🔒Bangor builds: Businesses, developers see city as great option for development

As Maine’s third-largest city and a hub for the state’s northern and eastern regions, Bangor has a number of interesting developments underway.

They include the expansion of the Bangor Region YMCA, plans to build a food service startup incubator and the expansion of out-of-state firms that are attracted to the Queen City’s charms.

Each project is distinct from the other. But they share a common thread: “Businesses and developers are seeing Bangor as a great option for development,” says Anne Krieg, the city’s director of community and economic development.

With a daytime population of around 120,000, Bangor functions as a hub with good city services, a rapidly expanding airport that has a Foreign Trade Zone, multiple exits on I-95, a working downtown, historic neighborhoods and events, arts and culture options.

Travel + Leisure this year wrote glowingly of the “charming small city.” The American Lung Association ranks it among the nation’s cleanest cities. And it’s only an hour drive to the coast and mountains

“What’s not to love?” says Krieg. “If people want to visit here, they will want to live here and if they want to live here, they will want to have their business here. It all connects.”

Community center

The Bangor Region YMCA is building an 82,000-square-foot community center to replace an obsolete 45,000-square-foot facility. The project will allow the organization to significantly expand programming.

The current facility is at 17 Second St. in a collection of buildings dating from the 1830s, 1920s and 1970s. The new $57.8 million facility is several blocks away at 315 Main St., across from Bangor’s landmark Waterfront Concerts venue.

“This new facility, which will double the size of the current space, will better serve the Bangor region and offer new and expanded services to the community,” says Diane Dickerson, the Bangor Y’s CEO.

The project was funded through the Y’s capital campaign, which raised over $55.7 million; city, county and federal grants; donations and grants from private individuals, corporations and foundations; and federal and state new-market tax credits allocations.

The project team includes A/Z Corp., a Cianbro company, and SMRT Architects & Engineers.

On track to open late fall 2027, “construction is going incredibly well,” says Dickerson. “We’re on target, on budget. I cannot say enough great things about A/Z Corp. In my opinion, we could not be doing what we are doing without them.”

The layout includes a teen room and a science, technology, engineering, arts, and math makerspace, offering at-risk young adults academic support, mental health services, clinical counseling, service-learning opportunities and college and career readiness support.

There will be swimming pools, a basketball court, fitness center, community kitchen and food pantry, community rooms, playgrounds and outdoor learning classrooms.

The child care center will have expanded services and hours for children from six weeks to age 5. A four-room health care suite operated by St. Joseph Healthcare and Community Health and Counseling will provide low-income members access to on-site medical, behavioral health and dental services, substance abuse prevention, holistic health and wellness support and chronic illness management.

Named after Cathy Gero, a longtime member and supporter of the Bangor Region Y, the facility will be able to serve over 35,000 individuals annually, a 229% increase from current capacity, and create scores of jobs.

“The excitement and need for this new Y is made clearly evident by the incredible community support we have received from individuals, business, organizations and foundations,” says Dickerson.

Kitchen incubator

The city is working on a plan to build Bangor Central Kitchen, a 9,000-square-foot shared-use commercial kitchen incubator, cold banking storage and programming space.

The $5.5 million project, at 50 Cleveland St., responds to the area’s growing food scene. A 2023 study found that per capita restaurant sales and food industry employment in Bangor were both above the norm compared with the rest of the state’s economy. But expansion was constrained by the city’s tight real estate market.

The project team will include Fig.19, a Portland-based architecture firm; Sheridan Construction Corp. in Fairfield, for pre-construction services; and Josh Gunn Consulting, for facility management.

Benefiting agricultural producers and processors and creating jobs, the incubator will be available to startups to prepare, package and market locally produced food, receive technical assistance and use special events and retail space.

It’s estimated there are nearly 1,800 potential users — producers of consumer-packaged goods, mobile vendors and chefs and caterers — within a 90-minute radius. Well over half have expressed interest.

Housing needs

Among its numerous projects, BangorHousing received $11.2 million in funding this year through Maine’s Home for Good program to build a 30-unit permanent supportive housing development.

The project team for Yellen Pines includes Gawron Turgeon Dillon Architects in Scarborough and Augusta construction company Lajoie Brothers.

The project is in partnership with social services agency Preble Street, which will provide 24/7 onsite services.

Construction, on four acres of vacant land, is slated to start late this year, says Mike Myatt, BangorHousing’s CEO. It’s expected the development will open fall 2027.

