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V O L . X X I I N O. X X V I I I D E C E M B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6 24 G R E AT E R L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N F O C U S 1912-13, it was one of Maine's fi rst buildings con- structed with reinforced concrete, characterized by an unusual saw-toothed roof penetrated by hun- dreds of windows. In 2013, Platz nailed down an option to buy Mill 5 from the city. en, crucially, he clinched the fi rst two contracts for about half of Mill 5's 350,000 square feet, each tenant committing to about 75,000 square feet. Other businesses, rang- ing from an offi ce to a bakery, are considering space ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 square feet. Potential users include start-ups and existing businesses seek- ing to expand. West Coast contacts are seeking a base in Maine to create an East Coast presence. Mill 5 is perhaps the most special of the eight buildings, says Platz. "All of the buildings are historic, but Mill 5 is unique," he says. It was the work of Albert Kahn, a foremost industrial architect in Detroit who designed automobile factories. Grow L+A's Russell views the project as a game- changer for the community. "From the reuse of existing infrastructure to reactivating a major part of our downtown land into a vibrant community and business center, it's going to interject so much energy and life into the down- town and support more of the great things that are already happening there," she says. If all goes well over the coming year, construc- tion in Mill 5 will start in early 2018 for operations in early 2019, says Platz. Contingencies remain. To receive federal and state tax credits for historic rehabilitation, the project must meet the standards of the National Register of Historic Places. And city approvals are pending. Notably, a condition of moving Mill 5 forward is that the city would expand the nearby Lincoln Street parking garage and perform other public infrastructure improvements. e council will likely vote on the matter in January, says Jeff ers. Platz Associates has invested about $60 million in the complex. Mill 5 will be another $70 million. Finishing the other buildings will be another $25 million or so. Mill 5's development tallies more than total investment to date because Mill 5 is much larger and construction costs are up, says Platz. "We fi lled a lot of the other spaces eight or nine years ago, and costs were lower," averaging about $160 per square foot, he says. Today's average is nearly $200 per square foot; requirements of a med- ical company tenant will likely hike those particular space costs further, he says. Platz hopes to one day have 5,000 employees in the complex. In its heyday, Bates Mill employed about 6,000. "I'd love to get it back to that," he says. L S , a w r ite r based in Bass Harbor, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 2 2 When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into When you see people move into a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. a space, you become interested. The last two or three years, we've had lots of interest. — Developer Tom Platz

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