The Breakaway, will offer 15,000-square feet of retail and restaurant space for smaller local businesses, along with 76 market-rate apartments on the building’s four upper floors.
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M&R Development is constructing the first mixed-use building in the town center section of the 577-acre Downs community in Scarborough.
The Breakaway will be 96,000 square feet over five floors. The ground floor will offer 15,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The upper four floors will feature 76 market-rate apartments.
The name honors the Downs’ horse-racing legacy, referencing an equine athlete breaking away from the pack. When completed in spring 2027, the building will feature a full-size mural by a local artist, designed to reflect the site's equestrian roots.
Also under construction in the town center are an 80,000-square-foot Market Basket, due to open by fall, as well as two smaller retail buildings.
In the three years M&R Development has been building out the town center, 240,000 square feet of commercial space has gone under construction, with 70% already leased or purchased.
Plans call for an eventual total of 60,000 square feet of medical offices, 320,000 square feet of retail, 370 new homes, and a 120-room hotel.
The full Downs development is currently home to more than 700 housing units and over 50 businesses, including Allagash Brewing, Costco, IDEXX and Throttle Car Club.
A 62,000-square-foot Intermed outpatient facility is under construction.
As of 2025, the Downs development had an assessed value of over $353 million and contributed $4 million in annual tax revenue to the town of Scarborough, according to the property owners.
M&R Development estimates the town center buildings, when completed, will boost the property’s assessed value to $463 million and contribute $5 million in annual tax revenue.
