council.
“Friday could come and there might be other interested parties who place a bid. … It’s not a predetermined outcome; it’s an option,” Ethan Hipple, the Parks, Recreation and Facilities director, said during the commission meeting Wednesday.
If the Trust for Public Land does not win the auction Friday, no money will be lost, Hipple said. The commission spent much of its meeting discussing the possibility of the council ultimately not approving the allocation or of other buyers swooping in and outbidding the Trust for Public Land.
During the meeting Wednesday, several people spoke in support of the commission acquiring the land.
“This is a space that’s used by everyone in our community … there are always people tubing, people riding bicycles, it’s a really great green space for people to use. Also the land is not a great space for building on anyway,” said Jessie Pinchoff.
Steve Champagne also spoke in support of the acquisition.
“I fully support the Portland Land Bank investing in this property. Hopefully you will approve it. … It’s clear that the highest and best use of the real estate is to preserve it in perpetuity for the people of Portland,” Champagne said.
The Land Bank Commission’s mission is to preserve open and wild spaces in Portland, according to Kachmar.
The Hope Avenue property has been of interest to the commission for years because of its crucial location adjacent to the Presumpscot River Preserve, he said. The property is an important public access point for the preserve, and members of the public frequently use trails that wind through the parcel as a part of the Portland Trails network.
“It’s really a buffer to the existing river preserve. … That would change if anything were built on it,” Kachmar said Wednesday.
Should the city successfully acquire the land, the plan would be to simply leave it untouched and allow members of the public to use it the same way they do now.
Kachmar said the land bank can’t afford to buy large properties without support, so it usually works with nonprofits or other groups to do that. But ultimately, the properties the commission goes in on become city property.
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