Planning Board approves 325-unit mixed‑use project at 165 Washington Avenue with conditions and two technical waivers

The Portland Planning Board voted unanimously Feb. 25 to approve a major site plan for a seven‑story, mixed‑use development at 165 Washington Avenue, subject to 11 technical conditions and two variances from the city’s technical manual.

Taylor (city planner) told the board the applicant, Redfern Properties, proposes a 7‑story building with 325 dwelling units, an 800‑square‑foot retail space on the ground floor, two residential courtyards and a site footprint of about 65,000 square feet. The proposal includes 82 on‑site workforce housing units and several street‑level changes the applicant offered after a January workshop, Taylor said.

The board’s action followed presentations from applicant representatives and a consultant team. Jonathan Culley, representing Redfern Properties, said the building is an apartment development (not student housing) but expects some graduate students “to live there” given proximity to nearby institutions. Pete Hile (consultant engineer) described stormwater reconfiguration after recent technical manual updates and said subsurface sand‑filter maintenance would require occasional access through the building lobby or over a three‑story portion of the structure.

Why it matters: the site is within a transit‑proximate East End neighborhood and the project will add 325 dwelling units, including a sizable on‑site workforce housing commitment. The board and public focused on parking, stormwater connections,…