A new group of influential business leaders has formed in Westbrook to work with the city to encourage economic development and identified as its highest priority a project that has been stymied for years – the construction of an office building on Saccarappa Park.

The Westbrook Development Collaborative, a group hand-picked by Mayor Bruce Chuluda to look at the city’s long-term development, made the recommendation last month.

Gestated during January’s Economic Development Summit, the collaborative is holding a series of meetings to discuss how to “develop, refine and assist” economic and community development not just for the city proper, but also for the city’s role in southern Maine. Membership includes city staff members, elected officials, community leaders, as well as key people in the business community, such as leaders at Idexx, Disability RMS, Sappi, MESDA (Maine Software and Information Technology Industry Association) and Westbrook Housing.

“Everyone there is successful in what they do,” said John Bernier, a Westbrook resident and real estate broker, as well as president of the Cornelia Warren Community Association and long-time member of various city committees. He is now a member of the collaborative. “This group is interested in making decisions, and not just talking about things. I think this is as solid a group as has ever come together.”

At the first few meetings, members identified some of the key development issues currently facing the city. Erik Carson, the city’s director of economic and community development, brought up two – the development of the city-owned Saccarappa Park and the revitalization of the privately-owned building that was formerly home to Maine Rubber. Both projects on the west end of Main Street have been discussed for six years at least, he said, with no results.

A development model had been chosen long before the collaborative began meeting. Designed by commercial developer Tim Flannery, it would include ground-level space for retail, two higher floors for offices and a fourth floor for residential space. But due to an unexpected problem with a sewage pipe running through the middle of the property, the project has stalled again.

City Councilor Suzanne Joyce, a member of the collaborative, said the Saccarappa Park project was being discussed by the city before she was elected more than four years ago.

With the collaborative’s informal charge, Carson is to focus on working with Flannery on the possibilities of redesigning the building to work around the pipe, or with Portland Water District on how to move the pipe, or the Environmental Protection Agency on how to use the brownfield funds the property is entitled to, and whether that money could be used off site to move the pipe under Main Street, which would cause a separate headache of closing Main Street down for some time. Every option is still on the table.

The project still must go through the long-standing Saccarappa Park Committee, the council’s economic development committee, the planning board and other official processes. But for fourth-generation Westbrook resident and collaborative member Eileen Shutts, the public discussion of the project is a key element.

Shutts was asked to be a member of the collaborative because of her leading role, along with Anne Bureau, in fighting the zoning changes that would have brought a Wal-Mart Supercenter to the former Saunders Brothers property. Shutts said she was surprised that she was asked to be part of the collaborative, adding jokingly that she thought the city had written her off as a “pain.”

For Shutts, one of the stickiest issues with Wal-Mart was that it went straight to official city process before being publicly discussed. Though these standards are normal, Shutts said, there is more to consider than simply traffic patterns and other such technical challenges usually handled by the planning board.

“What do we want the community to feel like and look like?” said Shutts. “It’s very relevant. It’s your community. It’s your future.”

Shutts thinks the development of Saccarappa Park needs to be balanced with public access to the Presumpscot River – the current development plan would save 30 to 40 percent of the park for public space – and there must be a public and private partnership in order to develop it.

Shutts said a similar partnership is needed to address the former Maine Rubber building, which Shutts puts at the top of her list for necessary revitalization, as it is the building that greets people entering the city from the west. Shutts said the city has to be careful – and other members of the collaborative have agreed – to not stop at revitalizing properties with new businesses and buildings that are simply “better than what was there.” They must create something the city is proud off.

Collaborative members will be bringing their own development ideas to the table, as well. In addition to Saccarappa Park and the western gateway to the city, Shutts is keen to be involved in discussions of “if and when” development occurs in the area of Westbrook Arterial. Joyce likewise has some properties in mind that may be up for development in the future. Chuluda keeps Route 302 and the Sappi property, which qualifies for Pine Tree Zone tax breaks, in mind.

The collaborative will meet again next Friday at Idexx. The group will be continuing its discussion on how to effectively address the challenges facing the development of Saccarappa Park, and will discuss the successes of the various tax increment financing districts in the city. Now that the collaborative has some momentum and its mission is clear the group will also be discussing leadership and communication strategies so their work can be translated to the public.

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