In Scarborough, Downs developers hire leasing expert for $300M Town Center under construction

Rendering / Courtesy, the Downs The Downs announced a strategic partnership with Wilder, a nationally recognized leasing, management and development company based in Boston.

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By Renee Cordes

Developers of the Downs complex in Scarborough have enlisted a nationally recognized leasing, management and development firm to help lure commercial tenants to the Town Center that's under construction.

Valued at $300 million, the center will add 320,000 square feet of retail space, 60,000 square feet of medical office space, 240 residential units and a boutique hotel to the 577-acre mixed-use development.

To help draw national retailers, restaurants and local businesses to the site, the Downs development team has hired Wilder, a Boston-based company with more than 40 properties in 10 states and a track record of building such centers.

“Wilder’s experience will ensure that we get the economic mix in Scarborough’s Town Center right the first time,” said Peter Michaud, managing partner of the Downs. “Our shared goals are to deliver a successful Town Center that supports the regional economy and creates [the] opportunity to come together as a community.”

The center broke ground in late 2023, with the first phase due to be completed in 2025.

Anchoring the center will be a building that pays homage to the former Scarborough Downs harness-racing grandstand; the track closed in November 2020. Overlooking the center will be 96 luxury condominium units and 60 market-rate apartments, along with Maine’s first affordable housing building for people with physical disabilities.

More about Wilder

Wilder has led numerous mixed-use developments on the East Coast including Freeport Village and sections of Newbury Street in Boston.

Wilder’s approach for Scarborough will include developing a leasing strategy focused on local, high-quality retail stores, chef-driven restaurants, quick-service eateries, boutique fitness studios, specialty services and national retailers.

"Our goal is to attract the right balance so that Scarborough’s Town Center is not only sustainable, but one that feels like home to residents,” said Tom Wilder, a principal at Wilder.

The firm will work closely with the Boulos Co., which has sold out the Downs' Innovation District five times faster than anticipated. Created as a light-industrial business hub, that part of the Downs has 630,000 square feet of commercial space. Tenants include Costco, IDEXX Laboratories Inc. (Nasdaq: IDEXX), Throttle Car Club and 50 other small businesses.