The developers of the new Roux Institute campus on the Portland waterfront said their latest plans account for sea level rise, storm surge and other impacts from climate change at the site of the former B&M Baked Bean factory.
The existing pier, for example, will be replaced and made higher.
“The pier itself is elevated to a 12.8 [foot] elevation, which is approximately three feet higher than it is today,” architect Tim Mansfield told the Portland Planning Board on Tuesday. “We’re starting to accommodate already for coastal storms like we just had a couple weeks ago.”
The former cannery building will be converted to office space. But the developers acknowledged the first floor of the former B&M Baked factory will be vulnerable to flooding, and they said nonessential services, such as indoor bike storage, will be located there.
The latest plans for the first phase of the project call for a 238,000-square-foot academic building, a parking garage with 625 spaces and a day care center that would serve 50 children.
Neighbors close to the proposed site of the new Roux campus in Portland are concerned about traffic and parking in the area, particularly when school lets out in the evenings.
City planners and developers said the Maine Department of Transportation will conduct a traffic study of the area and will consider a possible off-ramp from Interstate 295 to the campus.
The new plans call for a METRO bus stop on campus, as well as a new park and pedestrian and bike pathways along the waterfront.
“Connection to the city’s most prominent trails is a massive asset in the Roux campus, and as a runner, a stroller pusher and paddler, I’m just super excited for the access to the perimeter trail,” said Nick Littlefield, one of several Portland residents who applauded the plans for public pedestrian access.
The developers are also considering off-site park-and-ride options with a shuttle to and from campus.
The Portland Planning Board is expected to host additional workshops on the Roux Institute’s plans for a new campus.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
