MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 9, 2025
After years of lawsuits and false starts, Portland has finally reclaimed the 3.25 acres known as the Midtown properties. This rare chance for a reset is a test of Portland’s resolve to build a community worthy of all the values we envision for our unique small city. We must prove on this last significant peninsula parcel of public land that we have learned from past mistakes of rushing to cede civic decisions to the balance-sheets of potential buyers. A park at Midtown would not displace anyone, but would anchor all the surrounding concentrated housing to sustain livability for generations. Smart growth serves the people. Portland does not have to pit one priority against another. With over 140,000 square feet back in citizen hands, we can create hundreds of new homes, while reserving some of our land for a public park in the most logical place. ~ Thomas Blackburn, Bayside Neighborhood Association, and Camelia Babson-Haley, Youth & Family Outreach