The Portland waterfront is zoned to exclude anything but marine uses, but with a slump in the fishing industry property owners are pushing for the freedom to build for other uses along the water.
Tom Bell writes, "The area between the Maine State Pier and the International Marine Terminal -- the central waterfront zone -- has 50 acres that can be developed. Under the current zoning, the ground floors of buildings in the area must be entirely for marine use, and the berthing space can be used only for commercial vessels.
The proposed changes would allow as much as half of a building's ground floor space to be for non-marine uses, and as much as half of the berthing space to be used for recreational boats."
Read the full story: Portland waterfront property owners propose more relaxed zoning
Philly Waterfront Park Breaks Ground
Penn’s Landing is an ambitious redesign of 11.5 waterfront acres.
Shaping a 15-Minute City Vision for Detroit and Cleveland Using Data-Assisted Modeling
How master plans in the two cities hope to transform their historic, and historically underutilized, waterfronts.
Mayoral Op-Ed Touts New Equitable Development Model in Minneapolis
A plan for 48 acres of riverfront land could make Minneapolis a leader in doing redevelopment right, argue city leaders.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority