Portland Planning Board backs waterfront zoning change for port warehousing

A waterfront space near the Maine seaport may soon contain temperature-controlled warehousing and the new U.S. headquarters for Icelandic ocean liner Eimskip, according to a report from the Portland Press Herald.

   The Portland, Maine Planning Board is backing a zoning change project that will benefit reefer ocean liner Eimskip, according to local news source the Portland Press Herald.
   The board recently approved a project that will open up waterfront space for Eimskip and other industry companies. Eimkip plans to move its U.S. headquarters into the space while other companies can utilize its refrigerated warehousing for perishable goods.
   The Portland Planning Board “unanimously recommended a zoning change that would allow a 68-foot-tall cold storage warehouse to be built in a port development zone on the western waterfront,” however, the City Council must still vote on the zoning change, said the Portland Press Herald.
   The majority of speakers at the board meetings urged the board to approve the zoning changes, saying it was vital to develop and strengthen the Port of Portland. The changes would increase the maximum building height from 45 feet to 55 feet and buildings with a primary marine use of up to 75 feet tall would be allowed in a section of the zone west of the Casco Bay Bridge, said the Portland Press Herald. 
   Should the project be officially approved, Americold, the largest cold storage company in the U.S. would construct and own the facility on land owned by the state through the Maine Port Authority, said the Portland Press Herald. Construction is estimated to cost $30 million.
   The zoning change has been on the table for consideration for nearly a year as the warehouse has prompted “fierce opposition from some West End residents concerned about blocked views, building appearance and traffic,” said the local news source.
   “We have truly been engaged in trying to get it right, and we feel that working together we have made a great process that to a large degree strikes the right balance,” said Anne Pringle, president of the Western Promenade Neighborhood Association. The process included more than 40 meetings with members of the public, elected officials, property owners and business associations, said the Portland Press Herald.
   The zoning change was initially requested by Portland’s Economic Development Department. “I’m pleased with the outcome,” said John Henshaw, executive director of the port authority. “I think the process played out well, people were heard, compromises were made and we ended up with a good solution.”