New England Metal Recycling hopes to leave its coveted spot in Portland, Maine's Bayside neighborhood and move to an industrial site, a switch that could solve the city's scrap yard dilemma.
New England Metal is one of two scrap yards that city officials started negotiating with earlier this year in an effort to relocate the unsightly businesses and further Bayside's revitalization. Earlier this month, the city moved to impose new environmental controls on scrap yards, hoping to nudge the negotiations along.
Wherever the scrap yards move, city officials expect to face neighborhood concerns about noise, traffic and environmental impacts.
New England Metal is seeking an option to buy a 13-acre parcel that is a former stone quarry located in an industrial zone and surrounded by industrial uses. The site includes an inactive railroad spur, which New England Metal would use to transport material to the city's waterfront and to limit street traffic, said Peggy McGehee, attorney for New England Metal Recycling.
New England Metal needs two or three acres to replace its operation on Somerset Street, which occupies less than one acre. McGehee said there likely would be plenty of room at the Quarry Road site for E. Perry Iron & Metal Co., the other scrap yard that city officials hope to move out of Bayside.
McGehee hopes city officials move quickly to help New England Metal finance the land purchase, organize the necessary neighborhood meetings and get the required zoning and environmental permits.
McGehee said New England Metal is eager to move, in part because it has received some serious offers from development companies interested in buying its Bayside location.
Given New England Metal's eagerness, McGehee said she was surprised last week when the City Council resurrected an old proposal to license scrap yards and regulate their handling of hazardous materials, which the state doesn't do. City officials have decided to delay consideration of the proposed ordinance for a few weeks while they investigate New England Metal's plans for Quarry Road.
"It's an intriguing site," said Lee Urban, Portland's director of planning and development. "(Federal regulations) limit how involved we can get in relocating an operation . . . but we are interested in pursuing a collaborative effort with the scrap yards."
A feasibility report issued in April 2000 called scrap yards "the single most inhibiting factor to the successful redevelopment of Bayside." Still, city officials recognize that the scrap yards are an important local resource.
With that in mind, the city recently established the Bayside Development District, which will allow the city to apply for federal funding through the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. It also will provide the legal foundation for the city to use its powers of eminent domain to purchase and relocate the scrap yards.
The city also hired Peter W. Sleeper Associates of Arlington, Mass., to assess the cost and feasibility of relocating the scrap yards. Sleeper specializes in eminent domain proceedings under federal law. Sleeper works with appraisers, moving companies and real estate agents to bring about desired land-takings.
E. Perry Iron & Metal Co. operates two scrap yard sites in Bayside that cover more than two acres on Lancaster and Somerset streets. Owner Alan Lerman said he was surprised to learn of New England Metal's plans for Quarry Road.
"My ears are open and I'll entertain any opportunity," Lerman said. Portland (Maine) Press Herald