Portland Harbor Common - Phase 1

Help Name Portland’s Harbor Common Park

Public can submit name ideas through February 27 by visiting portlandmaine.gov/NameThePark

Portland Harbor Common Park has been used as the temporary name for the space. The new park name will apply to the area that includes the Ocean Gateway queuing lanes as well as the area known as the Amethyst Lot. The public can submit name ideas by visiting portlandmaine.gov/NameThePark through Friday, February 27, 2026.

Mayor Dion convened a Harbor Common Park Naming Committee to oversee the process for naming the new pool as required by City Code. The City Council voted to amend the Code on October 20, 2025 to include a process for the naming of City assets, recognizing that Portland's assets are a significant part of the city and its people's civic heritage. The process establishes a clear and consistent framework for the naming and renaming of public spaces, streets, buildings, and other landmarks and assets within the city. Part of that process includes conducting a community engagement campaign.

The Harbor Common Park Naming Committee is seeking nominations from the public to assist them in recommending up to three names to the Council's Sustainability & Transportation (S&T) Committee for their consideration. The S&T Committee will review the recommendations from the Naming Committee and will vote to recommend one of the three names, which will then need to be approved by the full City Council.

Phase 1 of this project aims to create a new public greenspace along Portland's Eastern Waterfront, on a site currently occupied by the Ocean Gateway queuing lanes. The 3.5 acre site will be transformed into a public greenspace that includes walking and biking trails, trees, native plantings, lawn areas, hardscape areas for event space or food truck activation, lighting, playful features, and parking for nearby water dependent uses. The Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department and the Planning and Urban Development Department are working with the Portland Parks Conservancy (a 501c3 non-profit) to engage the public in designing and activating this new public space.

The Parks, Recreation and Facilities Department, Waterfront Development Operations and the Planning & Urban Development Department hosted a meeting on Sept 22nd, 2021 to share updates on this project and receive public input on the new greenspace planned for Portland's eastern waterfront. Please view the video of the recording below.

Following public input and working committee revisions, a successful federal grant application from Senator King's office, and negoatiations with Maine DOT, Phase I design has been refined. The updated plan (30% design development) was presented to council and the public on February 5th, 2024. Please find the design program features and presentation materials for reference below.

Major design elements include:

• Widening the existing Eastern Trail along Thames street and the new park boundary (roughly from India Street to Hancock Street)
• Preserving 125 of the existing 250 public parking spaces, including the western area currently utilized for Islander and waterfront employee parking, and a dedicated day use parking area adjacent to Ocean Gateway and the schooner landing
• Creating adapatable / flex plaza space along the Maine State Pier edge of the project site
• Establishing a 20' wide waterside edge promenade (including new guard rail system, and informational signage elements)
• A 20,000 square foot open lawn space for informal public use (not an athetlic field or specialized use like a dog park, etc)
• An elevated plaza space off of the eastern trail at the center of the park (which can adapt to hold a stage, or larger gatherings of groups, etc)
• Several targeted areas for future neighborhood interpreational signage and public art (later phases and process)
• Over 35 new trees
• Native, salt resistant landcape beds / planting areas, with some plantings for monarch butterfly habitat
• 2 large capacity waste recepticles
• Granite seat walls, signature red swings, and other seating amenities (after successful fundraising)
• Site lighting in the new parking area and along pathways
• Portion of widened trail west of India street entrace to improve sidewalk vendor conditions and trail spacing