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Fishermen say boutique hotel vision threatens working waterfront

Can a working waterfront and retail space co-exist? Developers and fishermen are hashing it out.

PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- Portland’s Planning Board will hold a workshop discussion Tuesday night on a rezoning request for one of the waterfront’s working wharves. A local developer wants to build a boutique hotel and parking garage at Fisherman’s Wharf. The plan is up against resistance from members of Maine’s fishing industry who don’t want to lose fishing access along Portland’s waterfront.

The photo above is a look at the most recent renderings of development plans for a historic block along Commercial Street. David Batement has been a developer in the Portland area since the 1970’s. This plan has been in the works for the last three years.

“The idea was to take the vacant parking lot, it’s about 2-acres, and bring it to its full potential,” explains Bateman.

He says his plans for a 93 room boutique hotel with retail space and a parking garage could become an asset for the city and plans to address concerns about it at Tuesday night’s Planning Board meeting.

We heard from one fisherman who will also be there:

“The traffic has really changed the schedule for islanders coming and going to the island you have to leave a lot more time on either side to make sure you get a parking spot and get to that ferry on time.”

Steve Train lives on Long Island. He says he and others are concerned about the congestion all along Commercial Street.

“We need that waterfront and we’ve worked very hard to maintain our birthing and now we’re working to maintain access to our birthing.”

Train says changes made in 2010 by the city council to loosen zoning restrictions on the working wharves was a compromise but at the time parking wasn't the concern it is now.

“I don’t think there’s room for zoning change,” says Train.

“The Waterfront comes in different flavors," says Bateman. "In fact Widgery Wharf right next to us is a great example where on one side of the waterway you still have working waterfront. On the other side, Chandler’s Wharf, which is all recreational boats. When we respond to displacement of the working waterfront it’s not that at all. What we’re doing is we are helping and assisting the commercial tourism waterfront which is just as important as the fishing industry.”

This is also the site of the Portland Lobster Company restaurant that rents the space. Bateman says the business has the option to relocate, but the rent could increase in price.

“I would say that’s probably a realistic assumption,” says Bateman.

Portland Lobster Company could not be reached for comment.

Ultimately it’s up to the city to decide whether the plans come to fruition.

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