Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. I I I F E B R UA R Y 5 , 2 0 2 4 16 C O M M E R C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T Auburn also works with private developers "to help design projects that take advantage of the waterfront views while protecting our community and their investment," says Jay Brenchick, Auburn's economic development director. One example is a project underway at 1 Center St. to extend the land available for the riverwalk while meeting or exceed- ing FEMA standards. From Casco Bay to the Atlantic Coast Climate change-focused innovation isn't limited to traditional developers. In Portland, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute owns two wharves, including Union Wharf which the nonprofit bought in 2021. It's made $75,000 in improve- ments since then, including installing elevated heat pumps at 36 Union for $36,000 and replacing an oil boiler at 41 Union with a wall-mounted propane unit at a higher location. "Union Wharf represented a unique need and opportunity to support a critical piece of Portland's working waterfront," says Jonathan Labaree, GMRI's chief community officer. "We don't have plans to purchase additional wharves, but plan to use Union Wharf as a platform to guide others – public and private – in how to protect, manage and maintain working water- front across the region." Elsewhere in Portland, the Roux Institute's future campus will be built on the former B&M baked bean factory site with a basement elevation of nine feet, says Chuck Hewett, executive direc- tor of IDEALS, the nonprofit behind the $500 million plan to build a campus by 2027. "It's been flooded three times in the last 24 years with a few inches of water," he says. Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he says the group plans to raise that floor to 11 feet and construct all buildings with a ground floor elevation of 22.5 feet. "at's very high and dry and should be secure for the long term," he says. And in coastal Biddeford, the University of New England will use nearly $140,000 in grant funding to mitigate coastal erosion and restore parts of the shoreline on its campus that researchers say have been marred by the effects of climate change. "e issue of sea level rise is not purely academic for us," says climate expert Wake. R e n e e C o r d e s , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t r c o r d e s @ m a i n e b i z . b i z » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E MEMBER FDIC EQUAL HOUSING LENDER 1-800-447-4559 | bathsavings.bank Make your vision a reality. Talk to a neighbor. You have a vision to build something meaningful, and we have the experience to help make it happen. Custom lending solutions are here for you — and so are we. Let's talk. Elizabeth Rogers Vice President, Retail Lending PORTLAND BRANCH - NMLS #458722 F O C U S P ROV I D E D R E N D E R I N G / C I T Y O F A U G U S TA P ROV I D E D R E N D E R I N G / I D E A L S A rendering of the planned Roux Institute campus on the site of the former B&M Baked Beans factory in Portland. A $4 million proposal in Augusta calls for raising the level of Front Street and a parking lot along the Kennebec River.

• Cover