“One of our goals as a community is to enhance our economic development strategy and make Lisbon a great place to run a business,” said the town council’s chair.
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As part of its quest to bring in more businesses, the town of Lisbon has launched a program called “smart start sessions."
The staff-level business review process is designed to support incoming businesses, streamline project planning and promote coordinated, efficient development within the community.
“One of our goals as a community is to enhance our economic development strategy and make Lisbon a great place to run a business,” Chris Camire, chair of the Lisbon Town Council, said in an announcement. “This program represents a renewed commitment to our partners in the business community to help them thrive here.”
Lisbon, which is in Androscoggin County, has a population of 9,750, according to the 2024 census.Reduce delays
The informal review meetings provide an early opportunity for prospective business owners and developers to meet with town staff, including representatives from the departments of economic and community development and code enforcement.
The idea is to get a jump on the planning stage of a project. By getting an early look at a potential project, town officials can offer guidance, answer questions and identify potential considerations before formal applications are submitted.
The proactive approach is intended to reduce delays, improve communication and help projects move forward smoothly.
“We start the conversation and work out some of the hurdles early, which we find is extremely beneficial,” Ross Cunningham, Lisbon's economic and community development director, told Mainebiz.
Since the program’s launch, the town has had several meetings with potential business owners, some from outside of Lisbon.
Openings and closures
The program comes as the town experiences some openings and closures in recent years. New businesses include Mill Towne Mercantile and a food truck called Finish Line Franks, both at 501 Lisbon St.
But Olive Pit Brewing announced it would be closing in September. Furniture and décor shop J.Plum Home is relocating to Freeport. Organic food store Better Living Center closed its Lisbon location, said Cunningham. All three locations have had interest from prospective tenants, he added.
Other ventures remain active and are doing well, such as Work in Progress Art Studio and the Worumbo Riverfront Event Center. The town created a summertime food truck rally called Tasty Tuesday on the Lisbon Falls waterfront. Held from April to September, the event this year has over 30 food trucks participating, with 10 to 12 on-site each week. Discover Lisbon, a development nonprofit, partnered with the town to bring live music to some of the rallies. Various eateries around town host their own live music.
Two downtowns
Lisbon has two distinct downtowns — Main Street and Village Street. Both were once centered on mills and businesses that grew up around the mills.
Main Street continued to grow with stores and restaurants, businesses such as Blue Ox Malthouse and artist ventures. But Village Street declined as some businesses closed and buildings remained empty.
Business attraction
With a goal to stimulate business growth and job creation in the village district through expansion or relocation, the town and Lisbon Community Federal Credit Union last year established a business attraction grant program.
Cunningham compiled possible building or rental locations to entice business growth. The grant program was designed to help with expenses related to relocation or expansion.
Since the program’s launch, the town has had some inquiries, but no takers, Cunningham said.
“One of the challenges with that program is that, before you apply, you have to have a target spot before you open,” said Cunningham. “The town doesn’t own any of this property, and we can’t speak for the landowners, so we’re seeing some pushback in the development world.”
Surging costs are also stalling construction for new or expanding businesses, he noted.
The grant program remains active, but the town is looking at revising it, he said.
Nevertheless, the program attracted attention from outside of Maine. Ohio's Twin City Chamber of Commerce, which represents the Uhrichsville-Dennison area of about 8,000 people, contacted the town of Lisbon for more information.
“I provided them with my experiences and efforts and the basic structure of our program,” said Cunningham. “I was thrilled to see recently that they used that structure to create their own version of a grant to help local businesses.”
