Let’s give Forest Avenue the “Main Street” treatment it deserves

   It’s starting to come together.

   Forest Avenue, for years victim to the automotive age with its wide expanse, barren landscape and an overall feel that makes you want to do exactly what the road is currently designed for – drive right through it – is being thoroughly studied by an official city committee for aesthetic, pedestrian, public transport and even traffic flow improvement.

   Available for public consumption at portlandmaine.gov/forestave.htm, the plan is a great start. I love the way the design team has included more trees, lighting fixtures that are sure to attract foot traffic after sunset, brick crosswalks, and bike lanes. The plan, which starts at Woodford’s Corner and heads inbound right up to the interchange with 295, serves to reconnect us Deering types with the rest of the city.

   Landlords along the entire stretch who may have a hard time finding tenants will suddenly find themselves staring at waiting lists of businesses looking to locate here. Because Forest Avenue has been treated like a slow-speed turnpike over the last 40 years, there just hasn’t been much incentive to do anymore than standard upkeep. Building owners, noticing the changes, will want to make aesthetic improvements to their buildings to attract higher rents.

   The first thing I think of as a Portland taxpayer, of course, is the cost of all these changes. But it seems to me that a major investment on what is THE main street for this side of town will only serve to pay itself back many times over. Based on the presentation I saw, building values and hence tax revenue is sure to go up. Fees collected from building permits issued to landlords, businesses and even homeowners looking to capitalize on the revitalization for increased equity, cash flow and value will add to the pot. The new jobs that could be potentially created at any new business and the retail or service sales they garner will only serve to improve our local economy as a whole.

   No initial plan is perfect, and there are some things that I would like to see that are missing. The Metro is a great service, but as anyone who takes the 2 bus inbound can attest, it’s not particularly reliable time-wise once car traffic picks up. It may be the pipe dream of a train-enthusiast; but a dedicated, center track trolley going all the way from Riverton to Congress Street would do a lot to not only get people in to town, but also attract peninsula-dwellers to Forest Avenue to help pay for the improvements in the plan with their commerce.

   I would also like to see more formal planning surrounding the exit 6 interchange with 295. The Maine DOT has put off performing any improvement work, which is badly needed no matter what for safety alone, until our local study is complete. Before making any changes to exit 6, the DOT will take the city’s findings into consideration. No matter what they come up with for an exit layout, a huge key to a successful reconnection of Forest Avenue with the peninsula would be to eliminate the ability of vehicles to simply yield and instead make them come to a complete stop when exiting the highway. It is too dangerous to walk beneath 295 any other way.

   The final wish of mine lands squarely in the hands of the University of Southern Maine. USM owns the building that serves as not only the gateway to their campus, but also as the gateway to Forest Avenue. For the last few years, the front of the building facing our “main street” has been locked shut.

   On the website for the Glickman Family Library, the university claims the building was designed to “symbolize a gateway to USM, and to serve as a tangible reminder of USM’s presence in the community.” Former University President Richard Pattenaude even spoke about the important symbolism of having the front door facing outward toward the community in his library dedication speech. Today, the only way to enter the building is around back and the inviting picnic tables that used to encourage students to gather on the front patio have been removed. The front of the building is also now especially unwelcoming at night, as when the sun ends its day, so too does any light in the front of Glickman. The library’s neighbor, Oakhurst, has done its part for the block by renovating the building that used to house World Over Imports; the university needs to “tear down that wall,” or at the very least, unlock the front door and flip on a light at night.

   All in all, plans designed by cities can never be all things to all people. The Forest Avenue Transition plan, even in these early stages, is about as close to accomplishing that feat as I have seen come from the city in a long time. If the city, businesses, homeowners, the state DOT and USM can all come together, and some add-ons mentioned here or brought forth by others can be molded in, this project would be everything 1970’s Urban Renewal wasn’t and the “all things” I never thought possible.

   To get there, it certainly deserves the support of us all.

(Jeffrey S. Spofford is the circulation manager for The Portland Daily Sun and can be reached by emailing jspofford@maine.rr.com.)