The Roux Institute became the latest entity to try to erect Maine’s tallest building, which would be at the former B&M Baked Beans factory in Portland that the technology graduate school purchased last year.
The new 210-foot building would be part of its campus that would situate its tallest buildings near Interstate 95 and lower buildings near Sherwood Street, the B&M factory and the waterfront, executives with the institute said during a public meeting on rezoning plans last week.
If approved by the city of Portland, that building would be about 21 stories, topping Franklin Towers in Portland, the current highest building in the state at 17 stories. Redfern Properties is planning an 18-story building on Federal Street in Portland that is slated for completion in 2023. It was on track to be Maine’s tallest building.
Roux Institute, a high-tech branch of Northeastern University, also said it will seek City Historic Landmark status for the B&M main factory building, an iconic part of Portland’s skyline.
The institute plans to attract 1,750 students within the next five years and 2,500 in 10 years. It’s rezoning plans include rental housing, a hotel, parking, classrooms and laboratories. It plans to build 175 to 200 residential units initially.
The sharp uptick in people coming to the area, which already has dense traffic, concerned some local residents. Chris Briley, an architect who lives with his fiance between Sherwood Street and Washington Avenue, said the traffic by his home would increase more than 100 percent.
The Roux Institute is planning alternative forms of transportation, such as a water taxi, and is working with the Greater Portland METRO to encourage public transit and bicycles, Chuck Hewett, a Roux executive, said. The institute plans to have a full-time transportation coordinator.
“We’re also making parking on the site expensive” to discourage people from driving to campus, he said.
Northeastern announced the Roux graduate school and research center in 2020 as an effort to alleviate Maine’s workforce shortage and retain talent. So far it has more than 800 students, 54 industry partners and 21 affiliated startup companies. It also has 90 employees between Portland and Boston.