At the Planning Board meeting to discuss the question of historic district status for Munjoy Hill, the most disconcerting statement of the board’s discussion was that the historic designation would be ”taking the neighborhood off the market.”

The Hill has become a prized residential location. Consequently, many large and very expensive multi-unit buildings have been allowed to be built.

I am weary of the struggle with city leaders on the question of allowing development versus maintaining the integrity of a neighborhood. The citizen-led effort (which I was a part of) to preserve the vistas of Fort Sumner Park on Munjoy Hill is one example. Thankfully, efforts of concerned citizens led to protections for this important historic site – but the park’s vistas came frighteningly close to being lost – to a large, new, and very expensive building.

The Hill is a beautiful place. Designating it as a historic district would manage and better regulate what development does occur. Without the designation, it’s feared the beauty and historic charm, which have made the Hill a destination for so many, will be ruined by development. Unfortunately, in their effort to monetize the beauty of the Hill, this development is ruining the very elements that make the Hill so desirable.

I would rather not have my neighborhood, my home, used for a developer’s gain – please approve the historic district designation and elevate the beauty and history of the Hill to that of the rest of Portland.

David Cowie

Portland