LEWISTON, Maine — A colossal proposal to redevelop Lewiston’s Continental Mill into a commercial and residential hub is moving forward, after the city’s planning board approved the plan in a vote this week.
New Hampshire-based Chinburg Properties currently owns the site and is seeking to build 377 market-rate apartments, along with 40,000 square feet of commercial space, to be used for restaurants, offices, and light industry. The plan has drawn strong support from city leaders.
“The continental mill redevelopment is probably one of the best opportunities in the state,” Lincoln Jeffers, Lewiston’s director of economic and community development, said Thursday. “These mills are just ripe for housing.”
Jeffers sees the redevelopment of the mill, which once manufactured textiles, as a key element in the push to revitalize the riverfront and downtown area.
“Having people living there is what’s going to support the rest of the downtown and help increase its vitality,” Jeffers said.
Once the project—estimated to cost about $80 million dollars – is complete, Chinburg will rent out the units through its in-house property management company, a formula the firm has become known for. Paul Goodwin, senior development manager for Chinburg, estimates this Lewiston redevelopment will be the company’s 18th mill project.
“We have a lot of experience in transformative projects, and hope this will be our next one,” Goodwin said Thursday.
Some neighbors who live near the mill site expressed similar hope about the area’s transformation. As Abdul Issa, a Lewiston native, put it, “It would have like a big city vibe, you know, if they actually build a whole complex of apartments.”
With the planning board’s approval, Goodwin said the project still needs state traffic permits and finalized construction contracts. He said the aim is to break ground late this year or early next year.