Portland planning board approves 10‑story Bayside building at 61 Preble Street with conditions

The City of Portland Planning Board voted to approve the site plan for a proposed 10‑story mixed‑use building at 61 Preble Street (application PL0032222025) on June 24, 2025, subject to eight conditions requiring final coordination with city departments and an affordable‑housing agreement.

The approval covers the project as presented by applicant 60 Elm Street LLC and reviewed against Portland’s land use code and the Bayside Master Development Plan. Planning staff’s recommendation, incorporated into the board’s approval letter, requires the applicant to finalize sewer connection plans with the Department of Public Works (DPW); coordinate placement and screening of electrical transformers with the planning authority; submit solid‑waste pickup operations for DPW review; finalize tree species with the city arborist; enter into an affordable housing agreement to be recorded at the Cumberland County Registry of Deeds; pay a fee in lieu for required off‑site street trees ($400 per tree, total $82,000 as stated in the board conditions); sponsor a nearby bike‑share station; and satisfy the city’s protocol on issuance of certificates of occupancy when off‑site workforce units are not yet complete (including options to provide on‑site units or pay a per‑unit fee in lieu of $182,830 as described in the inclusionary zoning ordinance).

Why it matters: The approval…