economic impact
report

The Economic & Fiscal Impact on the Greater
Portland Region & Maine of Redevelopment
of 58 Fore Street, Portland, ME

REPORTED SUBMITTED TO:

REPORTED PREPARED BY:

CPB2 LLC

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

PO BOX 7987
PORTLAND, MAINE 04112
E: info@cpb2.com
www.cpb2.com

03/31/2015

477 CONGRESS STREET, SUITE 1005
PORTLAND, ME 04101
T: (207) 799 - 2226
F: (207) 767 - 6432
E: clawton@planningdecisions.com
www.planningdecisions.com

 EXECUTIVE

SUMMARY
DEVELOPMENT OF 58 FORE STREET—THE

site of the Portland Company—presents
a unique opportunity for the City of
Portland.
It is a relatively large (approximately
10 acres) parcel, and is strategically
located between the thriving Old Port
district, the developing commercial
waterfront area, and Munjoy Hill
residential neighborhoods. The site
has the potential to meet the goals of
the City’s WATERFRONT MASTER PLAN, to
build on the City’s extensive investment
in the Ocean Gateway terminal and
surrounding public infrastructure, and
to generate substantial tax revenues to
help the City weather fiscal challenges.
The best way to explore the possible
economic impacts of developing this
critical parcel is to imagine what it
could mean to the City if this parcel
developed similar to the pattern seen in
the neighboring Old Port area.
If this 10-acre parcel was developed to
match a model 10-acre area of the Old
Port, it could upon completion:

»» Add $85 million to PORTLAND’S
TAX BASE and, at its current
property tax rate, $1.7 million
of annual PROPERTY TAX REVENUE;
»» Generate direct and indirect
CONSTRUCTION-RELATED SPENDING of
over $215 million supporting
the full-time equivalent of
1,400 jobs earning wages
totalling nearly $68 million;.
Many of these impacts would
flow to Portland businesses
and employees;

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

»» Generate direct and indirect
ANNUAL OPERATING SALES
for
Maine businesses of over $38
million supporting the fulltime equivalent of 325 jobs with
earnings of approximately
$16.5 million. Most of this
impact would flow to Portland
businesses and employees;
»» Generate

ADDITIONAL

TAX

AND

FEE REVENUE of $6.7 million FOR
MUNICIPALITIES IN THE PORTLAND

and across the state
where workers and vendors
connected to this development
reside, including the $1.7
million property tax revenue
flowing to the City of Portland;
REGION

»» Generate

additional SALES,
INCOME, FUEL AND OTHER TAX AND FEE
REVENUE of $6.9 million FOR STATE

from the activities
of workers and vendors
connected to development of
58 Fore Street; and
GOVERNMENT

»» Help the City realize the goals
of its Waterfront Master Plan,
add to its stock of housing, make
full use of the investments it
has made along its commercial
waterfront, encourage other
investments in largely empty
land near the Ocean Gateway
terminal, and create an
iconic and memorable first
impression for visitors coming
to the City from the sea.

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

2

 3

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

 Image Source: www.cpb2.com

DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPERTY AT 58 Fore Street is critical to Portland’s future

prosperity for a number of reasons:

1.
Background &
Introduction

»» it

is large (+/- 10 acres) and strategically located at the eastern end of a largely
underdeveloped area between Portland’s vibrant downtown, its working waterfront,
and the beginning of its Eastern Promenade residential neighborhoods. There are few
parcels of equivalent potential significance along the East Coast of the United States;

»» it

represents a keystone piece in the City’s continuing efforts to link its vibrant
downtown to the vast potential of its commercial waterfront. Careful development
of this parcel will help the City realize the benefits of its investments in the Ocean
Gateway and related infrastructure;

»» it

would help move other investments in the eastern waterfront forward, in effect
helping release the pent up demand embodied in several potential projects that have
been tied up in litigation and delayed because of financial uncertainty;

»» as a whole, this area presents an unparalleled opportunity to grow the City’s tax base,
add much-needed housing, and create jobs―all critically needed to help the City cope
with increasingly tight fiscal conditions; and

»» it could, as a catalyst for change in this area, improve the quality of life for all Portland

residents by facilitating access to the waterfront, adding capacity for events that draw
residents and visitors, and enable the City’s cruise ship terminal to live up to its name
as a truly memorable gateway.

