Rock Row (née The Ridge, née Dirigo Plaza) | Westbrook, ME

[Cosakita18]

From the Mainebiz article:

The office building is the first of two planned for the commercial/retail area of the development. The second one will also be 200,000 square feet. Separate from that is a 200,000-square-foot medical office campus that was announced in March.
....
Derek Miller, of Boulos Co., who is the broker for the office space, said that even though word of the building just started filtering out last week, businesses are biting. Construction is expected to begin next year.

It's a pretty stunning looking building, I can see why it would be attractive.

Also of interest:

The two-building medical office campus, anchored by New England Cancer Specialists, is farther back in the development and scheduled to open by 2023.

Announcements about the residential part of the development will be forthcoming, John said. The landscaping and outdoor elements around the quarry will probably be the last to be finished. He said the plan is to fill the 400-foot-deep, 300-foot-wide quarry up to almost its top, which will take several years.

Sounds like the NECS campus will be breaking ground soon if the intent is to open by 2023.

 

[TC_zoid]

Nice design. Modern. This area could become an alternative to downtown, with new buildings giving it a different and exciting vibe. I know that Atlanta and Houston have done this (Uptown), but with mostly retail and residential. Although Portland is small compared to those cities, it supersedes them in age.

 

[mainejeff]

Westbrook is going to be a city to watch over the next decade. I predict a lot of economic and population growth. It seems perfectly situated for an inland alternative to living on the peninsula.

 

[TC_zoid]

Westbrook is going to be a city to watch over the next decade. I predict a lot of economic and population growth. It seems perfectly situated for an inland alternative to living on the peninsula.

With easy access to 95 and the Sebago Lake area.

 

[markhb]

It seems perfectly situated for an inland alternative to living on the peninsula.

To some extent I would hate to see that. Let Westbrook remain the locals' blue-collar alternative for those who are disinterested in what the peninsula has to offer.

 

[Dr. StrangeHat]

Westbrook is already seeing an inundation of proposals. They've switched from monthly to semi-monthly Planning Board meetings to try to keep up. There are at least eight housing subdivisions with over 20 units proposed that I'm aware of (three off Brook Street, one of Lincoln/Mayberry Street, two off Spring Street and one off Longfellow). In addition, there are these proposed developments:

• The large five-story Vertical Harvest/parking garage/residential project in the downtown core
• A three-story proposed mixed use development at the corner of Saco Street and William Clarke Drive
• A three story mixed-use development already under construction across from Riverside Park
• A four-story mixed-used development across from the park by closer to Rivers Edge Deli that should get underway later this summer
• A large 4 or 5 story residential development on the land between Pratt Abbott and The Stockhouse (includes old PanAm ROW)
• A three-story development on the land where Paul's Show Repair used to sit (includes old PanAm ROW)

And supposedly there is a large pipeline of additional downtown projects coming soon to the Planning Board.

 

[nomc]

Hopefully Rock Row doesn't end up feeling more like an office park - especially if Main St/WCD are also getting improvements. Wish the current RR housing was more integrated into the retail/restaurant area as opposed to on the outskirts.

 

[TC_zoid]

There's an article in the PPH today about the seriously low store vacancy rates in Freeport. Rock Row has been envisioned properly, with cool office space, plenty of food and drink, and entertainment. I'm not sure about the mining pit though. Why is that appealing? It still looks like (the PR images) a pit with water in it, like a half-filled swimming pool. I'm guessing this aspect will be a failure, and it will eventually transition into a giant underground parking garage.

 

[Corey]

Rock Row development begins new phase with a new construction material, a first for MaineView attachment 13480

Really liking the design of this and the aesthetic of wood + glass. Will be interesting to see if cross-laminated timer catches on. I noticed the new USM Portland student center will have the same material.

There's an article in the PPH today about the seriously low store vacancy rates in Freeport. Rock Row has been envisioned properly, with cool office space, plenty of food and drink, and entertainment. I'm not sure about the mining pit though. Why is that appealing? It still looks like (the PR images) a pit with water in it, like a half-filled swimming pool. I'm guessing this aspect will be a failure, and it will eventually transition into a giant underground parking garage.

I like the idea of underground parking garage to utilize the 300' deep quarry. Could then cover it over to allow more development, park space and a normal-sized pond for ice skating or something.

