PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 22, 2022
The Portland Planning Board was considering Tuesday night whether the city should adopt zoning changes requested by the developers of a new graduate school and research center in order to facilitate its development at the former B&M Baked Beans factory site. The board was considering several possible changes to recommend to the City Council, including changing the underlying zoning to a mixed-use designation, whether to allow a new institutional overlay zone and whether to recommend a map and regulatory framework for the zone. Within five years, the institution expects to have 1,750 students on campus, up to 50,000 square feet for business incubators, between 175 and 250 residential units, a 90,000-square-foot hotel and 10,000 square feet of retail space.