LIMESTONE, Maine — Plans have been announced to develop the site of the former Loring Air Force Base in Aroostook County, which is slated to become a hub booming with new business and development. The base was decommissioned and has largely been vacant since 1994.
Green 4 Maine announced in a news release Tuesday its acquisition of a "sizable parcel" of the Loring Air Force Base in Limestone.
The organization entered into an agreement with the Loring Development Authority, where it will acquire a portion of land and buildings on the formerly occupied military base.
"The Green 4 Maine team will enhance our redevelopment efforts. We look forward to working with them,” Carl Flora, president and CEO of Loring Development Authority, said Tuesday.
The acquisition consists of several hundreds of acres of real estate, which will create over one million square feet of commercial office, manufacturing, and warehouse space, according to the release.
The Aroostook County base was officially deactivated on Sept. 30, 1994, according to the Air Force Civil Engineer Center website.
Green 4 Maine said in the release during the transition of the property, Loring Commerce Centre will become the Green 4 Maine Campus at Loring.
"This acquisition consummates the first phase of an intended long-term acquisition plan of Commerce Centre properties for Green 4 Maine," the organization said.
Following the transition, the Green 4 Maine Campus at Loring is set to be the "largest commercial and industrial park in the state of Maine offering access to an immense airfield, the longest airstrip (over 12,000 ft long) as a prominent and premiere Air Cargo Distribution Hub for national points of presence in Maine and beyond," the release said.
According to the organization, the Green 4 Maine Campus at Loring will be considered the "epicenter" of business, on-campus living, and tourism.
Green 4 Maine said it plans to redevelop starting with rehabilitating over 600 apartments in former military housing.
The campus already houses 45 new employers and 750 employees, with 3,800 acres of land already developed, the release said.
Of those 45 active businesses includes SFE Manufacturing, Novel Energy Solutions, Dirigo Solar, Guerrette Farms, First Cut Hay, LLC, S.W. Collins Company, and more, the organization said Tuesday.
Green 4 Maine will collaborate with the Loring Development Authority and the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development in this redevelopment project, according to the release.
Green 4 Maine said the whole revitalization project focuses on three objectives: to diversify Loring into a vibrant space for work, life, and play for Aroostook County.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in this historic property and keep this property under Maine-based ownership," Scott Hinkel, founder and managing director of Green 4 Maine, said in the release. "Redeveloping these buildings will bring desirable jobs, foster economic development, and drive significant investment to northern Maine."
To learn more about Green 4 Maine's plan to expand at Loring Air Force Base, click here.