The Portland Planning Board unanimously endorsed a plan by a developer to build a ship maintenance and repair facility on West Commercial Street.
New Yard at Canal Landing received the approval to move forward for a facility at 40 West Commercial Street on Tuesday. The proposal was made by Phineas Sprague and Portland Yacht Services as an extension of their Fore Street yard that would serve as a primary repair facility.
"I'm very, very grateful to see this site is being developed with a water-related use," said board Chairwoman Carol Morrissette.
New Yard at Canal Landing will occupy a 22-acre site adjacent to the Casco Bay Bridge and the International Marine Terminal, according to Senior Planner Bill Needelman. He said a boat yard is a permitted use on the site, though conditional approval was needed for sales and storage.
Sprague said Portland Yacht Service will continue maintaining its marina and only move the maintenance and repair work to the West Commercial Street facility. He said he doesn't intend for the West Commercial Street facility to be used as a marina, and the only boats stored on site would be the ones under repair.
Stephen Bushey, of DeLuca Hoffman Associates, said the 22-acre lot will house both existing Unitil infrastructure and the new boat yard. Within the boat yard, he said, there are two primary buildings: the main operational building and the fabric tension maintenance building.
Along with the two main operation buildings, Bushey said, the site will house a small brokerage building, a new ramp close to the bridge, a travel lift basin, a ramp on the westerly end of the property and a series of rehabilitated docks and floats.
Bushey said the primary access to the site will be on the easterly end of the property in a right of way New Yard will share with the Maine Department of Transportation, while Unitil will continue using the access road.
The project received both praise and criticism from Portland residents during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Brackett Street resident Ashley Salisbury said there's concern in the neighborhood about the impact of the development on the view-shed from the hill. She said the buildings proposed are tall and obtrusive and could impact abutting property values.
"Is that appropriate architecture for this neighborhood?" she asked.
Brackett Street resident Meghan Phillips said she's concerned about the visual impact the fabric building will have on the abutting neighborhood. She said it's simply an enormous white building that will be an eyesore to residents.
Morrissette pointed out that since the city lacks design standards in the area of the project, the board has no jurisdiction over the appearance of the buildings in the boat yard.
Board member David Silk said the zoning that governs the waterfront area allows uses that could be much more intrusive than the boat yard and the board has little impact on what can be put there if it conforms with the city's regulations.
Robert Haines said he's pleased to see a waterfront industry develop on West Commercial Street rather than a retail development that would be better suited elsewhere in the city.
Joe Schmader, owner of Gowen Marine, said the New Yard proposal is precisely what the city has wanted to see developed on the western waterfront.
"I think it is greatly needed for Portland," he said, adding it's a great project for the waterfront.
•••
Earlier in the meeting, the board continued its review of a hotel that's being proposed for the corner of Commercial and Maple streets.
JB and Brown Sons are seeking approval to put a new development at 321 Commercial Street, located between Maple and the Baxter Place building. The development would primarily house a 131-room hotel — under the Courtyard by Marriott banner — with a restaurant and 14 residential units.
The development would have 28 parking spaces on site.

Even though it took only a few months to develop the criteria to find a new use for the former Nathan Clifford School, it could take nearly a year before something happens with the vacant building.
Now that the Portland City Council unanimously has endorsed a series of recommendations created by the Nathan Clifford Reuse Task Force, the city can start implementing the process the group felt would be the best to find a suitable future use for the 100-year-old school building.
Next month, the city's planning staff will meet with the city manager to outline what tasks will be given to the various departments to see the process through to the end, according to Senior Planner Bill Needelman. In the short term, he said, the city will start the process to have the Nathan Clifford School declared a city landmark and begin a conditions assessment of the building.
As those two steps are under way, Needelman said the city will prepare to solicit requests for qualifications for developers interested in the property.
The implementation timeline recommended by the task force would have requests for qualifications returned by April, those proposals would be reviewed and three developers would be picked to prepare a full plan for the school. The proposals would be reviewed late in the summer with a recommendation being made to the City Council in the fall.
Needelman said it's possible a sale could be finalized in October or November, though it's likely that the process might take more time.
"That would depend on everything falling into line," he said.
Caroline Paras, who chaired the task force, said the recommendations for the reuse criteria are based on three values: the stabilization of the building, the preservation of the historic features; and the future use being compatible with the neighborhood. She said the task force felt the city should conduct a conditions assessment of the building that can be provided to potential developers, secure local landmark designation and put preference on use over price when selecting a development program.
When the school was opened more than 100 years ago, it was a sign that Portland was growing, Paras said, and redeveloping the vacant building could once again restore that feeling in Oakdale.
"[It's an] opportunity to bring new life and new vitality back to the neighborhood," she said.
The task force's recommendations focus on protecting the character of the neighborhood but still allowing the city to find a development program that vitality is brought back to the century old school building. The recommendations don't prescribe a particular development program but instead provides guidance on how the council should select a future use for the building.
The task force's report encourages the city find future uses that are either education or research oriented; community uses; incorporate publicly-accessible open space or play areas, low-impact commercial or institutional uses; or a creative mixed-use development. Underlying the encouraged uses is the see that a future development works within the school's current R5 zoning designation, though other proposals will still be considered.
The task force said commercial, industrial or high-impact institutional uses; residential uses like hotels or hostels; significant high-density residential uses be discouraged, according to the report.
In its recommendations, the task force developed a multi-tiered review process to find the best future use. The process includes a request for qualifications, a request for proposals and a review process that ranks the submissions using primary and secondary criteria.
The primary criteria include a positive impact on the neighborhood, the presence of neighborhood amenities like open space, the strength of the developers financial and technical capabilities and use that's in line with the task force's report. The secondary items include the purchase price and the benefit to the city's task base and the possibility of the developer providing snow ban parking.
The City Council unanimously endorsed the series of recommendations at its Monday meeting.

