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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 F E B R UA R Y 4 , 2 0 1 9 From the Editor D riving around may not seem like a productive use of time in most industries, but in the news busi- ness, it's a first-hand way to see construction that's underway, businesses that have opened or closed and get a sense of the issues in a particular city or town. For the southern Maine focus in this issue, I spent a day driving around, starting at Kate's Bakery and Café on Badger's Island in Kittery, then working my way north. For an entire day, I poked around York, Ogunquit, Wells, the Kennebunks, Biddeford, Saco, Scarborough, South Portland and finally Portland. My sense was that as much as we talk about south- ern Maine's strong economy and the development going on in "southern Maine" (York and Cumberland counties), the bulk of new development is centered in Portland and surrounding municipalities. at's where you see construction cranes, that's where you see year-round businesses and where, on a gray day in January, I saw the most people and activity. I offer all of this with the caveat that many people come to Maine to get away from all that. But we're a business publication and I'm talking about the economic lifeline. And other aspects of the rapid development have been the worker shortage, lack of affordable housing and issues around congestion and parking. For the southern Maine focus, Senior Writer Renee Cordes tackled the issue of affordable housing and where things stand. In the Portland market, par- ticularly, getting into an affordable apartment often means months or years on a waiting list. She spoke with a woman who went through the process and she spoke with some developers who are trying to do something about it. For more see Page 14. Portland is in the midst of a hotel building boom, with more than 600 guest rooms coming into the market in the coming two years. Senior Writer Laurie Schreiber talked to the developers and asked them about concerns about overdevelopment and how they're positioning the hotels. See Page 20. e redevelopment of Scarborough Downs presented an unusual opportunity to plan a new community on 500 acres in the middle of a densely populated area. e Downs, as it will be known, will include a town center, housing, open space and, now, an innovation park for a range of business uses. For more, see Page 24. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Get Maine's business news daily at mainebiz.biz and on Twitter (@Mainebiz). Below is our top content from the weeks of Jan. 14–28. 1. Maine Veterans' Homes $90 million Augusta development to begin 2. WEX signs agreement to acquire Discovery Benefits for $425M 3. Supermarket competition heats up with Hannaford's plans to add new store in Brunswick 4. Shipyard/Vets First Choice project was designed to fit into, transform neighborhood 5. Bangor and Aroostook malls head to auction block 6. Four Maine companies — six winning products — at Good Food Awards 7. Right time, right place for major commercial development in Portland's eastern waterfront 8. Digital online banking trends prompt KeyBank to close four Maine branches 9. Brewer's SnapSpace Solutions looking for second site to keep pace with its growth 10. Kennebec Land Trust cabins to be featured on 'Maine Cabin Masters' R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y M A I N E V E T E R A N S ' H O M E S 1 bernsteinshur.com Be smart. BE SHUR. When you need a lawyer who thinks like an executive and speaks like a human. Southern Maine's nexus Portland's hotel building boom will mean 600 new guest rooms coming into the market.

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