spring street - free street area streetscape improvement plan
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PROJECT UNDERSTANDING AND APPROACH
The Spring Street – Free Street segment lies at the center of the Portland Downtown District and acts as a critical transportation and development corridor between Franklin Arterial and High Street – linking the Old Port with the Arts District and the East End with the West End. The connective nature of this area means it is of great importance to the functionality and amicability of Portland. It is also home of the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland Museum of Art, the University of Maine Health, as well as numerous businesses that supply vibrancy to Portland’s Downtown District. With the redevelopment of the Cumberland County Civic Center comes an opportunity to take a fresh look and respond to the area’s growing needs. This portion of Spring Street was constructed as an arterial in the 1970’s as a part of the Victor Gruen Patterns for Progress Downtown renewal plan for a set of “ring roads”, a plan that was never carried to completion. There is strong community interest in creating a new plan for this roadway to become a more complete street that integrates the districts around it. This Streetscape Improvement Plan is a step in the direction of reclaiming Spring Street to meet current community aspirations and enhance the Spring Street-Free Street neighborhood.
There are multiple stated goals for the Streetscape Planning project that all revolve around the concept of a context sensitive solution:
- Recognize the opportunity to leverage the Civic Center modernization plan as a catalyst to start the implementation of the plan.
- Enhance economic development in the study area through short and long term planning.
- Improve bicycle and pedestrian access within and through the study area.
- Improve physical and visual connectivity between the study area and the surrounding districts.
- Encourage the development or redevelopment of underutilized properties.
- Continue to move large volumes of vehicles (including tractor trailers to and from the Civic Center) safely and efficiently.
The above summary of goals is from pages two and three of the selected project proposal submitted by Terrence J. DeWan & Associates, Ransom Environmental Consultants, Inc., and Portland Trails entitled “Proposal for Spring Street – Free Street Area Streetscape Plan” (06.18.12).
Figure 1: Spring Street – Free Street scope of project aerial view.
Planning Advisory Committee Members
Linda Bancroft, Aquarius Property Management
Hillary Bassett, Greater Portland Landmarks
Linda Beatty, Holiday Inn by the Bay
Jan Beitzer, Portland Downtown District
Patrick Costin, Creative Portland
Steve Crane, Cumberland County Civic Center
Don Elliot, Portland Society of Architects
Mark Filler, Filler and Associates
Kristen Levesque, Portland Museum of Art
C. Michael Lewis, Neighborhood Resident
Penny Louis, Maine Health
Suzanne Olson, Portland Children’s Museum
Brian Petrovek, Portland Pirates
Ricardo Quesada, Fore River Management
Tim Soley, East Brown Cow Corp.
Lucia Stangoff, Portland’s Children’s Museum
Paul Stevens, Portland Society of Architects
Corey Templeton, Portland Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
Department of Planning & Urban Development
Jeff Levine, Director
Alex Jaegerman, Planning Division Director
Rick Knowland, Senior Planner
Kirsten Stray-Gundersen, Planning Division Intern
Department of Public Services
Michael Bobinsky, Director
Kathi Earley, Engineering Services Manager
Bruce Hyman, Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Coordinator
Jeremiah Bartlett, City Transportation Systems Engineer
Tom Farmer, Terrence J. DeWan & Associates
John Mahoney, Ransom Environmental Consultants, Inc.
Jaime Parker, Portland Trails
Contact Us
Rick Knowland, Senior Planner at 207-874-8725 or by email.