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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 F E B R UA R Y 5 , 2 0 2 4 F O C U S C O M M E R C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T remake of the Camden waterfront. While Lyman finds that local zoning limits on building height remain an obstacle, he hopes the storm aftermath will shift the dialog from the political to the practical. "If we don't have reasonable conversations now," he says, "nothing's going to happen, and that's my biggest fear." Along similar lines, Prentice points to a moral obligation for responsible development. "e built environment defines the places we live, and that can be both positive and negative. We build places where people live, work, start businesses, engage socially and literally live their lives," he says. To develop projects that are both financially and environmentally sustainable, Prentice says he looks at steps including moving electrical and other heavy equipment to rooftops. Fathom Cos. President Jim Brady, the devel- oper behind Portland's Press Hotel and Canopy by Hilton, also sees hurdles — and costs — associated with building higher foundations. "e waterfront is still a highly desirable loca- tion," he says, "but it's going to cost more from an infrastructure and developer side to raise buildings," he says. While Brady would have preferred to raise We're proud to offer a wide selection of metal roofing and siding products. Give your home or business the color and style you're looking for with the durability and quality that only metal roofing and siding can provide. NOW OFFERING Screw Down Metal Roofing for just $3.39 per linear foot WAREBUTLER.COM FREE DELIVERY ACROSS THE STATE metals@warebutler.com STANDARD COLORS ONLY Free strapping available for pick-up at our Stillwater and Palmyra locations Visit one of our stores, or email us using the contact form on our website, for more information on these products. Advertised price for limited time C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Residential market in flux O utside the commercial realm, the increasing severity and frequency of storms and other weather disasters are also shifting Maine's resi- dential real estate market. "The recent flooding events have stirred some changes in waterfront homeowners' and potential buyers' behaviors," says Dava Davin, founder of the Portside Real Estate Group, a Falmouth-based agency with offices in coastal Maine and New Hampshire. "We are seeing homeowners who were flirting with the idea of selling, having the recent events be the catalyst for reaching out to put their homes on the market this spring." It's not just along the coast, either. "We have seen renters in riverfront homes that have flooded, that have had enough," she notes. "Additionally, buyers are becoming more cautious, seeking properties with water views and access, but not necessarily direct frontage." Similarly in Union, broker Les Taylor of Waterfront Properties of Maine reports that the price of all properties along lakes, ponds and along the coast has been on the rise. "All the good ones have already been built upon, so mostly the ones left are not that desirable," he says. "If you do manage to find a waterfront prop- erty at a reasonable price, by the time you add a road, electricity, a septic system on top of building a house, it's very easy to get upwards of $1 million." Dava Davin F I L E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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