187 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101

Rare B-1 zoning in Portland's East End -- and the hard part is already done. 187 Congress Street is an 1850 brick home on Munjoy Hill taken down to the studs: framing, systems, and the full stone-foundation basement are open and inspectable today, so a contractor can walk the actual structure and price the project up front. The B-1 Neighborhood Business Zone permits what the surrounding residential blocks cannot: two- to four-family and multi-family dwellings, live/work homes, professional offices, child care, retail, cafe/restaurant space, even a bed & breakfast -- with vertical mixed-use (business below, homes above) expressly encouraged. The house sits well back from the street behind an open front yard with an existing curb cut, and B-1's build-to standards invite new construction right at the sidewalk. Better still, the parcel lies outside the Munjoy Hill Historic District -- no Historic Preservation design review; projects proceed through standard permitting. All concepts are...