The Portland City Council Monday will reconsider a proposed moratorium on the development of new music halls downtown.
The moratorium, which city councilors have twice delayed, would pause the development of music venues with a capacity for 2,000 people or more, including a controversial project spearheaded by a local developer Mile Marker Investments and concert promotion giant Live Nation.
The development group has proposed building a 3,300-person music hall on Myrtle Street across from the Merrill Auditorium.
The moratorium is expected to draw a crowd; Portland municipal staff have said they will open two overflow rooms to accommodate the anticipated audience at city hall.
A large crowd showed up at council chambers in July to give public comment about the proposed moratorium, but city councilors decided to postpone the meeting due to technical issues with the municipal audio and video system.
In the meantime, a community group of local performers and music professionals, known as the Maine Music Alliance, along with performing arts venue operators, have placed flyers around Portland encouraging people to support the moratorium. They're worried that the new venue will change the character of Portland's arts scene and are wary of Live Nation, which is the subject of an anti-trust lawsuit and investigation from the U.S. Justice Department.
Recently, a group billed as "Friends of the Portland Music Hall," began advertising in the Portland Press Herald. The group's website includes quotes of support, many from people who describe themselves as Portland business owners. They point to vacant storefronts on Congress Street and say a new music venue will boost economic viability of downtown Portland.
If the moratorium is not approved, the planning board is scheduled to consider the project the following night, on Tuesday.
