PORTLAND, Maine — A statewide group is taking a stand against a Portland ballot question that aims to protect public scenic views in the city by changing the rezoning process and appointing a task force to look specifically at projects that could potentially block views.
"It's not just the task force that would have a say," says Nancy Smith, executive director of GrowSmart Maine, "but any group of 20 residents or even one impacted property owner could slow down a project by saying they want their viewshed or their viewpoint evaluated."
She says the group generally doesn't take a stand on local issues, "but our sense is that this is so significant — it's not just about Portland, this is about the state of Maine, how we balance our heritage and our history, and our future. This has to be a balancing act and there's got to be a better way to do it."
The referendum, which is a response to to concerns by some Portland residents, that a proposed multi-use redevelopment project of the historical Portland Co. complex on the eastern waterfront, would block public views of the waterfront and harbor.
GrowSmart Maine says it would replicate work the city's planning department is already doing, give too many people the ability to slow down new projects, and would have a chilling effect on new development in the city. The group Save the Soul of Portland got the referendum on the ballot; the group says there are just too many unknowns about the Portland Co. redevelopment project.
