Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X V I I J U LY 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 24 "quality of place." Growth is encouraged where development and infrastructure already exist, in order to conserve open space, farmland and forest. "So it's a system," Kidder says. "When we think about livable places, we want there to be interest- ing, vibrant walkable places where people can live and work with access to beautiful, open, natural areas. We fi nd that millennials and elders want the same thing. And if you have children of school age, it would matter to you if they could walk to school. It's village-designed with a community core." Smart growth in action In South Portland, Meetinghouse Lofts converted a vacant property, "turning it from being what was a blight and a liability to the community, into now a meticulously restored property that's contributing to the city's tax base. Repurposing the school in an existing neighborhood made use of the existing public infrastructure — streets, sidewalks, water and sewer lines, trash and plowing routes," Boxer-Macomber says. " at's an effi cient way to develop, in terms of not further taxing municipal budgets," he adds. He argues that Meetinghouse Lofts creates a socially cohesive community that brings together residents previously living in single-family-home neighborhoods. From the economic standpoint, he says, it now earns tax revenue, helped property values in the neigh- borhood. Environmentally, he says, energy-effi cient systems minimize environmental impact; additionally, the project reduces auto and fuel dependence. "My 19 buyers valued the idea that they could be less auto-dependent," he says. "Many went from being a two-car household to one. Many enjoy that they can ride their bikes." Becoming mainstream Kevin Bunker, a founding principal of the Portland-based Developers Collaborative, recalls he fi rst learned about smart growth as an urban planner in the early 2000s. "It was not mainstream then," he says. "But in the years since, it's become mainstream. e aver- age citizen, whether or not they call it smart growth or not, thinks that walkability and a sense of com- munity are good things. In the last week, I've been in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and New York City. You see apartment buildings going up downtown and people fl ocking to live downtown. In the 1960s, '70s, '80s, people were fl eeing the downtowns. So the national consciousness has come around and understands that this is the way people want live." GrowSmart Maine's Kidder agrees: "What's starting to come up, especially in some of the more urban areas, is the idea of walkable downtowns, out- door events, small business redevelopment, historic building restoration — those are essentially smart growth principles, whether people call it smart growth or not. So we're seeing a renaissance of smart growth in Maine." e movement is ripe for millennials, she says. " ey're getting fewer cars than their parents did, so we know that people appreciate the value of a livable community. And the features of a livable community almost always tie back to smart growth principles." www.HomeAgainByHancockLumber/Inspiration Invest in the Heart of Your Home Kitchen remodels are the single greatest investment when listing your property Explore our beautiful design showrooms in South Portland, Brunswick, Kennebunk and North Conway, NH » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E F O C U S R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y A N E W D E V E L O P M E N T Meetinghouse Lofts incorporated parts of the old Roosevelt School in South Portland. Anew Development added 12,000 square feet.

• Cover