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Planning board waives buffer and approves Boys & Girls Club addition at 9 Cedar St with housing‑replacement conditions
Summary
The board approved a two‑story, ~13,000 sq ft addition to the Boys & Girls Club at 9 Cedar Street and granted a waiver to allow fencing in lieu of a full 10‑foot vegetated buffer; the application includes demolition of 25 units that the applicant will replace via a neighbouring development arrangement and a required housing‑replacement performance guarantee.
On May 12 the Portland Planning Board approved a major site plan for a two‑story, roughly 13,000‑square‑foot addition to the Boys & Girls Club at 9 Cedar Street, granting a waiver to allow a fence buffer where a 10‑foot vegetated buffer is normally required and setting conditions to secure housing replacement and construction easements.
The applicant described the project as a mission‑driven expansion intended to add teen‑center programming, career‑lab spaces and a fenced rear courtyard with a half‑court basketball area. The project will require demolition of two existing multifamily buildings on site, a loss of 25 housing units the city’s housing‑replacement ordinance requires to be replaced.
The Boys & Girls Club and project representatives explained they are providing land and financial support to a third‑party affordable‑housing developer (Avesta) to satisfy the replacement requirement with an adjacent proposal that would deliver 30 replacement units; staff stressed that the applicant must post a performance guarantee and that the replacement housing must meet placement and notice requirements in the land‑use code.
Some public commenters objected to that housing‑replacement arrangement and raised questions about perceived conflicts and whether donated land or third‑party development sufficiently satisfies the ordinance’s intent. George Roe and other commenters asked for clearer financial detail and stronger tree protection measures for mature canopy adjacent to the site. Planning staff responded that the land‑use code does not prohibit working with a third party, and that the applicant will be financially responsible for the replacement guarantee if the third‑party project does not proceed.
The board found that an extraordinary condition and hardship warranted the waiver to allow a fence buffer, adopted staff findings and conditions, and authorized the chair to issue an approval letter. Conditions include finalized electrical easements, tenant‑notice obligations, a performance guarantee for housing replacement and standard pre‑permit and pre‑occupancy requirements.
