Vanessa Pike, Director of Sales and Marketing for Fore Points Marina on Portland’s waterfront, shared her company’s plans for the planned mixed-use development on the site of the former Portland Company complex. The marina will extend 1,000 feet along the ocean harbor frontage and out 575 feet to the Harbor Commissioner’s Line, and offer slips to accommodate vessels of any size with deep water at all tides. Pike said that slips were planned for sizes ranging from 25 to 545 feet, with harbor anchorage for larger boats.
Vanessa said that Fore Points has partnered with IGY Marinas who will provide design, permitting, management, and branding services to the Portland Foreside development company. While she reported that the new marina would be open to anyone, the target customer is clearly the upscale owner of larger yachts. The facility will occupy thirteen acres, provide 150 slips, a fuel dock, and a full-service staff. On-shore, shrink-wrapped boat storage will not be provided, but vessels can be moored in the water over the winter. “We want to offer a family-style resort atmosphere,” Pike commented. The marina is designed to complement Foreside Development’s ten-acre mixed-use development to be comprised of a “boutique hotel” with 140 rooms, Class A office space, retail, restaurants, and residential properties. Parking will be provided for 700 cars. Asked how the India and Commercial Street area can handle more traffic as WEX’s new headquarters, Covetrus, and Foreside come to fruition, Vanessa responded that the city should provide more public transportation.
She reported that the marina will take advantage of Portland’s unique position on the coast. The design of the marina includes the installation of 30 large wave attenuators weighing 227,000 pounds each (113.5 tons) to provide protection for boats. She said the marina would be a perfect “hurricane hole” for vessels normally moored in southern ports. There are no provisions for the marina to provide space for any boats engaged in Portland’s working waterfront.
Vanessa shared her estimates of the annual impact of each yacht moored in the marina. She said that guest crews would spend $250,000 in local shops; spend $110,000 in food and beverage; $400,000 in fuel; and, $140,000 in other local support. She did not say how many yachts would be in the slips for a year, but did share that their target was to have 50 percent of the marina occupied by seasonal customers, and 50 percent by transients. Construction of the marina is expected to begin in the fall. Some demolition of the Foreside site has already begun.
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