Overview of Economic Development Activities

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Overview of Economic Development Activities

• Commercial Growth Areas
• 1. Western Avenue
• 2. Civic Center Drive
• 3. Downtown
• 4. Riggs Brook Village

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1. Western Avenue

• Significant reinvestment in all 3 strip mall
  properties
• Turnpike Mall
• Shaws Plaza
• Capital Shopping Center
• Proposed New Shopping Mall
• All auto dealership properties improved 2 new
  dealerships
• Infill development opportunities

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2. Civic Center Drive

• Recent out parcel development 60,000 sq. ft.
  DHS building
• NRF expansion 100,000 sq. ft. distribution
  center 90 acre business park
• SCI property redevelopment 313,000 sq. ft. 100
  acres of prime commercial land
• Quimby Lot 24 acre business park development
  City owned

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2. Civic Center Drive (Cont.)

• Marketplace at Augusta
• Start of Phase III development
• 210,000 square feet expansion within Phase III
  approved
• 1.5 million in off-site traffic improvements
• Approximately 300,000 square feet of Phase III
  development still being considered
• Other in-fill developments being considered

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3. Downtown

• Dickman Parking Garage Completed
• Additional parking facility to be built
• Recently completed 700,000 North Water Street
  revitalization project
• Edwards Mill Site redevelopment plan to begin
  implementation

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3. Downtown (Cont.)

• Old City Hall - 6 million 31 new assisted units
• New private investments
• Proposed revitalization of the Colonial Theatre
  and construction of student housing
• Proposed renovation of Central Maine Power
  building on Water Street
• Proposed renovation of the Arsenal Complex

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4. Riggs Brook Village

• The recent rezoning of 1,500 acres into a Mixed
  Use, Planned Development
• 3rd Bridge and new corridor completed
• Envisioned that Riggs Brook Village will provide
  City with growth opportunities for next 50 years

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• B. Economic Development Initiatives
• Business Retention
• Business Expansion
• Business Attraction

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1. Business Retention

• An established Business Retention Program
• Individual business site visits and counseling
• Provide advocacy and liaison assistance

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2. Business Expansion

• Assist firms to access state and federal
  resources
• Package incentives and financial resources
• Recent projects J.S. McCarthy, NorthCenter
  Foodservice, NRF Distributors, E-Pro

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3. Business Attraction

• Utilize different mediums Web site, direct
  marketing, trade shows and trade journal
• Marketing collateral won international award
• Targeted industry approach
• Focus on industry/business where City has
  comparative advantages back office processing,
  insurance financial services
• Significant effort to attract T-Mobile and other
  such prospects
• Targeted locations within City for attraction -
  Downtown

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• Neighborhood Stabilization
• Westside Neighborhood Association
• Targeted neighborhoods
• New Neighbors Program
• Cony High School

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1. Westside Neighborhood Association

• Work Closely with City neighborhood groups to
  improve neighborhoods
• Housing studies and creative housing initiatives
• Traffic studies and traffic calming measures
• Sidewalk improvements

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2. Targeted Neighborhoods

• Work with HUD to acquire derelict housing in
  distressed neighborhoods
• Investments in infrastructure
• Boothby Street City to receive 400,000 in CDBG
  funds to reconstruct sewer, water, storm drainage
  and street
• Acquire property to incent new housing
  development
• Cedar Street Sewall Street
• Bunny Street Orchard Street
• Working with housing developers on proposed new
  housing subdivisions

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3. New Neighbors Program

• City lobbied MSHA successfully to extend program
  to smaller cities
• Incents prospective homeowners to acquire 1 4
  unit buildings to become owner-occupants
• Reverses absentee landlords
• Directs homebuyers to establish neighborhoods,
  encourages residents to have vested interest in
  properties

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4. Cony High School

• Anchors new Riggs Brook Village
• Complements efforts to attract and retain
  homeowners
• Provides targeted educational programs only 1
  of 2 biotechnology programs in the State

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• D. Status of Development
• 1. Available Commercial Sites
• Non-Retail
• 2. Commercial Development in Relationship to Tax
  Base
• 3. Areas of Potential Conflict

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Available Commercial Sites Non-Retail

• Correctly zoned, sewer and water
• Approximately 7 such lots
• Virtually no industrial lots available
• Lack of large tracts of land correctly zoned or
  near public utilities
• More land area rezoned from commercial to
  residential in past 5 years

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2. Commercial Development in Relationship to Tax
Base

• Commercial valuation is 39 of total valuation
• Retail is 41 of all commercial valuation

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Areas of Potential Conflict

• Residential zone adjacent to commercial zone
• Western Avenue
• Bangor Street Area
• Neighborhoods
• Traffic congestion
• Developments are larger
• Conversion of property within commercial zones
  for commercial uses

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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
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