Freezing rain and rush hour traffic made for a bad combination Monday afternoon, as emergency responders coped with a flurry of crash reports.
"We're getting them from all over the place," said Sgt. Mike Edes, with the Maine State Police's Troop B in Gray.
From Windham to Falmouth, area emergency responders answered calls, ranging from rollovers to "slide-offs."
"We expect it, first storm of the year, here we are," Edes said.
A Sunday night snowstorm that broke a streak of sunny, dry weather laid a packed base, and then warmer temperatures and freezing rain created treacherous conditions. Today, the National Weather Service calls for rain and a high near 39 degrees in Portland. Wednesday, expect a chance of rain and snow showers before 3 p.m., then a chance of snow showers.
On Monday, the Maine Turnpike was plagued by crashes.
Around 11 a.m., a multi-vehicle accident was reported around mile 11 southbound in York. Around 2 p.m., a vehicle plowed into the median at mile 55 southbound in Falmouth. Around 5 p.m., on Interstate 95 northbound, from Exit 48 to Exit 52 at the Falmouth Spur, a crash involving a truck prompted delays.
"Very slippery conditions due to freezing rain. Imperative for safety to drive at much slower speeds and distance. Increase stop distance," Turnpike authorities warned on Twitter.
The words of caution were familiar for anyone familiar with winter driving.
"Slow down, give yourself a few extra minutes, give yourself a little extra space," Edes said.

The Portland City Council unanimously confirmed the appointment of a longtime Maryland firefighter to become the next fire chief.
Jerome LaMoria was confirmed to succeed Fred Lamontagne as the Portland fire chief Monday night. LaMoria is a former lieutenant colonel of the Prince George's County (Md.) Fire Department — where he served for more than 25 years — and has most recently been the training and exercise coordinator for Prince George's County Office of Homeland Security.
"I look forward to working with you," said Mayor Michael Brennan.
The fire chief is an important position in the city, Brennan said, and he looks forward to LaMoria continuing a tradition of progressive leadership. He said he's sure the city will welcome LaMoria and the skills he brings to the position.
City Manager Mark Rees said he based his recommendation based on LaMoria's background and experience. He said he thinks LaMoria is well qualified for the position and that he's going to make a good department even better.
"It's a great honor to have gotten to this point," LaMoria said, and become the city's 14th fire chief.
LaMoria said he's embraced the idea that the fire department is a community partner. He said aside from delivering emergency services, he believes in spearheading proactive initiatives that focus on preparedness and prevention.
LaMoria said it will be his top priority to maintain public trust in the fire department and continue to be responsive and prepared.
"As your fire chief I'll be committed to leading an already great fire department," he said.
Now that the council has confirmed LaMoria's appointment, he's set to start as the fire chief on Jan. 3.
LaMoria will start with a salary of $95,000, according to a staff memo, and will increase to $100,000 after six months.
The city launched a nationwide search to find Chief Fred LaMontagne's successor after he announced his retirement in January. Deputy Chief Steve Smith stepped into the role of acting chief during the time of the city search to fill the position.
The first part of the nationwide chief search yielded more than 55 applicants. The field of candidates was narrowed to four or five people who were then interviewed by citizen and city employee panels as well as questioning by fire service experts. The city manager then conducted one-on-one interviews.
After a potential finalist withdrew his name from consideration, the city re-advertised the position in August. During the second round, the city received 55 applications.
The City Council thanked Smith Monday night for stepping into the role of fire chief while the search was under way.
Confirming the new fire chief wasn't the only hiring the council reviewed Monday.
The council confirmed the appointment of Jennifer Thompson as the new associate corporation counsel.
For the past two years, Thompson has owned and staffed Virtual Associates of New England, according to her resume, and practiced primarily in the areas of municipal, land use and employment law and general civil litigation.
Thompson's prior experience included two years as a senior law clerk for the Maine Business and Consumer Court; three years as an attorney for Skelton, Taintor and Abbott in Auburn; and one year as a law clerk with the Maine Superior Court.
Thompson will replace former associate counsel Ann Freeman who left the position in November.
"We're very excited to have her in the office," said Acting Corporation Counsel Danielle West-Chuhta.
The city is still in the process of finding a new corporation counsel to replace Gary Wood, who retired in September. West-Chuhta was appointed to serve as interim corporation counsel.
•••
The council recognized the Portland Police Department's Officer Jeffrey Druan and Officer Brent Abbott as officers of the month for October and November, respectively.