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Planning Board approves Martins Point 50,000 sq ft medical office, grants two technical waivers
Summary
The board approved a major site plan for a 50,000-square-foot Martins Point medical office building at 331 Veranda Street with two waivers and conditions requiring updated technical submissions, campuswide TDM adjustments and utility capacity letters.
The Planning Board voted Jan. 14 to approve a major site plan for a 50,000-square-foot medical office building proposed by Martin’s Point Healthcare at 331 Veranda Street, granting two technical waivers and placing conditions on final permits.
Staff briefed the board that the project sits in the recently updated B5 business zone and includes two below-grade structured parking levels with two stories of medical office above, site landscaping and improvements to an adjacent trail. Because the parcel’s shoreland zoning setback was reduced by recent rezoning (from 75 feet to 25 feet) the project complies with the updated shoreland setback; staff said that was a key change since a prior April 2024 workshop.
Why this matters: The proposed building is the first Planning Board application reviewed under the city’s revised land-use code adopted in recode; the site is adjacent to key campus uses and to a regional trail where pedestrian connectivity and stormwater controls were a focus of review.
Waivers and findings - The board granted a waiver to the code’s build-to zone requirement for the B5 zone (table 7‑c) after concluding that the site’s irregular shape and site-specific constraints met the code’s standard for hardship and that the waiver is consistent with the ordinance intent. - The board also granted a waiver of the technical manual provision that normally prohibits direct discharge to a tidal body of water (DEP chapter 500 standard) because of site-specific drainage constraints; the board found extraordinary conditions and that public interest and ordinance intent were preserved.
Conditions imposed and technical follow-up The board approved the site plan subject to conditions that must be satisfied before a building permit is issued, including: an updated site-plan standards assessment to confirm compliance with the adopted technical manual and recode standards; ability-to-serve letters and wastewater capacity authorization from utilities and the sewer agency; resolution of outstanding stormwater and public-works comments; and a Transportation Demand Management revision that covers all employee-related trips across the Martins Point campus. Staff also listed standard technical checklist items and a finalization of LID (low-impact development) compliance documentation.
Board action and vote - The Planning Board adopted the waivers and the site-plan approvals on roll-call votes; members present voted unanimously in favor of the waivers and the final site-plan approval.
Public comment - Portland Trails and nearby residents supported improved trail connections but asked for continued coordination on trail routing, construction impacts and the materials used where the trail crosses the front parking area. Residents also asked about snow storage and how the trail interface will be maintained during construction. The applicant said they will restore vegetation in some areas and that snow will be hauled where necessary; they also noted constraints where the trail meets loading and service areas.
The board authorized staff to prepare the final approval letter and directed the applicant to return with the required technical submittals; the action allows the applicant to proceed to the building-permit stage once conditions are satisfied.
