OtherRecommended approval76 Congress Street, Portland, Maine

76 Congress Street Conditional Zoning Agreement Amendment (C-58)

Portland

Description

An amendment to the conditional zoning agreement for the St. Lawrence Church property to allow building modifications and remove the zone's expiration date.

Impact summary

The amendment keeps the long-stalled theater project alive while giving neighbors a firm end date if it never gets built.

Applicant

Name: The Hill Arts/Friends of the St. Lawrence Church
Address: 76 Congress Street, Portland, MaineSee this on the map

At a glance

Hearings: 1
Public comments: 0
Total mentions: 1

Last vote · Planning Commission

Recommended approval6–0, unanimous

A recommendation, not a final decision. City Council decides next.

Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Oct 27, 2026.

Meeting timeline (1)

Oct 27, 2026Recommended approval 6–0

Planning Board - Oct 27, 2026

The Hill Arts nonprofit sought to rework its 2010 contract zone for a mid-sized theater, simplifying the design and removing the expiration date — the board added a ten-year completion deadline before recommending it to the City Council.

Related issues (1)

St. Lawrence Church zoning agreement changes (76 Congress Street)

A small nonprofit has spent 16 years trying to build a mid-sized theater on Congress Street, and the zoning clock was about to run out. The board kept the project alive but insisted on a ten-year deadline, balancing neighborhood frustration over the fenced-off corner against strong artist support.

We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda, when it's voted on and when its status changes, at most once a day.

The weekly brief for Portland

What the council decided, in plain English — one email a week.

Free. Unsubscribe with one click any time. We never sell your email.