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Updated: August 28, 2023 2023 Fact Book: Doing Business in Maine

Rock Row: From ground gravel rises a new entertainment district and catalyst for innovation.

PHOTO by Navadise Media Opening 2024, Rock Row’s medical campus offers unprecedented visibility on I-95 and access via exits 47 and 48.

Rock Row is a 2.6 million square-foot mixed-use development and entertainment district built around a scenic 20-plus acre quarry that is attracting millions of guests annually. The unique experiential outdoor retail and entertainment hub will combine diverse entertainment with a thoughtfully integrated hospitality approach that supports its retail, restaurants, hotels and conference center through to Rock Row’s residences, loft-style and Class A offices and medical campus.

Rock Row is a beacon of sustainable, innovative and community-centric suburban development. It exemplifies how visionary planning and execution can transform a once-abandoned quarry into a thriving destination. Rock Row is not just a place — it’s a destination where guests can come, stay and discover the magic of Maine.

History

The 100-plus acre site on I-95 that straddles the cities of Portland and Westbrook was acquired by Waterstone Properties Group in 2017. At the time, the then gravel quarry was destined to be a big-box shopping center. With a long-term focus, Waterstone was able to forge the public partnerships to ensure the former industrial site could be repurposed to something transformational and become a world-class retail, restaurant and entertainment destination.

Through the vision of Waterstone’s Principals, Josh Levy and Neal Shalom, a new bold vision was crafted that would transform the massive quarry into an economic catalyst and entertainment district. Once abandoned, the 400-foot-deep blue rock quarry is being reimagined into a unique blend of natural beauty and mixed recreational uses that will reshape the surrounding landscape and reinvigorate its locality.

Render by NELSON Worldwide
Rock Row’s Plaza will be a year-round destination with over 200 events annually.

Vision

The vision is to craft memorable, soul-stirring experiences for both guests and residents that deepen social connections, stimulate emotional enrichment and enhance the community’s overall wellbeing for a healthier, happier and more fulfilling life.

Rock Row aims to be a center for innovation and entertainment in the region and to be a catalyst for businesses and nonprofits, small and large. By challenging the norms of traditional mixed-use developments, Rock Row seeks to redefine how spaces are envisioned and experienced to unlock the power of place.

Rock Row aspires to be a global model of successful urban revitalization, proving how business, community and nature can harmoniously support one another and flourish in the incredible state of Maine.

Maine’s Premier Outdoor Retail, Entertainment District

At full buildout, the mixed-use development and entertainment district will include 400,000 square-feet of loft and Class A offices, a versatile entertainment and conference center with over 5,000 seats, and 300,000 square-feet of retail and restaurants that surround the recreational quarry. Host to 20-plus restaurants from fast casual to gourmet dining, Rock Row seeks to bring category-leading concepts in harmony with the talents and favorite cuisines locals and tourists seek in Maine. At the heart of the development is a food hall with over 550 seats, 12-plus stations and a tasting room.

The experiential outdoor retail space already hosts a number of category-leading tenants. The first phase, which opened in 2020, includes Market Basket, REI, The Paper Store, Chick-fil-A, Chase Bank, Starbucks, Firehouse Subs, DripBar, Big Fin Poke, Crumbl Cookies, US Cellular, and Maine’s best sports bar, CowBell Burger Bar.

The most recent edition is a new beer garden, Quarryside at Rock Row, featuring Lone Pine Brewing Company. Perched on the edge of the quarry at Rock Row, Quarryside is a vibrant new destination centered around the stunning urban lake. A rotating series of community events will take place all year long, including yoga classes, ice skating, live music, festivals and fairs. It is part of the mission at Rock Row to embrace the amazing local food, beverage and entertainment that Maine has to offer.

The district also includes a 200,000 square-foot medical campus, that will open Summer 2024 and will be home to esteemed institutions like New England Cancer Specialists, Dempsey Center, Rayus Imaging and Saco Bay Physical Therapy as well as a blend of clinical health services complemented by evidence-based therapies.

Render by Page Southerland Page, Inc.
The medical campus offers climate control access with covered parking, outdoor infusion bays and access to nature via its healing garden.

A Community Destination for Healing

The medical and research campus represents a shared vision for the future of health care: a community destination for healing that offers the convenient access patients and guests seek on campus that thoughtfully integrates the natural environment to promote healing.

The medical campus will offer Maine’s first outdoor infusion bays that face a healing garden as well as access to over 70-miles of trails. Separated by Nason Brook, the medical campus offers patients, practitioners and guests access to housing as well as the entertainment, culinary experiences and community helping to deepen social connections, stimulate emotional enrichment and enhance overall wellbeing.

A Catalyst for Maine

During development, Rock Row will create an average of 2,722 jobs, generating $118.3 million in wages and salaries, $326.3 million in economic output, and will contribute $9.24 million in tax revenue to Maine. Upon completion, the project is expected to employ an average of 8,408 individuals annually, generate $452.3 million in wages and salaries creating $1.66 billion in economic output and contribute over $35.32 million in annual tax revenue.

The Rock Row project is bringing significant economic activity to the Greater Portland region and state economies, supporting thousands of jobs, and injecting hundreds of millions into wages, tax revenues, and economic output each year. Rock Row’s entertainment district sits on the edge of a 20-plus acre quarry offering world class shopping, restaurant and programming as well as wellness services. As an important node in the state’s innovation ecosystem, Rock Row is expected to support talent recruitment and retention, the state’s tourism sector and the innovation of Maine’s heritage industries as exemplified by its mass timber office building.

For more information visit RockRow.com or follow us at @rockrowmaine. For leasing inquiries contact Nicola Coluci at (207) 615-1601.

Render by NELSON Worldwide
The 400-foot deep blue rock quarry, now a lake, will be a regional destination for entertainment and recreational activities.

Rock Row

Rock Row, Westbrook, ME

Sector: Real Estate, Retail, Medical, Entertainment

Josh Levy, Principal

Neal Shalom, Chairman, Principal

Founded: 2017

Maine employees: 5

www.rockrow.com