Photo / Maureen Milliken
Derek Miller, of Boulos Co., left, and Greg John, chief marketing officer for Waterstone Properties, discuss the Rock Row development as they stand by the quarry that will be a centerpiece.
June 1, 2021
Rock Row development begins new phase with a new construction material, a first for Maine
Courtesy / EYP Architects and Engineering
A rendering shows the cross-laminated timber retail and office building planned for the Rock Row mixed-use development in Westbrook.
By Maureen Milliken
Developers of Rock Row in Westbrook have announced the launch of the commercial phase of the massive mixed-use development, and there's a twist. This phase will include Maine's first commercial building constructed from cross-laminated timber.
The 200,000-square-foot building will be the keystone of the retail portion of the multiphase project on the Westbrook-Portland line, where there will ultimately be 1.3 million square feet of retail, office and residential space on 110 acres.
Josh Levy, principal in Waterstone Properties, the company developing Rock Row, told Mainebiz that using the innovative wood product for one of the development's key buildings fits in with the philosophy of the development.
"It's in Rock Row's DNA to be innovative and inviting in every way, which are the exact attributes of cross-laminated timber structures," Levy said. "Along with being bright and stunning aesthetically, our CLT design connects with our surroundings and brings the outside, inside to create a sense of discovery and togetherness."
CLT is environmentally friendly both to produce and use, and has been an alternative to concrete and steel in Europe for years. But it's only now catching on in the U.S.
Waterstone hasn't yet identified where it will get the CLT or who the contractor will be. Currently, CLT has to be transported to Maine from states hundreds of miles away, but North Carolina company Ligna Terra is building a production plant on the former paper mill site in Lincoln.
It's also been used sparingly in Maine. Avesta Housing is using it for stairwells and elevator towers in its 40-unit Wessex Woods apartment development on Brighton Avenue in Portland, and the University of Southern Maine plans to build its Forest Avenue dormitory and campus center from CLT.
The building, as are the ones on the development's medical campus, are designed by EYP Architecture and Engineering.
Levy said the Rock Row building, which will have the address 100 Rock Row and be at the entrance to the commercial "village" part of the development, offers "discovery and togetherness."
"This is an environment that ignites collaboration and ideation; a place to learn through inspiring events and grow with inspiring people," he said. "Our unique events, gathering spaces and CLT design make 100 Rock Row distinct and powerful."
The office building is the first of two planned for the commercial/retail area of the development. The second one will also be 200,000 square feet. Separate from that is a 200,000-square-foot medical office campus that was announced in March.
'Already a lot of interest'
The commercial office building will have about 19,000 square feet of retail, with the rest as office space. Initially designed as eight stories, that may change to six or seven, but the square footage will stay the same, Rock Row representatives said.
Derek Miller, of Boulos Co., who is the broker for the office space, said that even though word of the building just started filtering out last week, businesses are biting. Construction is expected to begin next year.
"We are very early on in the marketing process," Miller said. "But there is already a lot of interest." Each floor will have about 30,000 square feet of office space, which can be subdivided for smaller spaces.
While it's not clear how office trends will play out as the pandemic eases, Miller said the CLT construction will offer many of the elements he sees office users looking for. There will be lots of light, with floor-to-ceiling windows, large open spaces because fewer columns and posts are needed. The wood also acts as a natural humidifier and dehumidifier, and the buildings that use it are more energy-efficient.
CLT-built structures have an average of 66% lower heating and cooling costs that traditionally built, better air quality and moisture control, better sound absorption, unobstructed sight lines, continuous insulation and air tightness and better fire protection and seismic performance.
"CLT plays well into modern office design," Miller said. He said despite speculation that people would want to be in small private offices, in order to distance themselves, he sees businesses looking for something else. "People want more open layouts, so they can move around more freely."
He said there's also a warmth to the construction that concrete and steel doesn't have. "It has a feel and look, that almost has a softness to it."
Levy, of Waterstone, said that all the elements of the building play into what workers want post-pandemic.
"Workers today want be in an office where they can bounce ideas off colleagues, learn from others and, very simply, enjoy life and have fun with other people," Levy said. "The line between life and work has disappeared, in a good way. This shift in thinking requires a 24/7 work environment that promotes learning, networking and having fun."
He said that people have also become more knowledgeable about the health and wellness of their space. "Workers want to know their office ventilation turnover rate, natural light levels, safety of building materials and more. Business owners know that a healthy office translates to a healthy business and bottom line," he said.
The building will also bring the outdoors in, with terraces overlooking the jewel of the development — the 400-foot-deep quarry that much of Rock Row's activities and amenities will center around. The retail/commercial area of the development will also have a food and beer hall, restaurants, shops and an indoor arena, which replace the outdoor concert pavilion on the site now.
Miller said that once the development is built out, it'll be like a small village, where residents at the planned 700 units of condominiums and apartments can work, eat, shop and enjoy the outdoors all in one place.
While 1,000 parking spaces are part of the office building plan, Miller said that one of the philosophies behind Rock Row is that people can do all those things without a car being necessary.
He said that leasing rates will be similar to those on the Portland peninsula.
Photo / Maureen Milliken
Sporting goods retailer REI plans to open later this year in space at Rock Row next to the Market Basket, which opened in August.
Many phases to Rock Row
Boulos is the leasing agent for the office space, and Boston-based Wilder is the agent for the commercial space. Construction manager on the first phase of the project is Seppala Construction, of Rindge, N.H.
While the $600 million Rock Row development was initially planned as a three-phase project, Greg John, Waterstone marketing director, said that it's become more like several smaller phases.
The first phase, though, the retail area anchored by a Market Basket that opened in August, is nearing completion. A Chick-fil-A restaurant is under construction, due to open later this year, and sporting goods chain REI is opening in 24,400 square feet next to Market Basket.
Those two businesses will cap off the northwest retail corner of the development fronting on Larrabee Road and Main Street. The main entrance into the retail village will be through that area, and the new office building will be right behind Market Basket.
Across the road is the quarry, which will be landscaped with trails, including water-related sporting events and things light light shows and music.
The two-building medical office campus, anchored by New England Cancer Specialists, is farther back in the development and scheduled to open by 2023.
Announcements about the residential part of the development will be forthcoming, John said. The landscaping and outdoor elements around the quarry will probably be the last to be finished. He said the plan is to fill the 400-foot-deep, 300-foot-wide quarry up to almost its top, which will take several years.
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