The financing structure for construction includes 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, MaineHousing tax-exempt bond financing and state subsidy to support capital expenditures. Maine Department of Health and Human Services will provide ongoing funding for 24-hour supportive services, helping residents maintain housing stability and access care.

To ensure long-term stability, 100% of the units will be supported by vouchers which require tenants to pay up to 30% of their income on rent.

Housing with wrap-around services provides “dignity, high-level care and services to the folks who need it most,” says Myatt. “We need to take care of them.”

BangorHousing recently opened the $20 million Sunridge Senior Housing rental development at 140 Sunset Ave., with 50 units for residents age 55 and up. Developed in partnership with Bangor Housing Development Corp., BangorHousing’s nonprofit affiliate, the project team includes Portland construction company Wright Ryan and TAC Architectural Group Inc. in Bangor.

Rents are based on 60% of area median income, which is about $44,000 for a one-bedroom.

“We’re wrapping up final touches,” says Myatt.

Coming up this winter is a plan to build out the 30 vacant lots at Cedar Falls Mobile Home Park. Last year, the park’s residents formed a co-op and bought the site for their own manufactured homes. BangorHousing agreed to develop the remaining vacant lots, enough to develop 30 pads, and install new mobile homes. The goal is to sell each pad and home inexpensively to public housing residents as a step toward home ownership and financial independence.

A $3 million MaineHousing loan will allow BangorHousing to buy the first five manufactured homes this fall.

Hospital construction

Encompass Health Corp. (NYSE: EHC), an inpatient rehabilitation provider headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. — with a national footprint of 176 facilities in 39 states and Puerto Rico, and over 225,000 patients annually — is building a 79,000-square-foot, 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital at 1017 Union St. for an estimated cost of $61 million.

Encompass Health Rehabilitation will serve patients recovering from debilitating illnesses and injuries, including strokes and other neurological disorders, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions.

The design includes private patient rooms, a therapy gym with rehabilitation technologies and an “activities of daily living” suite, in-house dialysis suite, dining room, pharmacy and therapy courtyard.

The project team includes Chicago architect Perkins & Will and Birmingham, Ala., construction firm Robins & Morton. Hiring has begun, with an expected 175 employees in the first year. The plan is to begin serving patients in early October.

The facility will fill a gap in acute inpatient rehabilitation care, a spokesperson said.

Florida expansion

R Cubed Engineering LLC, a Palmetto, Fla.-based engineering firm, plans to open an “innovation division” at 1178 Hammond St. in Bangor.

RaNae Contarino, R Cubed’s CEO, recently wrapped a visit to Maine to oversee progress on renovations of the 8,840-square-foot building, which needed to be gutted and cleaned for avionic light manufacturing.

R Cubed, established in 2004, works in advanced avionics and unmanned aircraft systems technology. Much of the work focuses on miniaturizing existing systems. With 12 employees plus consultants, the firm’s role early in the innovation pipeline includes testing, system integration, certification, schedules and program management.

The Bangor facility will be the company’s first new division and an expansion of its capabilities in light manufacturing, rapid prototyping and federal contract support. The expansion was needed to accommodate demand.

“This expansion reflects our continued commitment to delivering miniaturized, high-impact engineering solutions that enhance operational effectiveness and safety,” says Contarino. “Bangor offers the infrastructure, talent potential and strategic access necessary to support our federal customers while contributing to the region’s advanced prototype manufacturing and high-tech economy.”

Welcome center

Until recently, the Downtown Bangor Partnership operated in a warren of offices up a steep, narrow stairway — not exactly noticeable to passersby.

After a year of planning, the organization this year relocated to a prominent downtown, street-level location at 33 State St., a landmark dating back to 1912.

The Downtown Bangor Welcome Center hosts the partnership’s operation, which promotes downtown activities oversees a Hospitality and Safety Ambassadors program, along with radio broadcasters WKIT (100.3 FM) and Mix Maine Media, each with street-level studios, and the potential for a gallery or a pop-up small business incubator.

The location provides improved visibility, space to better serve downtown businesses and capacity to expand visitor services.

The layout is still being worked out, but visitors are already coming in, says Betsy Lundy, the partnership’s executive director.

The goal is to officially open next spring or summer. With two staffers, the partnership is seeking funding to hire for at least another half-time position to help run the center.

“The building is amazingly beautiful and really well-suited to the purpose,” she says.

The partnership recently subscribed to data reporting agencies to learn more about who visits downtown Bangor.

Says Lundy, “We were pleasantly surprised to learn that Bangor is the second most visited destination in the state after Portland, and that downtown Bangor, our one little square mile, is the fourth most visited destination in the state.”