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

4

 Figure 1 - Ocean Gateway Area. Source: Maine GIS Orthographic Imagery & Planning Decisions, Inc.

The best way to realize this site’s potential and meet the goals set forth in the
City’s WATERFRONT MASTER PLAN1 is not to prematurely consider a specific
redevelopment proposal, but rather to explore the impacts of various development
options to better understand which will work best for Portland.
The purpose of this report is to establish a framework—a dynamic model—
for considering the economic and fiscal impacts of a range of redevelopment
possibilities. The model is built using current (April 1, 2014) city tax records,
population and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census and
the Maine Department of Labor, and the IMPLAN economic impact analysis
model2 to trace the construction-related and operational effects of development
possibilities for 58 Fore Street.

1 - Final Report of the Waterfront
Development and Master Planning
Committee, September 2006:
asp.portlandmaine.gov/planning/
easternwaterfrontmasterplan.pdf

The framework allows users to examine the consequences of different
development scenarios by altering combinations of land use (residential,
commercial, retail, food and lodging) activities on the site. The report is designed
to help all parties through the visioning and development process, and to facilitate
thoughtful and collaborative consideration of how best to enable the site to realize
its vast potential.

2 - IMPLAN is a widely used model that
depicts the inter-industry flows of a state
or county economy and thus can be used to
estimate the total impact on an area of an
initial change in economic activity. http://
implan.com.

5

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

 PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

6

 Figure 2 - Fore Street Site. Source: Maine GIS Orthographic Imagery

FIGURE 2 DEPICTS THE PROJECT site at 58 Fore Street between Portland’s Old Port
and India Street Neighborhood. TABLE 1 summarizes its current assessed value:

2.
Ways to Measure &
Evaluate Alternative
Development
Proposals

Table 1 - 58 Fore Street Site Assessing Data

Property Assessment: Lots 18-A-1-2 and 18-A-3
Acres

9.8 (assessed)

Assessed Land Value ($)

$ 6,580,200

Assessed Building Value ($)

$ 1,856,000

Personal Property Value ($)

$ 215,010

Assessed Total Value ($)

$ 8,651,210

Floor Area (ft )

301,299

2

Value of Built Area (assessed $/ft )
2

$6.16

Source: City of Portland Assessor data (2014)

As a way of measuring and evaluating development possibilities for this property,
Planning Decisions, Inc. (PDI) posed the following question, “What would be the
fiscal and economic impact on the City and the State if this parcel developed in a
fashion similar to that seen in the nearby Old Port?”
To answer that question, PDI gathered valuation and employment data for an area
of the Old Port representative of what could develop at 58 Fore Street. This Old
Port section—approximately 10 acres bounded by Middle, Exchange, Commercial
and Pearl Streets—is well known and encompasses a wide range of activities,
including housing, retail, office, restaurant and hotel uses. FIGURE 3 summarizes
land use across these broad categories. The accompanying charts depict the
distribution of land use types and the activities occurring in developed properties.

7

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

 Figure 3 - Land Use Types and Activities in the Selected Section of Old Port, Portland, ME. Source: Maine GI, & City of Portland Assessor Data (2014)
PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

8

 Table 2 - Metrics of Project Impact
(1)
Land Use

(2)
Assessed Value,
Improvements &
Personal Prty ($)

(3)
Floor
Area
(ft2)

(4)
Assessed
Value
($/ft2)

Residential

$ 12,014,774

104,719

$115

Enclosed Parking

$ 8,048,000

207,000

$32

<1

Surface Parking

$ 52,250

26,589

$2

<1

$ 46,007,703

431,935

$92

13

Retail

$ 15,578,527

180,247

$75

6

Food and Drink

$ 3,635,415

43,168

$68

47

Hotel

$ 7,716,850

75,561

$92

8

Total Improved

$ 93,055,019

757,500

$83

Land Value

$ 16,051,152

N/A

N/A

Total Value

$ 109,106,171

N/A

N/A

TABLE 2 LISTS THE TAXABLE values—both in terms of the total

for land and buildings and on a square foot basis for each
land use activity—taken from the City’s assessing records.
Column 5 in the table lists the number of residents and
employees per 10,000 square feet derived from Census and
Department of Labor data for the Old Port area.
Together, FIGURE 3 and TABLE 2 make it possible to examine
the fiscal and employment implications of alternative
development patterns for the 58 Fore Street property. For
example, TABLE 3 depicts one possible outcome.

