LIMESTONE, Maine — The Loring Commerce Centre in Limestone was once known as the Loring Air Force Base until it closed nearly 30 years ago. Since then, most of that land has been owned by the Loring Development Authority, an independent authority of the state created by the Legislature when the base officially shut down in 1994.
The Loring Development Authority's job was to acquire the property from the United States Air Force and redevelop it to create jobs and economic activity.
Carl Flora is the president and CEO of the Loring Development Authority.
"Loring [Air Force Base] always was a big driver of the regional economy in northern Maine," Flora said.
Flora said when the air force base closed, the population in Aroostook County declined almost immediately by nearly 15,000 people.
"Some of those were obviously uniformed service members and their families, but there were a lot of other people who were casualties of indirect economic losses, businesses closed," Flora said.
Numerous attempts over the years to revive the economy of the area were mostly unsuccessful.
But now, there's new hope for the region with Green 4 Maine's acquisition of roughly 450 acres of that land and properties on the base.
"We're very optimistic that they're gonna be able to bring some new activity, kind of a new focus on Loring," Flora added.
The Loring Development Authority is hopeful the new capital and vision being brought in by Green 4 Maine will provide thousands of new job opportunities.
"Certainly 2,000, 2,500 or more [jobs] is not out of the question," Flora said.
With new jobs bringing in more people to the area, it brings with it the problem of finding a place to live.
"The housing in Aroostook County is in short supply," Flora said.
Scott Hinkel, the founder of Green 4 Maine, said there's a plan for that.
"We're going to be developing up to 600 homes and some residences on the property. We'll also be bringing up some new businesses and new technology to the area," Hinkel said.
Future plans also include an opportunity for recreation like sports and entertainment, beyond previous weekend festivals featuring the band Phish years ago.
"Their vision is a much broader one," Flora said.
As for the thousands of acres of land still owned by the Loring Development Authority, Flora said the group has plans and projects of its own in the works, including getting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to create an airport there.
In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial office, manufacturing, and warehouse space are already available.
"It's turn-key, it's ready to go, and the property is open for people to start to lease and take advantage of those buildings," Hinkel said.