Maine city looks to transform industrial wasteland into major destination
Rock Row would redevelop abandoned mill in Westbrook
Rock Row would redevelop abandoned mill in Westbrook
Rock Row would redevelop abandoned mill in Westbrook
Developers in Westbrook want to take an abandoned quarry and turn it into a destination where people can live, work and play.
Rock Row, at more than 2 million square feet, would be one of the largest projects of its kind anywhere in the country.
"You could imagine coming in here with gardens, landscaping, a pop up brewery, live music -- I mean it could really be a unique environment," developer Josh Levy said.
Levy is part of Waterstone Properties Group, which owns the quarry and hundreds of acres of land around it. Levy said he sees incredible potential where there is now a 400-foot-deep hole left by the quarry.
"A 2.4 million-square-foot mixed-use project that will employ upwards of over 1,000 people," Levy said.
Rock Row would include a beer hall, movie theater, apartments, office space, recreation trails and shopping.
The first parts of the five-year project are scheduled to open this year, including a Market Basket supermarket and an outdoor concert venue.
Developers said the quarry will be a signature feature of Rock Row.
"It all started with the location. That was the biggest draw to here," Levy said.
The location of the Rock Row, which is on the Portland-Westbrook city line and right next to the Maine Turnpike, also caught the eye of Greater Portland Metro.
In a unique arrangement, at no cost, Metro will lease the roads and sidewalks from Rock Row, which will allow developers to access millions in tax-free bonds.
Metro officials said Rock Row could be the site of a future transit hub.
"It's exactly the kind of development from a transit perspective that we want to see happening in the region. It's mixed use. It's retail. It's commercial. It's employment. It's recreation all kind of rolled into one," Metro general manager Greg Jordan said.
Westbrook officials are hopeful Rock Row can make the city a destination.
"One of the number one things we're trying to do right now in the city of Westbrook is to make it more destination oriented. This project will do that,"Westbrook Economic Development Director Daniel Stevenson said.
Rock Row developers currently pay $95,000 a year in property taxes on the site. If the project is completed as planned, developers would pay as much as $6 million a year to the city.
"We're not the mill town of yesterday. We have a diverse tax base now, and with this large project right at our gateway to our city -- sends that calling card," Stevenson said.
Some residents have questioned what Rock Row would mean for downtown Westbrook, which has seen a recent resurgence.
Phil Spiller of Discover Downtown Westbrook believes Rock Row will bring more people to the city, helping the downtown area in a new way.
"A sense of tourism that Westbrook's never really had. Former mill towns, tourism isn't really ever part of their fabric," Spiller said.
Spiller believes Rock Row will bring permanent attention the city has never seen.
"That's what's going to bring visitors and local folks -- a new sense of experience and sense of place. A sense of home, something really authentic to the area. That's what I'm really excited about," Spiller said.