SCARBOROUGH, Maine – Crossroad Holdings’ “Innovation District”– a 154-acre subdivision located in the center of town will become Scarborough’s first mixed-use business park in 25 years.
The area includes three commercial gateway sites and up to 54 subdivided lots for light industrial, technology, manufacturing, commercial and retail end-users. At full buildout, the Innovation District will be valued at over $100M and will become a major employment hub in town. Developers have ten lots already under reservation and over 40 interested parties on the remaining lots.
“This phase has quickly attracted end-users, including out-of-state companies that are being ‘priced out’ of more expensive cities,” says developer Roccy Risbara. “This pace signals that we’ll be able to speed up other portions of development within the master plan, including the Town Center.”
The Downs has three planned development areas that create a ‘live, work, play’ environment – with residential, commercial and recreational components. The tagline “A Community Trifecta” has been adopted to embody the offerings, and to pay homage to the historic horse racing track that’s been in operation for over 70 years.
Two Westbrook companies, Pine State Services and Zoom Drain, have outgrown their current space and will move 100+ employees to The Downs. “We chose this spot because of the proximity to I-95, and the ‘live, work, play’ dynamic,” says Pine State Services CEO Sam Marcisso. “Being able to offer employees the perks of walking downtown for lunch or living nearby are invaluable benefits and will act as recruitment tools.”
Ducas Construction will relocate from another Scarborough location, as will Scorebuilders, a national company that creates educational tools for physical therapists. “There was plenty of warehouse space available to us, but nothing that also felt creative,” says CEO Scott Giles. Giles says the easy connection to the Town Center coupled with the greenspace and walking trails were major factors in their decision. “It was important to us that we were not in space that looked and felt like a traditional industrial park.”
A professional incubator space will also be built, designed to support small businesses and startups that are ready for a professional space, but perhaps not ready to buy and build. MR Holdings, the developers’ management company, will construct and lease the 2,500 sf commercial units.
In 2013, the Town of Scarborough expanded zoning to allow for a wider variety of uses – including the creation of a Downtown District – and to further encourage development that would align with the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. Uses within the Innovation District include restaurants, breweries, food processing facilities, bio-technology and light industrial end-users.
The developers’ vision for the Innovation District include an inviting, walkable area with light industrial uses, coupled with 55-acres of greenspace; easy access to all major roadways; public transit and walking trails to carry pedestrians throughout the entire property.
The Innovation District is located in the northernmost section of the 525-acre parcel, abutting I-95 and Payne Road. At the southernmost section, the first-phase of residential is nearly sold out, with residents moving in this summer. All lots within Innovation District will be ready-to-build and pre-permitted with utilities on-site. Developers plan to break ground in the coming weeks.
