The Boulos Co.
Drew Sigfridson of the Boulos Co.
Updated: March 1, 2023
The Downs has been successful. How can other towns replicate it?
By Drew Sigfridson
What do Allagash Brewing, Costco and IDEXX Laboratories have in common? Two out of the three sell beer; two out of the three sell pet products. But all three have made the strategic decision to expand in Scarborough and construct new facilities at the Downs within the next two years. And while having a strong belief in your own success is important, it’s not the most defining factor — smart master planning is.
The Downs is a master-planned community on over 500 acres in southern Maine, but what many don’t know is that it is one of the largest, most comprehensive mixed-use projects in all of New England.
The Downs generated $1.15 million in new tax revenue for the town of Scarborough in tax year 2022 and the property is assessed at over $130 million. At full buildout the property is anticipated to be valued at approximately $700 million and will produce more than $10 million annually for the town.
The Downs for now has just over 525 housing units, roughly 80% of them are townhomes and apartments. It is a mixed-use housing development, meaning it has a range of senior housing, affordable housing and a variety of types of housing. It will also be home to the first-of-its-kind affordable housing complex for people with physical disabilities (3iHome).
The Downs has been able to attract out-of-state investors, developers and businesses to Maine in a manner and pace that’s unprecedented. A project of this size has the power to transform the region, but the developers and community must answer the most difficult question to achieve success — how can you improve economic development in a region without changing what people love about it?
The Downs did a thoughtful and precise balancing act to achieve this — market demand was analyzed and matched up with the needs and wants of the regional community. Scarborough was already well-established, so whatever development was to occur needed to feel like it had been there forever.
The results are just short of shocking. The Innovation District attracted 30-plus businesses and sold out five times faster than anticipated. The residential section of development is selling faster than can be built. And yet the Town Center is the most anticipated part of this project. Scarborough will be home to the first-ever new Town Center to be built in an established Maine community. It’s an exciting time for the region.
Over the last five years since the project went under contract, it has been under the microscope of curious developers, state and municipal leaders and the business community — all wondering, How can I replicate this success in my community?
Here are a few project hallmarks to look for:
- Location, location, location. Easy access to major highways and public transit, walkability and proximity to an economic hub are key indicators that you’ve got a prime location for new development
- Access to Infrastructure. A major hindrance for large-scale businesses in Maine is access to high-speed fiber connectivity, as is reliable water, sewer and power capacity. If it doesn’t exist, put some money into the ground.
- Housing. It is no secret that Maine is suffering through a housing crisis and in order for a development to thrive, employers must have access to nearby affordable housing.
- Value the green space. Over 40% of the Downs has either been conserved as usable green space, transformed into miles of trails, or donated to a land trust. Employers and residents alike care about these amenities and it will pay off your climate action goals at the same time.
- Build bridges. The Downs plan is in full alignment with Scarborough’s Comprehensive Plan, which outlines the criteria for future growth. Developers build a relationship with the municipality to create appropriate zoning and infrastructure needs to make this project thrive.
For years, the southern Maine market has been starved of good quality land opportunities. At the Downs, all of these assets have been created in a place-making environment with amenities. The demand was clearly here, but the product did not exist.
The companies and residents have been attracted to this location in Scarborough because of the product quality, the certainty of development, the availability of land with infrastructure and utilities ready to go. A roadmap has been created in the Downs for other strong and responsible development projects to be curated across the state of Maine and we do agree — if you build it, they will come.
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