Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

September 15, 2017

Eastport's 15 Sea Street project stalls over developer's troubles

Rendering / Comeau Mackenzie architects) An architect's rendering of 15 Sea Street shows how an old sardine cannery in Eastport will look after it is converted into a hotel, apartments, meeting space, retail and other amenities.

A $9 million project to transform an old sardine cannery into a hotel, residential units, retail and event space in Eastport is on hold, due to one of the developers being involved in a legal dispute with a former general contractor of a separate $62 million project under way in Kansas City.

The Quoddy Tides reported that Arnold Development Group — which is working with Eastport resident Linda Godfrey, one of the owners of the former cannery at 15 Sea Street — is a defendant in a lawsuit filed earlier this summer by the general contractor of the 276-unit housing project in Kansas City’s River Market neighborhood who alleges $969,501 in unpaid construction bills.

Jonathan Arnold, a principal in the Arnold Development Group, told Godfrey that his company was focused on finding a new general contractor and finishing that project, the newspaper reported.

The Kansas City Business Journal reported in June that Arnold Development had grown frustrated with contractor delays.

“The contractor has had delays, which have eventually resulted in there being a disagreement related to their performance on the project,” Arnold told the Kansas City Business Journal in June.

Timing for 15 Sea Street in Eastport, as a result, has been delayed, but Godfrey told the newspaper that Arnold remains committed to the project.

Project seen as major boost for Eastport

As reported by Mainebiz in April, the $9 million transformation of an old sardine cannery into a hotel, residential units, retail and event space was expected to be completed by June 2018.

The 15 Sea Street redevelopment would also serve as shot in the arm for a city that, like many places in Maine, has shown progress in reinventing itself, despite limited population growth and its location at the extreme end of Maine and the United States.

The former American Can Co. building, which has been vacant for a number of years, was already undergoing interior preparations this spring, though the bulk of the construction remained, Godfrey, who is part of the partnership Dirigamus LLC, told Mainebiz at that time.

Once open, 15 Sea Street will have 26 hotel rooms, 16 residential units, event space with seating for up to 104 people, a wine bar, catering kitchen, gathering space and a concourse for exhibits. The concept architect is Peter MacKenzie of Comeau MacKenzie in Saint John, New Brunswick.

Sign up for Enews

Comments

Order a PDF