638 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101

Downtown Business District

To maintain and enhance the role of the downtown as the business and commercial center of the region, and to enhance and promote the orderly expansion of retail and service businesses downtown, satisfying the related needs of the city’s resident, working, and visitor populations. The B-3 zone encourages increased housing opportunities downtown, including three-family, four-family, townhouse, and multi-family structures to accommodate Portland’s diverse residential population, and supports an active, walkable pedestrian environment through the encouragement of intensive mixed-use activities, enhancement and maintenance of public and private open space, and the enlivenment and increased attractiveness of the street environment. Standards of the B-3 zone require excellence in urban design, to preserve and capitalize on the unique character and historic fabric of downtown Portland by encouraging reuse of significant existing structures and providing opportunities for an enhanced presence and integration of arts and cultural activities. The zone reinforces the role of downtown as a meeting place for community residents and visitors alike from all walks of life and all socio- economic groups by prioritizing access via multiple modes of transportation and enhancing and protecting the pedestrian environment.