Resources
City of South Portland Facilities Committee Study (2024)
City Facilities Committee Agendas and Meeting Minutes (2022-2024)
Updates
September 3, 2024
After six years of discussion about the City’s facilities needs and two years of work by the City’s facilities committee, City Council voted for the City to pursue combining its offices at Mahoney. This option would address the City's significant facilities needs more affordably than some other options, allow for the construction of a new Police Station and renovation of Central Fire Station, and preserve the Mahoney theater and gymnasium as community spaces. Consolidating City offices at Mahoney also provides the greatest potential for affordable housing to be developed on the current City Hall, Library and Hamlin Building sites (should Council support this). The City will now look to hire a design team to work up a final plan with a solid cost estimate, and begin seeking other sources of funding to reduce the burden on taxpayers. Voters will ultimately decide if the plan moves forward, with a vote likely in 2026.
August 6, 2024
At separate meetings earlier this year, the City Council heard proposals from the City’s Facilities Committee and from the South Portland Housing Authority (SPHA) as to potential reuses of the Mahoney property. The SPHA proposal called for the building to be reused as affordable housing, with the theater and gym preserved for community use, and a new City Hall build in the adjacent field. The City proposal called for the departments in City Hall, the Assessing Building, main Library, and the Hamlin Building to be consolidated into the Mahoney building, which would also retain the theater and gym for community use. A new Police Station would be built in the adjacent field but preserving some of that open space, and the Central Fire Station would be renovated on site. An independent consultant enlisted by the City Council to review these two proposal presented his findings at last night’s Council meeting and recommended that Mahoney be repurposed into a consolidated City Hall, as recommended by the City Facilities Committee. This option would free up other City properties to potentially be developed as housing. A majority of the Council agreed with this recommendation. As such, the City Council will formally vote on the reuse of Mahoney as a consolidated municipal campus ats its meeting on September 3, 2024.
July 9, 2024
Carl Cooke of Frontline Construction Services, the independent consultant City Council enlisted to analyze the City's and South Portland Housing Authority's respective proposals for the future use of the Mahoney School property, will present his findings and recommendation to Council at a workshop tentatively scheduled for August 6, 2024. The City Council is expected to vote on the future use of Mahoney at its meeting tentatively scheduled for September 3, 2024.
July 3, 2024
In June, Councilor Tipton requested—and at least two other Councilors supported—a workshop to discuss Greater Portland Family Promise's desire to utilize a portion of the Mahoney School as transitional housing for unhoused families. During a workshop on July 2, 2024, City Council did not support the proposal, which would have required zoning changes. Read the proposal and the City Manager's position paper. You can also watch the Council meeting recording.
June 4, 2024
City Council voted to hire a consultant to help make a decision on how the City should proceed with the Mahoney property. The independent consultant that Council has agreed to hire, Carl Cooke of Frontline Construction Services, will analyze proposals from the City and from the South Portland Housing Authority. Carl Cooke will present his findings and recommendation to Council at an upcoming City Council meeting, tentatively scheduled for August 2024.
April 16, 2024
City Council discussed the future of the Mahoney school at its April 16, 2024 meeting. The South Portland Housing Authority and City Staff presented to council about potential uses for the property. Both presentations included affordable housing as a critical component, with SPHA proposing to develop Mahoney and other City properties that might be sold as a mix of housing (including many affordable units). The City proposed to retain the Mahoney property and consolidate City offices into a campus at Mahoney while selling properties that would be vacated, like City Hall, the Hamlin Building, and potentially the Library, for the creation of housing. Watch the recording of this meeting.
March 14, 2024
City Council held a workshop on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 6:30 PM at the South Portland Middle School to discuss the future of the former Mahoney Middle School.
The property came into the City's possession in 2023 with the opening of the new South Portland Middle School. The City's ad hoc Facilities Committee, which was charged with assessing all of the City's facilities needs and options for addressing them, presented its final report to Council in February 2024. The report recommends that many City offices be consolidated at a renovated Mahoney building. However, the Facilities Committee was not charged with considering all of the future uses of the Mahoney property. The March 14th workshop was held to held so that City Council could hear from the public about their vision for the property.
During the workshop, Owens McCullough, Civil Engineer from Sebago Technics who was involved in the Facilities Committee process, provided an overview of the Mahoney building. City staff presented on zoning rules and development options, including guidance from the Comprehensive Plan. City Council then heard from members of the public. Consolidating City offices to Mahoney, selling the property to create affordable housing, maintaining community space in the building, and other ideas were suggested. City Council did not make a decision at this workshop and requested to continue the conversation. The video of the workshop is posted on the South Portland Community Television page.
City Council next plans to discuss the future use of Mahoney at its April 16 business meeting. City Council invites members of the community to join in the discussion about the future of this property. To be notified about future City Council meetings discussing the future of the Mahoney Middle School, sign up for City Council News and Meeting Calendar alerts.