Portland Planning Board took a first look Tuesday night at proposals to create a buffer zone between large music venues. If passed, a buffer zone could nix the Portland Music Hall proposal.
The 3,300-seat venue is proposed to be built at 245 Cumberland Ave., within a stone’s throw of Merrill Auditorium in Portland City Hall. The project is currently stalled under a moratorium imposed on performance venues with a capacity exceeding 1,000 seats.
Kevin Kraft, Portland’s director of planning and urban development and leader of the discussion, said at the outset of the hybrid meeting that the buffer zone proposals are not “solely related to the Live Nation proposal,” but members of the public who addressed the board asserted otherwise.
Longtime Portland developer Howard Goldenfarb, whose son Todd is proposing the new music hall in a partnership with Live Nation, said, “This is targeted against us. It’s unfortunate to say that, but I believe it is targeted against us.”
Developer Joe Dasko, who owns the lot the music hall would be built on, also decried the buffer zone proposals.
“The unspoken goal of this proposal’s sponsors is to kill this project. This is discrimination at its highest level,” Dasko said.
The two buffer zone proposals — one for a 750-foot buffer and a second for a 250-foot buffer — originated with two City Council members: Pious Ali, councilor at large, and Wesley Pelletier, who represents District 2. The stated goals were to avert anticipated traffic congestion and risks to public safety in the downtown when events at nearby venues coincide.
The proposals call for the zoning change to be retroactive to before the Live Nation project was proposed (in December 2024).
Current zoning in the district calls for a 100-foot buffer.
Several members of the public who spoke supported the music hall project, objected to the proposed buffer zones, and the fact that the city was considering adopting a retroactive zoning change.
Thomas O’Boyle, director of advocacy at the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, said a retroactive zoning change would send a signal to other developers that Portland is not a reliable place to do business.
O’Boyle added that the Live Nation project aligns with the city’s goals of creating a vibrant downtown, and noted that many cities intentionally cluster entertainment venues, which supports increased use of public transport.
Board members asked for clarifications on several pieces of the buffer zone proposals, including how the measurements between venues are to be taken, what the rationale is for including halls with a capacity over 1,000, and whether the city has had any history with retroactive zoning.
Kraft promised to supply more details at the board’s next meeting.
There were no votes taken and no consensus reached. The board will undertake a formal review of the two buffer zone proposals, which were forwarded without recommendations from the City Council’s Housing and Economic Development Committee, at its March 24 meeting.
The Planning Board can vote to recommend one of the proposals, or not, but the final decision rests with City Council, which does not need to adhere to the board’s recommendation.