 

[Dr. StrangeHat]

Phase 2 going in front of the Planning Board for workshop on July 20th

 

[Dr. StrangeHat]

Ok, here are a bunch of screen shots from the Planning Board meeting broadcast. This is for what was originally Phase 4, otherwise known as the South Campus. This is the land between the Westbrook Arterial and Nasons Brook, which runs just south of what is currently the stage for Maine Savings Pavilion. This is the New England Cancer Specialists portion of the development. It is decidedly suburban in look and feel, but that was at the direction of NECS, who want a peaceful campus-like setting with walking paths and soothing sights and smells. They were not interested in going into the more urban-type development that will happen in between this and the current retail strip-mall development on the north side of the property.

Worth noting that this is the nail in the coffin for the current Maine Savings Pavilion. It will be replaced by a temporary parking lot for staff of this campus, that will eventually be replaced by a parking structures in the remaining development. They did express during the meeting that the goal is to create a more enclosed concert and convention facility.

 

[Dr. StrangeHat]

 

[markhb]

Ok, here are a bunch of screen shots from the Planning Board meeting broadcast. This is for what was originally Phase 4, otherwise known as the South Campus.

Did you hack my hard drive? I was going to make a similar post ( albeit with not so comprehensive a set of screenshots). I found it interesting that no one on the planning board even asked about whether the construction schedule would preclude concerts in 2022. My hunch is that with the short life span of the current pavilion, Waterfront opted not to pay for the additional noise studies that had been requested.
They mentioned a possible 24- hour critical care in that smaller building, as well as a pharmacy. If they bring an actual 24-hour pharmacy here that would be a wonderful thing (closest ones are in Rochester of all places).

 

[markhb]

One other thing: it may look suburban, but right now New England Cancer Specialists is in a largely windowless interior section of a former Kmart, so this should be wonderful for them and their patients.

 

[markhb]

A few photos of the current Phase I progress I took Sunday...

State of the quarry as seen from the Main St. building lot (which is paved and unblocked)


Main St. building itself, seen from the parking lot; Starbucks will be on the left, the next two bays are currently staging the Starbucks stuff, the far right will be a U.S. Cellular, two bays don't have front walls on them yet and I'm not sure where Big Fin and Firehouse will be...


Chick-Fil-A as seen from the Main St. sidewalk


I didn't bother to take photos of Chase (boring girders right now) or the REI space (nothing in it yet).

 

[nomc]

Concert venue at Rock Row in Westbrook shuts down, but not because of COVID

Guess this make it official, but not entirely unexpected.

 

[mainejeff]

Concert venue at Rock Row in Westbrook shuts down, but not because of COVID

Guess this make it official, but not entirely unexpected.

This is not a bad thing. Waterfront Concerts has made a mess of the Bangor waterfront....Rock Row can do better.

 

[Dr. StrangeHat]

This is not a bad thing. Waterfront Concerts has made a mess of the Bangor waterfront....Rock Row can do better.

Well, the partnership is probably not done. The venue is going away, but it was always meant to be temporary. During all of the City Council and Planning Board meetings leading up to approval, it was pitched as a "3 to 5 year proof of concept." It's going away now, because they need the site as construction staging for the medical campus and eventually employee parking for the medical campus. Long term, the venue comes back as an indoor/outdoor concert venue and convention center, with a large roof and retractable walls, which I imagine Waterfront would be involved with managing. That's this building on the site plan:

 

[mainejeff]

I wish that I had taken some pictures of the concert site in Bangor on my recent trip up there. The new $35 million Bangor Savings headquarters is now staring at huge mound of dirt covered by wood chips and the entire length of the concert site along Main St. has a hideous and tall fence blocking the view of the Penobscot River. Why the City of Bangor allowed Waterfront Concerts to develop that site so extensively is beyond me.....it's prime real estate and it is barely being used.

 

[portlandneedsnewarena]

I wish that I had taken some pictures of the concert site in Bangor on my recent trip up there. The new $35 million Bangor Savings headquarters is now staring at huge mound of dirt covered by wood chips and the entire length of the concert site along Main St. has a hideous and tall fence blocking the view of the Penobscot River. Why the City of Bangor allowed Waterfront Concerts to develop that site so extensively is beyond me.....it's prime real estate and it is barely being used.

The rendering below is what the Bangor Concert facility is supposed to eventually be within a year or two.