🔒Biddeford’s Stevenson courts developers for incinerator site

Dec. 31 marked the end of an era in Biddeford as Maine Energy Recovery Co. closed its doors after being purchased by the city for $6.5 million. Despite the cost and the loss of the city's largest taxpayer, as well as approximately 80 jobs, Daniel Stevenson, the city's director of economic and community development, is embracing the move. According to Stevenson, simply closing the waste-to-energy plant and having MERC complete its cleanup will increase economic redevelopment in the downtown area. With the addition of a proposed parking garage and an aggressive approach to luring investment, Stevenson believes Biddeford can position itself for significantly more prosperous returns.

Mainebiz recently sat down with Stevenson to talk about MERC's closing and the redevelopment opportunities that lie ahead. The following is an edited transcript.

Mainebiz: What is the basis of your optimism surrounding the redevelopment of the MERC site?

Stevenson: Many people in the city have wanted [MERC] to go away for a long time because it's been a hindrance to growth. Here's an opportunity to move forward and maximize the adaptive reuse of that site and get some desirable growth patterns to create jobs and a tax base. Something else will happen at the same time. The mills will start developing and already prospects are picking up. Development begets development. That's very exciting.

Do you have any prospects interested in redeveloping the area?

I have two concrete prospects right now, unwilling to go public. The one thing that had to happen was the city had to close the deal on the Maine Energy site. That keeps us in the running for a significant investment with both of [the prospects]. I think as you see [MERC] literally being torn down and as [the demolition] continues to get press and the council moves forward on a decision on the [proposed] parking garage, that's when I'll encourage prospects to come forward — even if it's in executive session with councilors — to express a strong willingness to invest. I think as we move into the spring months there's a high potential of someone coming forward.

What is your investment goal for the former MERC site?

I'm trying to drive $100 million in investment in and around that area. We're losing our largest taxpayer and we want a large investment going in and around that site. We want to make sure we maximize the city's return on investment.

Have you formulated a timeline?

I would like to see within a year's time final design work done and preparations to break ground on the parking garage. In 24 months or less, [I'd like to see] investment at some level going into the MERC site. It may be a phased approach but, really, a bona fide commitment to invest, even though that shovel might not be in the ground. In 36 months or less, I'd like to see something standing in that ground. Within 60 months or less, I would like to see a significant portion of that redeveloped. In a five-year timeline I believe we can develop that whole site. When you remove jobs and you remove your largest taxpayer, you need to be aggressive. It's always a moving target but all of what we call pre-development and due diligence will be complete within the next six months. n

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