In Westbrook, the Vertical Harvest indoor agriculture site now under construction may mirror the company’s original site in Jackson, Wyo. At Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, work is beginning on that resort’s Mid-Mountain Lodge.
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A project now underway in Westbrook, Vertical Harvest, will be a four-story indoor growing site that is expected to produce 1 million pounds of produce a year, supplying restaurants, hospitals, schools and other buyers.
The 70,000-square-foot structure was designed by Portland-based Harriman, in partnership with GYDE Architects of Jackson, Wyo.
Similar projects are in early stages of development for Philadelphia and Chicago, but Westbrook will be Jackson, Wyo.-based Vertical Harvest’s second location.
Vertical Harvest was co-founded by Nona Yehia, who is CEO as well as an architect and entrepreneur and a CNN “Champion for Change.”
I had a chance earlier this month to see the Vertical Harvest in Jackson and get a sense of how it might fit into the area.
First off, it’s a dramatic building. While far more than a “greenhouse,” it has similar elements, and is all glass on the front. Visitation is currently restricted. But even standing outside on the sidewalk, you can clearly witness the growing process.
Jackson, which is home to the famous Jackson Hole ski resort, has a compact downtown, which is where Vertical Harvest has its site (as well as a nearby headquarters for Vertical Harvest Farms).
The site is in a mixed area that includes shops, commercial use and residences. It is across the street from a SpringHill Suites by Marriott and next door to what will be a hotel-apartment complex, now under construction. The Jackson site is three stories, whereas the Westbrook location will be four.
Saddleback lodge unveils plans for lodge
Saddleback Mountain unveiled plans for what it is calling its Mid-Mountain Lodge, which will be at the top of the new lift installed last year.
“It will be a spectacular building, with views of Mount Washington, to the Rangeley Lakes region and the Canadian border, and is intended to be a model of responsible development in an alpine environment,” General Manager Andy Shepard said.
Saddleback partnered with Maine Audubon on the 2,700-square-foot lodge, which is slated to be finished for this winter’s ski season.
Project Architect is New York-based Davies Toews Architecture and the general contractor is Portland-based Barrett Made.
The resort has been busy. Saddleback is also investing $2 million in snowmaking upgrades, a solar farm and eight new EV car chargers.
Other investments include three new lifts, two new environmentally friendly eco-diesel groomers, nearly $2 million in snowmaking upgrades, single-track mountain bike trails and a seven-megawatt solar farm.
The 6,400-acre resort closed in 2015. It was acquired in early 2020 by Arctaris Impact Fund, a Boston firm, which has since invested more than $26 million in the resort.
Saddleback reopened for skiing last December. Founded in 1960, it is Maine’s third-largest ski resort after Sunday River and Sugarloaf.