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

(6)
People
per HH
1.3

Office

Source: City of Portland Assessor data

9

(5)
Employees
per
10,000ft2

 Table 3 - Hypothetical Development at 58 Fore Street

(1)
Land
Use
Residential
Enclosed Parking
Surface Parking
Office
Retail
Food and Drink
Hotel
Marina
Total Improved
Land Value
Total Value

(2)
Area
Developed ($)
317,000
178,220
71,280
86,000
25,000
4,500
67,500
8,000
757,500
N/A
N/A

(3)
(4)
Assessed
Residents or
Value ($)
Jobs
$36,370,510
387
$6,930,347
2
$140,072
At least 1
$9,160,319
108
$2,160,719
14
$378,970
21
$10,575,000
54
$2,882,123
9
$68,598,061
208 jobs
$16,051,152
N/A
$84,649,212
N/A

Source: Source: City of Portland Assessor data; U.S. Census; Maine Department of Labor. Assumes 2.2 people per
household. Employment calculated by industry data for the Old Port sample area divided by the space assessed for
each use. Marina jobs are based on a 25% increase over the current marina total

58 FORE ST: DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO
In this scenario, if 58 Fore Street was developed in a
fashion similar to what already exists in the Old Port as
depicted in FIGURE 3 and with the hypothetical distribution
of activities listed in TABLE 3, the City of Portland would
see an assessed value for the property totalling nearly $85
MILLION. This would represent an increase of nearly $76
million over the property’s current assessment of $8.6
million. At the City’s current tax rate of $20.00 per $1,000
of assessed value, the increase in value of the site would
result in additional property tax revenue to the City of
more $1.5 MILLION each year.

$property
1.5million
new
tax revenue

In addition, full development of the property as modelled
in the scenario—based on residents per housing unit and
jobs per square foot of commercial activity in the sample
Old Port area—could create HOUSING FOR 387 PEOPLE and
JOBS FOR 208 WORKERS. These jobs would be in addition to
those created in various construction trades and supplies
industries over the course of the development process.

208

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

NEW

operational jobs

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

10

 Image source: www.cpb2.com

USING TABLE 3 AS AN example of what 58 Fore Street could become when fully

3.
Economic & Fiscal
Impacts

Impacts of direct and
indirect construction
spending:

1,400 jobs

11

developed makes it possible to explore the economic impacts of the development.
This report examines three impacts: (1) construction impacts, (2) operational
impacts, and (3) synergistic impacts (those resulting from linking this
development with other municipal investments and goals for the neighborhood).
1. CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS

Using current construction cost estimates, development of 58 Fore Street
similar to the Old Port sample area (FIGURE 3 and TABLE 3) would entail a total
construction expenditure of approximately $126 million. This spending would
support the full-time equivalent of 713 jobs earning wages of nearly $36 million.
As this spending flows out into Portland and surrounding communities, it
provides revenue to building contractors, trades-people, materials and equipment
suppliers, banks, auto dealers and professional services providers, who in turn
further disburse their revenues through payrolls, purchases and investment
expenditures. Thus, a portion of construction spending on redevelopment of 58
Fore Street re-circulates in the Greater Portland region through vendor supply
chains and employee spending. Adding these indirect impacts to the direct
construction spending brings the total economic impact in the region to just over
$216 million, supporting the full-time equivalent of 1,400 jobs with wages totaling
nearly $68 million.
All of these economic activities generate tax and fee revenue for Maine’s state and
local governments—approximately $4.7 million for state government through
sales, income and fuel taxes and approximately $1.7 million in local property and
excise taxes for the municipalities where the businesses and workers engaged in
the construction reside. Much of this revenue will flow to the City of Portland.

