Snow Squall site may see new life, building owner says (Printed Feb. 8, 2008)
By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
The building that once housed The Snow Squall restaurant in South Portland’s Knightville neighborhood could be home to a future dining establishment as well as a marine retail center, the building’s new owner said.
“Our anchor tenant will be a restaurant,” said South Port Marine co-owner Kip Reynolds on Monday. “I’m not sure what type of restaurant, but we’ve got a number of interested parties.”
Sales manager Chris Cutshall said South Port, which owns the abutting marina at the end of Ocean Street, acquired the building’s first floor and is currently in talks with prospective tenants to fill the roughly 8,400 square foot space. With the working title, “South Port Marine Center,” Cutshall said the company is pursuing marine retailers to occupy existing business condominium space on the first floor.
“We’d like to see the types of things that a boater will use like a canvas maker, a marine electronics store or a tackle shop rather than bringing in a hardware store or a printer – something that doesn’t have anything to do with the waterfront,” Cutshall said. “I think the locals recognize that one of the things they have working for them is the proximity to the water. Knightville was named after a shipbuilder. We’re helping the area connect back to its roots.”
Andrew Ingalls, whose firm Ingalls Commercial Brokerage facilitated the sale, said the building’s first floor has been vacant for roughly three years. Boston-based Harbor Place Trust, LLC owned the first floor for more than 20 years, Ingalls said. The building’s upper floor houses Harbor Place Condominiums, 12 residential condominium units.
“[South Port has] already gone through and cleaned up the kitchen area,” Ingalls said on Monday, adding they plan to retrofit the first floor. “Once The Snow Squall closed that kind of changed the dynamic of the building.”
South Portland Code Enforcement Officer Patricia Doucette said The Snow Squall closed in 2005.
Knightville Neighborhood Association Co-Chairman Rommy Brown said she hopes South Port Marine will consider the residents living upstairs as they move forward in their plans.
“We need to make sure we get along and help each other out,” Brown said. “So I’m hoping they will cooperate with the residents that live upstairs in terms of fostering a good business climate, but also maintaining the quality of life for residents.”
Brown also said she welcomes more retail in the area and is hopeful South Port Marine will find a restaurant tenant.
“As a resident, we missed having another dining place,” she said. “Of course also as a resident and as co-chair[man] of the neighborhood association and interested in downtown revitalization, we looked forward to that place being filled because it was a big, empty hole in that end. We’re very much in favor of continuing the mixed-use character of Knightville and [South Port has] been down there for some time so I think that’s going to be an interesting development to watch.”
Staff Writer
The building that once housed The Snow Squall restaurant in South Portland’s Knightville neighborhood could be home to a future dining establishment as well as a marine retail center, the building’s new owner said.
“Our anchor tenant will be a restaurant,” said South Port Marine co-owner Kip Reynolds on Monday. “I’m not sure what type of restaurant, but we’ve got a number of interested parties.”
Sales manager Chris Cutshall said South Port, which owns the abutting marina at the end of Ocean Street, acquired the building’s first floor and is currently in talks with prospective tenants to fill the roughly 8,400 square foot space. With the working title, “South Port Marine Center,” Cutshall said the company is pursuing marine retailers to occupy existing business condominium space on the first floor.
“We’d like to see the types of things that a boater will use like a canvas maker, a marine electronics store or a tackle shop rather than bringing in a hardware store or a printer – something that doesn’t have anything to do with the waterfront,” Cutshall said. “I think the locals recognize that one of the things they have working for them is the proximity to the water. Knightville was named after a shipbuilder. We’re helping the area connect back to its roots.”
Andrew Ingalls, whose firm Ingalls Commercial Brokerage facilitated the sale, said the building’s first floor has been vacant for roughly three years. Boston-based Harbor Place Trust, LLC owned the first floor for more than 20 years, Ingalls said. The building’s upper floor houses Harbor Place Condominiums, 12 residential condominium units.
“[South Port has] already gone through and cleaned up the kitchen area,” Ingalls said on Monday, adding they plan to retrofit the first floor. “Once The Snow Squall closed that kind of changed the dynamic of the building.”
South Portland Code Enforcement Officer Patricia Doucette said The Snow Squall closed in 2005.
Knightville Neighborhood Association Co-Chairman Rommy Brown said she hopes South Port Marine will consider the residents living upstairs as they move forward in their plans.
“We need to make sure we get along and help each other out,” Brown said. “So I’m hoping they will cooperate with the residents that live upstairs in terms of fostering a good business climate, but also maintaining the quality of life for residents.”
Brown also said she welcomes more retail in the area and is hopeful South Port Marine will find a restaurant tenant.
“As a resident, we missed having another dining place,” she said. “Of course also as a resident and as co-chair[man] of the neighborhood association and interested in downtown revitalization, we looked forward to that place being filled because it was a big, empty hole in that end. We’re very much in favor of continuing the mixed-use character of Knightville and [South Port has] been down there for some time so I think that’s going to be an interesting development to watch.”
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