MEC407 wrote:Op-ed in today's Portland Press Herald regarding the proposed "Forefront at Thompson's Point":
Portland Press Herald wrote:The location is a clear selling point. In addition to its easy access to Interstate 295, with an already constructed highway interchange for both north and southbound traffic, it is also adjacent to a transportation center serviced by Concord Trailways bus service and Amtrak train service to Boston. It is within sight of the now-under-expansion Portland International Jetport, making it an easy trip for business travelers who could come for conventions or trade shows and patronize city businesses.
Read more at: http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/thom ... 05-02.html
There are a lot of possible reasons why the Portland Press Herald editors like this project. But one of them is almost being left unsaid. This project has been configured and marketed in such a way to make it an 'obvious' choice. There's nothing difficult for anyone to digest about it, no "challenges", no "potential obstacles", no "possible showstoppers", nothing. The project integrates seamlessly into the City and doesn't destroy so much as a single unit of existing housing or historic buildings to boot. In short it was given a good foundation that was strong from the start because they knew something 'easy' like this would be so appealing to Maine sensibilities.
Its easy enough for anyone to talk about the 'transportation mix' as we all have but that wouldn't mean much if the project involved displacing city residents, tearing down a park, or disrupting the citizenry and their neighborhoods in some way shape or form. Perhaps most importantly the project 'reuses' a site that has had previous development for over a century, and to top it all off there is 0 chance that it disturbs or destroys extant wildlife habitat or sensitive ecosystems. All of these propositions are so obvious, so immediately apparent that no one is even bothering to address them. But the fact of the matter is these reasons are at the very heart of why this project is being taken so seriously in the first place. Not only was the site selection very much in line with local community values but there were other additional synergies as well that the community is likely very interested in promoting such as those between the site and the PTC and PWM.
All of this is making a potentially million dollar concession by the City in the form of a tax increment financing district seem like a miniscule consideration. In fact most coverage of the story treats it as an after thought. That's pretty impressive.
There are still some challenges ahead. Obviously the group will need to line up serious financing and then move forward with construction bids and other considerations. But in my view the bottom line at this point is that there is a very serious community consensus that is forming in favor of this project and we are at a very early stage indeed.
All of these factors have a lot of significance for NNEPRA and their search for a new site for a terminal facility. My prediction stands, if this facility gets built the
Downeaster will not be moving out of its current location, however NNEPRA may in fact propose a new full rail station and platforms at the location to accomodate the
Downeaster and the possible crowds going to "The Forefront".