No Yard South
Yard South Doesn't Belong on South Portland's Waterfront
PK Realty has submitted a revised zone-change request to build a 30-acre residential downtown alongside Bug Light Park. This will be the largest project in South Portland since the Maine Mall. At stake is the last piece of undeveloped waterfront in southern Maine and the city's prized Bug Light Park. The current Shipyard zone is neither an appropriate nor safe location for this intensive housing development.
Who We Are
No Yard South is a grassroots citizens' group committed to preserving current zoning in South Portland's Shipyard District. That will protect the city's only open stretch of waterfront from urban residential development. Yard South's massive project poses serious safety risks, including inadequate planning for rising sea levels and exposure to toxic emissions from adjacent fuel storage tanks. Join us in protecting South Portland's waterfront from overdevelopment. We must act now to preserve our city's only open waterfront and ensure a safe, sustainable future for our community.
Why Yard South is a bad idea
The plan for development is based on the growth vision in the city's 2012 Comprehensive Plan. A lot has changed since then:
- Climate change and accelerating sea level/storm surge
- Continuing population influx that began with the pandemic
- Traffic congestion from new development
- Increased enrollment in SMCC's free tuition program adding more cars
Further, Yard South is planning for a sea-level rise of 3.9 feet by 2100; the Maine Geological Survey anticipates an 8.8 ft rise.
What We Know About Yard South
This is the type of development PK Realty envisions if their requested zoning change allows housing up to 140-ft high on their 30 acres. Note Bug Light Park's position as a green space and playground for Yard South residents and hotel guests.
- SMOKE & MIRRORS: The "conceptuals" we're seeing from PK Realty are not reality. The rezoned property will be sold to unknown builders who can create whatever they wish within the new zoning parameters.
- CITYWIDE IMPACT: PK is seeking zoning for several residential structures ranging in height from 86 to 140 ft. Rezoning to allow 140-ft building heights will affect construction heights everywhere in the city.
- AFFORDABILITY MYTH: PK touts affordable housing as part of its development. At most, 100 out of the 1,000 units will be “affordable” - not to basic city employees, teachers, police, retail workers.
- BLIGHT ON BUG LIGHT: SoPo's prized Bug Light Park will be overwhelmed by this urban downtown with waterfront hotel. It will be the “green space” for residents and guests. And what about the boat launch?
- MISUSE OF WATERFRONT: This is the last undeveloped section of shore in South Portland. Current zoning allows many options for businesses appropriate for a thriving working waterfront.
- TRAFFIC & PARKING NIGHTMARE: Traffic from 1,000 residents and customers at ancillary establishments will exceed Broadway's already-maxed capacity. With just 0.75 parking spaces allotted for each unit and minimal parking for other needs, overflow parking will negatively impact nearby neighborhoods and lots.
- OUTDATED VISION: The Yard South concept targets SoPo's 2012 Comprehensive Plan, 12 years outdated. Doesn't reflect added growth on Broadway since 2012. Development is geared to projected 8.8 ft sea-level rise by 2100 (per GMRI).
- HEALTH HAZARD: Base is unstable, contaminated fill; the site was originally part of Casco Bay. The leached and airborne toxins from the tank farms continue to add to the legacy contamination in the soil from the shipyard. This is not a safe place for people to live.
- HIGH COST: Property taxes for SoPo residents will rise. The state requires revaluation when property values in a city go up, which will be the case with these high-end waterfront condos. The city will bear the cost of infrastructure improvements and expansion as well as liability for knowingly permitting housing on a hazardous site.