Jonathan Cox, Chairman of The Federated Companies at a  Planning Board Meeting.

By Carol McCracken  (Post # 2,446)

The City announced yesterday that the groundbreaking for a 440-unit apartment building, MiDTOWN, will take place by the end of this year.  After five years, of starts and stalls, the City and Federated Cos. the Miami-based developer, have  reached an agreement that will permit this long-anticipated project to go forward according to the press release.

The two parties have reached an agreement in Bayside that will allow new apartments, structured off-street parking for at least 800  vehicles and more than 90,000 sq. ft. of ground level retail space to be constructed.

The project has undergone two redesigns and a lawsuit.  The lawsuit was initiated by KeepPortlandLivable, co-founded by Peter Monro.

Knowing that the city has long had the goal of creating more housing and vitality for the Bayside neighborhood, getting the MiDTOWN project back on track has been a priority of mine since even before I assumed city manager duties,” said Jon Jennings, Portland City Manager.  “As owners of the site, we’ve  had an obligation to the citizens of Portland to get this project right.  Through it all, we’ve remained committed to advancing MiDTOWN and I’m happy to report that we are now on course to seeing its fruition.”

Jonathan Cox, founder and chairman of Federated Cos stated:  “We are pleased with the recent progress that has been made under the direction of the new city manager and with the assistance of city staff who have dedicated many hours over the course of the last five years to assist in moving this project forward.  We are hopeful this trend of positive momentum continues as we prepare to start construction of this project.”