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

 Table 4 - Summary of Fiscal and Economic Impacts for 58 Fore Street

2. OPERATIONAL IMPACTS

Construction impacts flow from capital investments made
to develop a property. Operational impacts result from the
sales, jobs and wages created by using the assets created
by an investment. In this case, operational impacts refer
to those resulting from people working in offices, eating at
restaurants, shopping at stores, staying at hotels and using
the marina at 58 Fore Street once it is redeveloped.
Using employment estimates derived from similar activities
in neighboring areas of the City, the operational impact of
a redevelopment with land use activities matching those
depicted in TABLE 3 can amount to sales for Maine businesses
of more than $23 million, supporting the full-time equivalent
of 208 jobs earning wages of approximately $10 million.

.

Image source: www.cpb2.com

Annual
Operating
Impact at
Completion

Maine Vendors
Sales

$254 million

$38 million

Jobs Supported:

1,740

325

Earnings:

$84 million

$16.5 million

State Revenue:

$6.9 million

$1.1 million

Local Revenue:

$6.7 million

$2.5 million

Annual Revenue
to Portland

$1.7 million

(property and excise taxes, & other fee revenues)

Source: IMPLAN Model of the Maine Economy operated by Planning
Decisions, Inc. (2015)

As with construction spending, direct operational spending
by businesses located at 58 Fore Street could also create
indirect impacts through supply chain and employee
spending activity. Adding these indirect impacts brings the
project’s total annual operational impact to sales for Maine
businesses to more than $38 million supporting the full-time
equivalent of 323 jobs with earnings of just over $16 million.
Construction and operational activities also generate
taxes and fees for Maine’s state and local governments.
Approximately $1.7 million in property tax, excise tax and
other fee revenue can accrue to the City of Portland from
the developed property, the businesses eventually operating
at the site, and the employees working in those businesses.
An additional $0.8 million in property and excise taxes can
be generated for Portland and other municipalities in the
region through indirect vendor supply chain and employee
spending activities flowing from activities occurring on the
property, and $1.1 million to state government from sales,
income, fuel and other taxes and fees paid as a result of the
activities taking place in the development and the indirect
impacts flowing from them.

Total Economic
Impact
at Completion

3. SYNERGISTIC IMPACTS

In addition to the purely financial impacts noted above,
redevelopment of 58 Fore Street can have a variety of
other impacts that are difficult to quantify but are equally
important in that they help achieve community goals and
may stimulate further financial gains in the future.
PDI refers to the project’s beneficial impacts on neighboring
properties as synergistic impacts. The City has and is
continuing to make major investments in its waterfront area,
of which the Ocean Gateway is the most visible. The City
has begun a variety of inter-related infrastructure, public
transportation and economic development investments
aimed at extending the thriving activity in the Old Port
further east, promoting economic development (including
adding much-needed housing), and expanding available
public space for hosting events and festivals that ultimately
add to the City’s ambience and create a memorable and
iconic impression on visitors to Portland.
These municipal investments, when combined with private
investment to redevelop 58 Fore Street, can encourage
complementary activities in vacant and underutilized
properties nearby, creating a virtuous circle of mutual
reinforcement and helping to realize the community’s
ambitious development goals for the waterfront area.
Redevelopment of 58 Fore Street can help improve access to
and use of the waterfront, help ease the City’s housing and
fiscal pressures, and improve the overall quality of life for
Portland residents.

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

ECONOMIC & FISCAL IMPACT OF REDEVELOPMENT OF
58 FORE STREET, PORTLAND, ME

12

 The Economic & Fiscal
Impact on the Greater
Portland Region & Maine
of Redevelopment of 58
Fore Street, Portland, ME
03/31/2015
REPORTED SUBMITTED TO:

CPB2 LLC

PO BOX 7987
PORTLAND, MAINE 04112
E: info@cpb2.com
www.cpb2.com
REPORTED PREPARED BY:

PLANNING DECISIONS, INC.

477 CONGRESS STREET, SUITE 1005
PORTLAND, ME 04101
T: (207) 799 - 2226
F: (207) 767 - 6432
E: clawton@planningdecisions.com
www.planningdecisions.com