The Portland City Council will vote Monday night on whether to approve $9.3 million in funding for a controversial parking expansion at the Portland International Jetport.
The plans call for the paving of new surface lots to accommodate a growing number of travelers who park their cars at the jetport for longer periods of time. It would add a net total of 265 parking spaces.
Jetport officials say the paving will set the stage for the construction of a larger parking garage on the lots at a future date.
But the project has faced pushback for nearly two years, and jetport officials have scaled back the proposed parking expansion multiple times. Jetport neighbors have raised environmental concerns about the impacts on nearby wetlands and have tried to appeal the project before state regulators.
City councilors will also vote on a $5.5 million project to install a 1.9 megawatt battery storage system at the jetport. Airport officials have said the battery storage system will be used to offset the jetport's electrical load during peak demand and serve as a backup during utility outages.
