Penobscot
Landing
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Penobscot Landing Map - Conceptual Use Diagram Brewer Residents Applaud Proposal for Waterfront During the session, members of the city’s waterfront planning team presented the latest version of the redevelopment plan, which includes proposed placements for various waterfront attractions and features, as well as a timeline and cost estimates. Plans for Penobscot Landing, as Brewer’s waterfront is now known, call for an entertainment district and public market, several facilities for boaters, a ferry shuttle facility, a performing arts center and artisans cooperative, a fishing pier, museums and recreational and interpretive trails. The project calls for between $35 million and $57 million in investment to be spread out over at least 10 years, with the work beginning next year, said Richard Stoltz of MBIA Bartram & Cochran of Hartford, Conn. MBIA, which is leading the consortium of contractors hired to help create the plan, was hired by the city this week to take the plan into the implementation phase. “We think this plan is very practical,” Stoltz said. “It’s a big number but it’s a reasonable one.” A cost breakdown showed that just over $7 million of project’s total cost is likely to be borne by the city, while the rest come from the state or federal governments, private developers and investors and sponsors, Stoltz said. According to Economic Development Director Drew Sachs, Brewer’s $7 million share includes approximately $3 million in tax-increment financing, a mechanism which allows a portion of a project’s taxes to be returned to its developer to offset costs, leaving about $4 million to be raised in local dollars. Michael Lawry of The Parrish Group of Philadelphia, one of the consulting firms working on the plan, said the community can do a great deal to help itself. Among his recommendations were that the community hold a waterfront cleanup event in the spring and put together committees to tackle beautification, fund raising and special events. Though residents again showed their support for the plan, some expressed concerns about the impact it might have on the property tax rate and that the city might take their property by eminent domain. Councilor Donna Thornton, chairman of the Waterfront Advisory Committee, said that containing the city’s property rate, which this year decreased for the first time in more than 60 years, remained among the City Council’s top priorities. In regard to eminent domain, Stoltz did not rule it out entirely but observed that it was unlikely. Which properties change ownership, he said, likely will be determined by the local real estate market. Resident Harold Parks warned city officials to get busy on relocating the public works garage, the proposed site of an outdoor amphitheater. He reminded city official to consider the cost of the work as it begins work on next year’s budget. Thornton assured him that the city is already on it. Sachs said he already is applying for grants for the work. Some suggestions from hearing participants were that the city consider the need for parking near some Main Street businesses and that it take steps to preserve historic buildings. Debra Drillen, a Brewer businessowner who is moving here, suggested the city make the waterfront welcoming to recreational vehicles. Drillen, who travels extensively, noted the region offers few amenities for the lucrative RV crowd.Others offered their help, among them resident Larryl K. Matthews, the University of Maine’s new engineering dean. “You should think of us as a resource,” he said. Brewer High School teachers Mike Hutchins and Darryl King said their environmental science students are eager to help with the project and have obtained a grant to help the city with some waterfront research. The project apparently has captured the attention of potential developers. Sachs said that although the master plan is not yet complete — it isn’t slated to go before the Planning Board and City Council for a review and adoption until next month — it already is proving popular with developers. Sachs said that his office received 13 inquiries from developers in the last three weeks alone. This is a copyright article written by Dawn Gagnon of the NEWS Staff that appeared in the Bangor Daily News, Friday, October 20, 2000. |
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The
City of Brewer