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V O L . X X V I N O. X X V O C T O B E R 1 9 , 2 0 2 0 22 M I D C O A S T / D OW N E A S T F O C U S 1824: Maine State Prison is established on land above the St. Georges River. 1923–24: The first prison burns to the ground in 1923; a large brick complex is built, opening in 1924. 2001: The state announces the prison will close in early 2002. February 2002: The prison closes and 400 prisoners are moved to the new prison in nearby Warren. April 2002: The buildings are torn down, leaving 15.6 acres of green space. June 2002: Town meeting voters authorize the town to negotiate with the state to buy the land. July 2003: A town goals survey predicts that by 2010, the Thomaston Green will be a mix of open space, residential and retail. June 2004: Voters authorize the town to accept title to the property; the town forgives the state the last two payments to a public sewer project, $184,000 a year, as a swap. December 2005: The sale, a $285,000 value, becomes official. 2006: The town enters into a develop- ment agreement with Berman Associates (soon to be Developers Collaborative), of Portland. The developer would pay for development, and split proceeds exceed- ing 15% 50/50 with the town. A market feasibility study determines light retail and residential use, with an emphasis on community neighborhood extension. June 2008: Town meeting voters approve a master plan for the property, including eventually selling the property to a devel- oper. The green is rezoned for village mixed use. Estimates are the developed property will add $16 million to the tax base. Summer-fall 2008: Developers Collabora- tive secures a Riverfront Community Devel- opment Block Grant of $221,020, which, with matching money, will create a public park, open space and tails, including an overlook at precipice overlooking the St. George River. While retail pads are planned for after the work is completed in 2009, "The current economic climate will also play a role in the decision-making as the development moves forward," the 2008- 09FY town report says. June 2009: The town and St. Georges Cove LLC (Developers Collaborative) agree to an option for the developer to buy the portion of the Green not designated as public space; JBI is awarded the contract to develop the public space. June 2010: A town party is held at the newly developed public space. 2011: As the effects of the recession con- tinue, Developers Collaborative pulls out and by fall,the town has started negotiating with Broad Cove Builders to develop hous- ing on several lots at the site. 2012: Discussions with Broad Cove Builders end. June 2012: The town adopts a condi- tions of sale document to better market the property 2012–19: The town markets the develop- ment portion, with no takers. 2019: The town issues an RFP for devel- opment at the Green. Avesta Housing and Coastal Opportunities respond. Sept. 15, 2020: Town voters reject both proposals. Oct. 7, 2020: The town holds a public hearing on the future of the Green, with those speaking sharply divided on whether it should be developed. Design guidelines and mixed-use rezoning were passed at the June 2008 annual town meeting. en the recession hit, and Devel- opers Collaborative bowed out. "e numbers just didn't work," Bunker says. The good and bad e town worked for a year, from 2011 to 2012, with another developer on a hous- ing proposal that also didn't pan out. Meanwhile, the end of town on Route 1 toward Rockland was emerging as a retail mecca. Lowe's, Walmart and Hampton Inn sprung up in the decade that followed the prison site purchase. "I was against that at first," Hahn says. "But I was wrong." e commercial strip provides 42.5% of the town's real estate revenues. e town's 2020 comprehensive plan estimates the property tax rate would be $28.40 without it. e downside is that some residents aren't sure if they want more. A recurring theme at the recent public hearing was that a lot changes in 15 years. Some speakers said the site should stay green with an eye toward com- munity events, food trucks, festivals and even wedding rentals. "If we put something there, we'll regret it in 10 years," said Anson Norton. Amy Williams, who favored keeping it green space, said making it a magnet recreational destination could bring rev- enue into town "year after year." But Sumner Kinney said there's already green space at the site. "We agreed to that 15 years ago," he said. "How can you refuse to sell it to a quali- fied buyer?" Exciting site e acreage is something many towns and cities dream of. At an August meeting, Pat Carroll, of Carroll Landscape Architects, part of Avesta's team, said, "We don't get many sites like this in Portland anymore." To be able to house seniors near beautiful community space just blocks from downtown, "Is a really exciting thing," Carroll said. Bunker says, "As a local, growing up nearby, I would have liked to make something work there." But a decade after his firm worked to develop it, "Richard [Berman] and I both think that it makes a great park — and probably ought to stay one. It's a great asset for the town and could probably be even more so if the town committed to a thought- ful recreational master plan to use it more intensively." 15 years later With the developed public space and geography on the property, less than half of it is developable. "You can't really put much in here," Hahn says. Any commercial development would be along the fringes of the property, along Route 1 or Wadsworth Street. Voters Sept. 15 approved contract- ing with Lewiston's Community Concepts on an economic develop- ment director position. Hahn says the position and year-old economic development committee are an attempt to look at a bigger picture, not just the prison site. e town has put $555,000 into the site, but there isn't a big bill to pay. When the prison closed, the town had just built a wastewater treatment plan that, at the state's request, was sized to include the prison. e state swapped the $285,000 site for what it owed the town for the treatment plant. e infrastructure at the Green was mostly covered by the 2008 grant. "ere's not a lot of pressure," Hahn says. In the comprehensive plan's list of the most-heard concerns from residents, the Green isn't mentioned. Hahn agrees things can change in 15 years. But on the forefront of the effort to develop the site since 2002, he sees an asset that's not being taken advantage of. "We need to figure it out," he says. Maureen Milliken, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at mmilliken @ mainebiz.biz » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Thomaston Green: What's next for former prison site? M A P / D E V E L O P E R S C O L L A BO R AT I V E P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N S O U R C E S : News accounts, annual town reports, public documents Not many communities have that type of open space in their core. — Kevin Bunker Developers Collaborative

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