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V O L . X X V N O. X I V J U LY 8 , 2 0 1 9 20 A U G U S TA / WAT E R V I L L E / C E N T R A L M A I N E N orth River Co., the new owner of the Lockwood Mill in Waterville, considers the building a diamond in the rough — it's worse for wear after years of vacancy, but it's a classic 19th century mill with soaring ceilings and windows, three-foot brick walls and pine floors. "ey don't build them like that anymore," says North River partner Anthony Gatti as he sits in a conference room in the adjacent Hathaway Creative Center, also owned by North River. When the property development company announced in June it had bought the 182,000-square foot building for $1.5 million, it touted another ben- efit — it's on the Kennebec River. e deal "represents the reinvigoration of Waterville's riverside assets as the city returns to the river to enhance its quality of life," the release said. In the urban cores of Augusta and Waterville, the Kennebec River, once considered a polluted liability, is increasingly a key piece of downtown revitalization. "We're getting away from the '80s and '90s think- ing," says Glen Guerrette, of Guerrette Properties, which has developed apartments on the downtown riverfront in Augusta. "We have a different view of the river and downtown." Views 'the best thing' "We love mixing history with water," says Gatti. Aside from the two Waterville mills, comprising 412,000 square feet, the New York-based company has been instrumental in several major projects in Maine. North River owns the Pierce Atwood building on Portland's waterfront, as well as the Fort Andross redeveloped mill on the Androscoggin River in Brunswick. Other holdings include One and Two Portland Square, which North River acquired in 2015 for $66 million, which was then the largest com- mercial real estate deal in Portland's history, it was reported at the time. Hathaway Creative Center had already been redeveloped when North River bought it in 2017 for $20.15 million. e Lockwood, also owned by Hathaway developer Paul Boghossian, "wasn't in our initial plan," says Gatti. But the success of the Hathaway, coupled with Waterville's downtown redevelopment surge, made the purchase attractive. e Hathaway is tucked behind the Lockwood, which is front and center at a major intersection that includes U.S. Route 201. It's across the intersection from the Lockwood Hotel site, which Colby College will start construc- tion on this year. Gatti says the mill redevelopment, designed by Platz Associates in Auburn, will complement the Colby plans and also link the area of the city to downtown. ere will likely be retail on the first floor, offices on the second and residential on the top two floors. e need for apartments in the city is acute. Hathaway has 67 market-rate apartments, and Gatti says there hasn't been a vacancy since North River bought it. "is community is very much in need of this style of apartments, and they want more." F O C U S Anthony Gatti, a partner in North River Co., overlooking the Kennebec River, which is a visual focal point for the company's Hathaway Creative Center and newly acquired Lockwood Mill. P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D We're getting away from the '80s and '90s thinking. We have a different view of the river and downtown. — Glen Guerrette Guerrette Properties Watching the river flow B y M a u R e e n M i L L i k e n Along the Kennebec, developers and residents alike are coming back to the river

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