Portland planning board hears widespread concern, some support for 1584 Forest Ave "Belfort Landing" proposal

Portland — The City of Portland Planning Board on June 10, 2025 held a workshop on a major site plan for 1584 Forest Avenue, a proposed multi‑family development (market name: Belfort Landing) that would place two three‑story buildings totaling 50 residential units on a parcel that abuts Talbot School and fronts on Forest Avenue with site access proposed from Belfort Street.

The project, submitted by Acre Properties and represented by Goral Palmer Engineering, drew broad public comment that night: many neighbors warned the development’s size and access plan would create traffic and pedestrian‑safety problems on the narrow, largely single‑family Belfort loop, while housing advocates and transit‑oriented planning supporters told the board the proposal aligns with the city’s comprehensive plan and recent rezoning along transit corridors.

City planner Eric (City of Portland planning staff) told the board the application is subject to site plan review (section 13.6), inclusionary zoning (section 17.2) and the multifamily design review guidelines (section 9.1). The submission calls for two three‑story buildings, each with about 25 units (50 total), 50 service parking spaces and landscaping and circulation improvements. Staff reported the applicant has added a pedestrian walkway to connect the interior of the site to Forest Avenue and plans to build a transit shelter at the Forest frontage.

Why it matters: The parcel sits where a conservation easement held under a Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands grant borders the Talbot School driveway and where traffic already concentrates. The workshop did not include a board vote; staff and the applicant will return with responses to outstanding technical and design issues. The public raised safety, stormwater and grading, parking, snow‑management and construction‑impacts questions that would affect both adjacent homeowners and the school community.

Key project details and outstanding items - Proposal: "Belfort Landing" major site plan at 1584 Forest Ave; applicant Acre Properties; representative Goral Palmer Engineering (Andrew Carmen spoke for the applicant). Staff identified the proposal as two three‑story multi‑family buildings totaling 50 units and…