Preserving Presumpscot land will require creative thinking The 65-acre parcel, slated for a subdivision, won't come cheaply. So great is its potential as a park, Portland's Landbank Commission is recommending that the City Council buy some or all of the land before it is developed into a 27-lot subdivision. Given the city's budget-tightening, though, local taxpayer dollars are unlikely to be available. Councilor James F. Cloutier, for instance, suggests seeking money from the state's Land for Maine's Future Fund.
Sprawl is another issue.
One possibility may draw on the best of both concerns. Perhaps the city could work with owners Robert Adam and Lloyd B. Wolf to encourage clustered housing rather than single-family homes. Open space along the river could be preserved with the purchase of an easement, while encouraging development where it can be accommodated.