The developers behind the controversial Yard South project in South Portland have withdrawn their application for special zoning permissions and indicated that they are now pursuing alternative options for the property.
Yard South developers have been working on plans for the sprawling parcel of land near Bug Light Park for about six years and submitted their pre-application for a contract zone to the City in 2022. A final application was submitted in July of this year.
In South Portland, Contract Zoning allows the City Council to āimpose, by agreement with the property owner or otherwise, certain conditions or restrictions not generally applicable to other properties similarly zonedā as a result of āthe unusual nature or unique location of the development proposed.ā
According to PK Realty Management — the company responsible for the property alongside owners L&R Northpoint Holdings — explained in a November 4 statement that they had decided to pursue the Contract Zone after the City encouraged them to do so in order to bring the requirements into alignment with South Portland’s comprehensive plan.
“Since we submitted the application a few months ago, it has become clear that city leadership just isn’t ready to bring this vision forward, so we withdrew our zone change application and are pursuing other options,” the company said.
The now-withdrawn application included plans to add about 1,000 residential units, a waterfront park, and other “community amenities” to the former shipyard over the next fifteen to twenty years.
The Frequently Asked Questions page of the Yard South website, the current zoning parameters for the property would not allow for the creation of a mixed-use area that incorporated residential development.
PK Realty Management suggested in their statement that there are “systemic deficiencies” in South Portland’s zoning of this property, which dates back to 1975.
“The planning department needs more support, and despite housing being a primary City Council goal, there is a lack of leadership and no shared plan or vision to carry out this objective,” PK Realty Management wrote. “The good news is that through our outreach, we’ve met thousands of people in South Portland and throughout the state who share our commitment to address the housing crisis and we hope to continue that momentum.”
“We are not going to reach any housing goals if we do not commit to action,” they said.
The company goes on to say that they will be maintaining a partnership with the South Portland Housing Development Corporation and will go ahead with plans to begin environmental remediation efforts near the shoreline in mid-November.
Click Here to Read the Full Press Release
One organization that had strongly spoken out against the proposed Yard South development is Protect South Portland, a group dedicated to āpromot[ing] actions and practices that serve to protect the environment and the health and welfare ofā the City.
Their opposition stemmed primarily from potential safety concerns resulting from the fumes emitted by the nearby oil tanks and the potentiality of storm surges āreleasing toxins or dislodging the tanks.ā
Another group which formed specifically for the purpose of opposing the development, No Yard South, has distributed numerous lawn signs that have appeared in front of homes throughout the City urging local lawmakers to put a stop to the project.
In an interview with the Portland Press Herald last year, the organizer of No Yard South stated that while she believes in increasing housing availability, she was against doing so in this location.
[RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Yard South]
Had the contract zone been approved, the Yard South project would have been built on the 30 acres of land that formerly served as the West Shipyard where Liberty Ships were built during World War II.
PK Realty Management purchased the land for $7.7 million in 2018 and now intends to pursue alternative plans for the property going forward.
1000 units down there would be a complete disaster.
Traffic would be unmanageable. 100 of the units would be low income subsidized and probably be given to illegals (until they’re deported). Nice, huh? Waterfront living for welfare?
The area is completely unsuitable for a project that big.
“protect the environment”. Did you see Joe fireplace raw. A lot of BAD things Gowing up the chimney there. Typical Democratic city..
āThe organizer of No Yard South stated that while she believes in increasing housing availability, she was against doing so in this location.ā How many times do we hear this as a reason to squash a housing project? Sheās likely a tree hugging, white liberal.
I havenāt followed the process in detail, but why hasnāt there been a back-and-forth on the number of units if 1,000 is too many?
Will the housing crisis be over now Trump’s been elected? If so, a lot of these housing ‘projects’ will try to re-zone, re: whatever. They’ve got to pivot if housing crisis is no longer a lucrative option, (i.e. grants/subsidies) and pivot to housing the homeless, elderly, = much less profit? Not that housing the elderly is a bad thing. I’ve just seen contractors over the years jump on the gov’t handout bandwagon with windmills, solar, etc. It goes round and round,