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April 24, 2019

Hampden seeks to stimulate economic activity with development of town center

By Laurie Schreiber
Courtesy / North Star Planning
The town of Hampden plans to develop a “town center” in an area centered on the Route 1A and Western Avenue intersection and including residential and retail areas, along with the town office and Hampden Academy.

The town of Hampden is studying development of what it hopes will be a cohesive commercial and community “town center.”

The plan focuses on the intersection of Western Avenue and Route 1A, locally called Main Road and running parallel to the Penobscot River. The intersection is considered key to a functional and attractive town center, according to a study issued in March by the town’s consultant on the plan, North Star Planning in North Yarmouth.

“There have been at least two occasions in the past couple of decades when either the town council or other groups in town felt it was important to do a study of the town center,” Town Planner Karen Cullen told Mainebiz.

The planning process includes gathering input from residents and businesses to guide changes to the zoning ordinance, the possible creation of a Tax Increment Financing district for town center improvements, as well as potential improvements to infrastructure, particularly sidewalks, crosswalks and pedestrian amenities such as benches, landscaping and lighting.

The goal is to establish the area as a central destination in Hampden by creating an activity center that leverages Hampden’s small-town feel as a place to shop, eat and do business. Under consideration are streetscape improvements, completion of a sidewalk and crosswalk network and off-street trail system, and enhancement of existing public spaces and creation of new ones. The supermarket, post office, town office and Hampden Academy, as well as businesses and services, are located in the town center. 

Cullen explained the area in question is home to two central community institutions: Hampden Academy and “Old Hampden Academy.” The latter is where Hampden Academy, a high school chartered in 1803, was located until it built a new site nearby in recent years. The old facility was eventually purchased by a private party and redeveloped for business, said Cullen. The town leases Old Hampden Academy’s gymnasium as a community recreational center. 

North Star Planner Ben Smith said issues driving the town center planning include recognition of the area’s role within the community and the region as a downtown that has potential to be improved.

“There’s really a lot of traffic that goes through this part of the community,” he said. “It’s part of Route 1A, and it’s also a school campus for multiple communities. So the idea was to look at this from a zoning perspective. How does new development fit into the context of this historic area? But it isn’t just a zoning project and it’s not just figuring out where sidewalks and crosswalks should be. It’s, "How do you build community around this place that everyone already loves?'”

But any improvements would also highlight what is the town center.

“One of the questions we asked in the study early on is, 'How do you know you’re in Hampden’s town center?'” said Cullen. “A lot of people said they don’t. Other than the fact that you have to slow down for the school, there’s nothing that distinguishes this as a town center. We don’t have a town common or a major church, as seen in some New England communities. Part of the desire of doing this is to essentially take what we have and create a sense of place.”

From auto to pedestrian

“The idea we heard clearly is that people love this part of town,” said Smith. “It’s where the grocery store is, the school, the town office, banks, the hardware store. What’s missing is a community gathering place. People want a place in Hampden to watch the fireworks, to listen to a band on a summer evening.”

Much of the development that’s  taken place in Hampden over the last 20 years has been automobile-oriented, said Cullen.

“We’re trying to get the pedestrian back into that equation,” she said. “Without pedestrians, you’re not going to have that sense of place that people want.”

Recommendations are broken down into short- and long-term time frames, said Smith.

“Every town has a crossroads where you can grab a pizza,” said Smith. “The study is about making it better. It’s about capitalizing on the things that are here and adding the magic ingredient, which is people. We can make a nicer place for people to choose to spend time, to go to places like restaurants, ice cream shops and bike shops. A big part of this study is setting the table for those kinds of things to happen.”

“We want to create environment that makes it attractive for those types of businesses to locate here,” said Cullen.

Next steps, said Cullen, include a review of Hampden’s place in the regional economy and the type of businesses most likely to succeed there. The conversation will then go to the town council and the planning development committee. 

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